Regional Theatre in India

  

Regional theatre in India encompasses all the regional flavour of the Indian states. The multilingual aspect of India's poetic articulation amidst Indian theatre, have been severely appreciated by people around the country. Diverse culture, varied religion and most importantly the multi-dimensional nature of Indian language has played a great role in shaping up India's rich heritage and culture. The fusion of different Indian language and the union of varied Indian traditions from different region have enriched India's ethnicity in quite a large way since the remote past. India, as a multilingual and multi religious state can not be allied with one particular kind of trend and aspect in its theatres and dramas. This is the reason why the deep fervor of Bengali theatre has gelled well with the passion of Hindi Manipuri, Kannada and Marathi theatre and has given birth to a whole new concept of "Indian theatre". It is right after the independence of India, Indian theatre in different Indian languages and regions developed as an important element in taking theatre to the further level of maturity.

Malayalam Theatre, Gujarati Theatre, Kannada Theatre all has its roots associated with the British rule as the seed of the contemporary drama in India was sown during that era. Bengali theatre started with an intention of private entertainment however gradually it became the weapon to illustrate the dislikes and frustration of the British imperialism in India. As an art form Bengali theatre has its roots associated with the British Raj. Although started as private entertainment in the early 19th century Bengali theatre gradually became not only an eminent art form but also started playing the major role in illustrating the discomforts of the administration of British Empire in India. The year was 1947 and the day was 15th August - Indian Independence Day.

The day is indeed a red letter day in the history of Indian theatre. Not only India stood apart as a socially and politically sovereign state but also Indian culture, art, music, literature all witnessed a colossal change. Theatre and Indian drama, in various regional languages of the state, gradually became an art form, to illustrate the social and political ailments of independent India. Right after the independence of India the communist consolidation and the growth of left ideologies in India specially in West Bengal, used Bengali theatre as a typical means of advertisement or propaganda. Quite ideally, therefore, a new trend in Multi lingual and regional theatre gradually developed and the emergence of the theatre companies in India is one of them. All these theatre groups carried somewhat an ideological belief at the same time as distinct cultural inspiration to differentiate themselves from the typical artistry of the ancient Indian theatre.

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Indian Monasteries

 

Indian monasteries are believed to be some of the most pious pilgrimages all over the world. Religious pilgrims from all parts of the globe come to visit Sarnath, near the city of Varanasi, which is a sacred monastery of the Buddhist in India. The pilgrims often stay in these monasteries as they travel to other holy places. Many of the monasteries welcome foreign visitors as paying guests. The rules of Indian monasteries are basically the same in all over India. The authorities of Indian monasteries do not allow smoking, drinking or loud music.

Buddhist Monasteries in India
The Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Karnatakaand others comprise some of the most magnificent Buddhist monasteries. Bomdila Monastery and Tawang Monastery of Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal's Ghum Monastery, Bhutia Busty Monastery, Tharpa Choling Monastery, etc., Rumtek Monastery, Phodong Monastery, and other monasteries of Sikkim, Dzongkhul Monastery, Shashur Monastery, of Himachal Monastery are a few of the famous Buddhist monasteries of the country. Nyingmapa Tibetan Buddhist Monastery is another important Buddhist monastery in India.

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Tourism in West Bengal

 

West Bengal, the state in eastern India is endowed with uniqueness in its diversity. It offers its visitors a matchless geographical variety. The state is a tourist's paradise which includes hill stations, religious centres, wild life sanctuaries, and sea beaches. West Bengal is a land of magnificent landscape, flora fauna amidst the undulating terrains of the north as well as the effervescent seas in the south. This state is an exceptional amalgamation of culture, entertainment, artistry and boundless life. The streaming populace of the streets offers a strange beauty of the urban milieu, whereas the remote hill stations and sea beaches are perfect retreat for that very hectic urban population. West Bengal has everything of its own to offer through its impeccable natural beauty.

Pilgrimage Tourism in West Bengal
West Bengal is a home to many pilgrimage places and every year thousands of pilgrims come here to offer their prayers. Owing to the amalgamation of several cultures there are religious centres for all religious groups such as Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. Bishnupur in West Bengal has many Hindu temples that are renowned for their exclusive terracotta works. The temples are built mostly of brick, laterite, clay and sometimes wood and bamboo. Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and his love Radha, are deified in most of these temples. The Murali Mohana Temple and the Madana Mohana Temples in Bishnupur are popular religious sites for the Hindu pilgrims. The Shyama Raya temple built in the 17th century is the most visited religious site of this place. Religious centers in Kolkata in West Bengal reflect the secular nature of the city. The Dakshineshwar Temple is regarded as one of the major Hindu religious places. The Kalighat temple, well known for its Kali idol is visited by numerous devotees. The Nakhoda Mosque in Kolkata draws maximum Muslim devotees of the city. It has a very big structure and more than ten thousand men can perform the 'Namaaz' in the prayer hall of the mosque. Numerous ruins of mosques are still available at Malda in West Bengal. The St. Paul's cathedral in is one of the most important Christian religious center of Kolkata. People who come all across the globe and have a glance of the church get astonished at its beauty. The Shitalanatha temple of Kolkata is a Jain temple and is visited by many Jain disciples. The Gurudwara Bari Sangat in Kolkata attracts Sikh disciples from all over India. Murshidabad, a prosperous district in West Bengal houses the famous Katra Mosque that attracts numerous Muslim pilgrims. West Bengal is a home to Buddhist pilgrims as well. There are a large number of Buddhist monasteries in Kalimgpong and Gangtok in West Bengal, which are some of the finest Buddhist pilgrimage centers in India. The religious places in West Bengal will give the tourists an insight about the cultural heritage of the place.

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History of Indian Cricket

 

History of Indian Cricket reveals the fact that though the game was introduced by the British Government in India, its popularity kept on increasing with passing time. Cricket is now celebrated as a major sport in India. Cricket is considered to be a religion in India. There are no sure theories about the origin of Cricket in India but as British ruled on India for over 200 years, the game can be called as their legacy. The game took around four centuries to reach India. British brought this game to India in the 17th century. The first ever cricket match in India was played in 1721 AD. Initially accepted by the Parsi community, this game of foreigners began to appear in organized form with the establishment of the ‘Oriental Cricket Club’ in 1848.

India started playing Cricket way back in 1721 unofficially but was granted the official test status in 1932. They played their first test cricket match from 25th June to 28th June in the year 1932 against England at Lords' in London. India was lead by C.K. Nayuduat that time. India was considered a weak team in the Cricketing Circuit for long time but Indian team changed from 1950s and is a major force to reckon with today.

First Indian Cricket Club
The first Indian Cricket club, named the Parsee Oriental Cricket Club, was founded in that year and they played their first match in Bombay (Mumbai). From this point, the journey of Indian cricket began. This cricket club of Mumbai marked the beginning of interest of Indian people in cricket. The first official cricket match was played between Parsis and Europeans in 1877 AD. Till late 19th century people of this country did not open their hearts to the game.

Indian Cricket in 20th Century
After its initiation, Cricket started gaining popularity among the Indian people within a short period of time. The middle and last half of the 19th century was an important period in the history of Indian Cricket, as the game spread its reach in almost all the parts of India during that period.

The First Test Match was played in 1932. Though India did not have a national cricket team during the early 1900s, a few Indian great cricketers of that era did represent the England cricket team. Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Duleep Singhji were the prominent ones among them.

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Chakras, Yoga

 Chakras, as a theory, occur in Tantric and yogic traditions of both Buddhism and Hinduism. The name Chakra is derived from the word ‘Wheel’. Chakra is also referred to wheel-like vortices. Chakras are a source of energy that permeates from a point on the physical body. The vortices are considered the focal points for the reception and transmission of energies. There are 7 chakras in total. However there are several chakras on a human body.

In the Upanishad texts, the chakras have been mentioned. The energy of these vortices arrives from one’s own Kundalini, another being the spiritual force within an individual. These energies come from inside the body and flows out the chakras. One experiences energy from other people. Spiritual energy, Prana and other energies around humans may also flow in through the chakra centres.

Concept of Chakra
People, who are less matured in their evolutionary growth, incline to bring out much more energy than they emit out. When people are weak then they pull in energy from developed people. One’s practice includes giving. An individual "gives" energy from their chakras. Lending is an act that strengthens a person whereas when energy is pulled out from an individual, one can be weakened. There are some people who absorb energy from others.

Those people, who are not spiritually developed, may be open to negative forces. A person who is dejected inclines to put energies coming through the chakras on a depressed level. This intensifies troubles. Evolved people have more energy flowing out of their chakras than inside. As they become more richly developed, the Kundalini energy growing from their chakras coalesces with divine energy, continues to exude out, then curves back to come in through the hands and feet (occasionally through other areas of the body), bringing an assortment of these energies into them.

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Indus Valley Civilisation

  

Indus Valley Civilisation, also known as 'Harappan Civilisation', was discovered as a consequence of the excavations conducted in 1920. The culture of Indus Valley Civilization manifested the growth of an ancient society which evolved and thrived during the Bronze Age in the North-West region of India and its subcontinent. The civilization was named after the Indus River, along the banks of which the civilization developed. Geographically, the Indus Valley Civilization covered the territory of Pakistan, the states of Rajasthanand Punjab, the valleys of Narmada and Tapti in Gujarat, with intrusions into the upper Ganga-Yamuna Doab. Collectively they constitute an area of about 8, 40,000 sq miles, which is much bigger than that of any contemporary civilization in other places. The origin, culture and decline of the Indus Valley Civilization are shrouded in mystery and have fascinated the historians and common populace as well. It is estimated by experts that the society existed between 3300 BC and 1700 BC.

Origin of Indus Valley Civilisation
The origin of Indus Valley civilisation is devoid of any kind of battles or conflicts. The people of Indus Valley rather made deals instead of war and created a stable peaceful and prosperous culture. The Harappa Civilization has its significance for not only historians and archaeologists but for the people in general. It was best known for its spectacular city planning, its drainage system and had surpassed all other contemporary civilizations.

As far as the origin of the word Indus is concerned, scholars are of the opinion that the name Indus is the origin of the word Hindu. Though the original Indian name of the river is Sindhu, the Greeks referred to the river as the 'Indos' while the later Arabs referred to it as 'Al-Hind.' Eventually the name came to be applied to the people of the subcontinent, namely, the 'Hindi,' the 'Hindus' and the 'Indians.' It is believed that the Indus Valley Civilization belonged to the copper age as the presence of iron tools and implements has not yet been established at any part of this civilization.

The oldest mention of the Indus Valley Civilisation is found in the works of Charles Masson in 1842. In 1856 while laying a railway track, British engineers came across an ancient city. They used the bricks from the ruined city to build the railway bed. Finally it was Alexander Cunningham, the director of the Archaeological Survey of British India, who presented to the world a seal from this ancient civilisation. In the year 1920, Indian archaeologists Dayaram Sahani and R.D Bannerjee undertook excavations on one of these mounds in Harappa. The archaeologists expected to find something, but never imagined that a city lay beneath the earth. Further excavation at different places in India and Pakistan, led to discovery of another large city 'Mohenjodaro' with the recovery of at least 80 villages and towns related to this newly discovered civilization. They named it Harappan after the first city they discovered.

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Buddhist Art In India

 The main purpose of Buddhist art in India was to popularise the religion of Buddhism. Buddhist art in India came into being after the historical life of Gautam Buddha during the sixth to fifth century B.C. and then it developed by contact with other cultures as it spread all through Asia and the world.

The presence of Lord Buddha was portrayed by the symbols of empty throne, a pair of foot prints, a lotus, or a Bodhi tree. The sculpture developed later on into more precise and explicit definition of the episodes relating to the life of Lord Buddha and his teachings. It is in north India that the first anthropomorphic representation of Buddha is said to have emerged. The two main proponents of Buddhist art in India is the Gandhara School and the Mathura school of art.

Buddhist art flourished in the panorama of Indian art during the Maurya dynasty under the reign of emperor Ashoka, who embraced Buddhism. The several stupas like the one in Sanchi and the pillars adorned with Buddhist symbols were the earliest instances of Buddhist art in India. These stupas comprise a hemispherical dome with a harmika supporting the umbrellas. The sculpture of Bharhut depicts stories from the life of Lord Buddha and also tales from Jataka. The sculpture dealing with the life of Gautam Sakyamuni includes Buddha's enlightenment, the vision of Maya, and the defeat of Mara among others. In the sculptures of Bharhut, Amravati and Sanchi the worship of the Bodhi tree is widely prevalent. The Buddhist art in south India during this era is best represented by the Maha chaitya at Amravati which resembles the art at Bharhut. The Buddhist art at Amravati is noted for its sophistication and elegance.

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Indian Art Cinema

 

Indian art cinema differs sharply from popular films which are more commonly known as the commercial flicks. The conceptual notion of art cinema though differs from being one of the fuzziest to one of the contradictory topics ever touched upon. They are realistic, often ethnographic, and they seek to capture important aspects of Indian reality. By and large, they avoid glamour and glitz and use cinema as an artistic medium capable of exploring important areas of Indian experience.

Features of Indian Art Cinema
Indian art cinemas are usually low budget and are shown at international film festivals. The Indian art movies, understandably, do not attract the huge audiences that the popular films do. Often many regional films are made, which do not receive pan-Indian exposure. In terms of the commitment to serious cinema, to making cinema a significant medium of artistic communication, to eschewing the vulgarities and crudities often associated with Indian popular cinema, artistic filmmakers differ significantly from their counterparts in popular cinema. Art is mimesis, according to Aristotle, which is nourished by the concepts of twice placed reality. Cinema is the reel adaptation of the real. Discourses of the art house cinema have obviously two poles: as mode of narration and as institution.

Inception of Indian Art Cinema
When one talks of art movies in India the first name that comes up is Satyajit Ray. This is because he was primarily responsible for fashioning this genre and gaining international recognition for it. His film Pather Panchali, made in 1955, was the first such film. In a poll conducted in 1992 by the magazine Sight and Sound, Pather Panchali was voted one of the ten greatest films of all time. Indian art films offer a striking contrast to Indian popular films. They use understatement effectively, something totally absent in popular films. There is a visual lyricism and a deep humanism which are intensely satisfying. Satyajit Ray made a number of significant films in the same moulds that have won international acclaim. His work provides a sense of the preoccupations of artistic cinema and how they differ from popular cinema. Satyajit Ray is generally regarded as India's greatest filmmaker and, along with Jean Renoir and Vittorio de Sica, he is rated among the great masters of humanist cinema.

Prominent Indian Art Films
Today, art movies in India no longer differ from the mainstream films in popularity. The audiences today look out for good films rather than popular or serious films. Hence while a multi-starrer Indian movie bombs at the box office, a film like Aamir is much appreciated by the cine goers. Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen is another milestone depicting the tale an unmarriageable ugly girl. Hu Tu Tu exposes the politicians while Sookha is a realistic depiction of communal riots, politics and bureaucracy. Sushil Rajpal's Antardwand is another acclaimed film in this genre which portrays a real life experience. Kalpana Lazmi's Rudaali brilliantly presents the life and hardships of a woman who publicly express grief of family members who are restricted to display emotion owing to social status. Adoor Gopalakrishnan's film, Rat Trap (1981) has won many prestigious awards and in his film Face to Face (1984), Gopalakrishnan explores the theme of self and modernization, this time taking a different angle. Once again the style of the film follows the neo-realistic tradition. Other famed art movies of Bollywood include Ardh Satya, Suraj Ka Saatva Ghoda, Rajiv Patil's Jogwa (Marathi) and Aparna Sen's Sati (Bengali), Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai, Ankur, Parzania, Maya Darpan, Sardari Begum, Utsav, Ek Din Achanak, Ek Doctor Ki Maut and many more.

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Vaishnavism

 

Vaishnavism is the branch of Hinduism in which Lord Vishnu or one of his incarnations is worshipped as the supreme God. Members of Vaishnavism are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas. Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu denomination and it has numerous subdivisions. In addition to the Vedas, Vaishnavites especially revere the Bhagavad Gita, the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Samhita and the Gita Govinda. These texts focus especially on Lord Vishnu or his incarnations Lord Krishna and Lord Rama.

Vaishnavism is predominantly monotheistic in its philosophy, but not exclusive. Vaishnavism is also viewed as a part of Bhakti Movement. The faction's beliefs and practices, particularly the concepts of Bhakti and Bhakti Yoga, are based principally on Upanishads and associated with the Vedas and Puranic texts like the Bhagavad Gita, the Padma, Vishnu and Bhagavata Puranas. Vaishnavism denounces caste system and the notion that intermediaries like Brahmins was needed to reach out to God.

Origin of Vaishnavism
The origin of Vaishnavism sect lies not in the Vedic Age, but in the pre-Vedic, non-Aryan Bhakti, devotional cult. As Vedism declined, this cult sprang forth strongly and was pivoted around Vasudeva. Vaishnavism faction was based on spiritual wisdom delivered by the Gods themselves. Lord Vishnu had delivered knowledge about the creation to Brahma. Brahma, in turn, passed this knowledge to Narada, his son. Narada imparted the wisdom to his disciples, including Vyasadeva. The latter is known to have resided in Badrinath, located amidst the sublime clime of Himalayas. In an attempt to save the spiritual wisdom from destruction in Kaliyug, Vyasadeva put it in a written form for the very first time. Till date the script of Vaishnava cult is transmitted from teachers to their disciples.

History of Vaishnavism
History of Vaishnavism depicts that Lord Vishnu had reincarnated himself as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to fight the Kaliyug. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in turn, had demonstrated the path of love, simple faith and devotion to reach out to God. Vaishnavism propagated that there is only one thing to which God responds and that is true devotion. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the reincarnation of Lord Krishna, was instrumental in helping the then contemporary society to break away from the shackles of rigid religious customs. The major characteristic of Vaishnavism, ‘Bhakti’ supports the devotee to escape from the ultimate cycle of death and birth. Besides Chaitanya, there also lies proof of various other committed Vaishnava religious leaders, who had become incidental to spread Vaishnavism. Some of these luminous sages include Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Manavala Mamunigal, Vedanta Desika, Surdas, Meera Bai, Tulsidas, Jnanadeva, Anandamayi Ma and Tukaram.

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