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Akhyana
Akhyana was a traditional musical theatre as well as medieval genre of Gujarati poetry and Rajasthani poetry. It was primarily practiced in Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India. Etymology and definition ''Akhyana'' literally means ''to tell'' or ''narrate'' in Sanskrit. The 12th century polymath Hemchandra defined Akhyana in his ''Kavyanusashana'' as a side story from religious texts narrated by Granthika (professional storyteller) to instruct audience accompanied by singing and acting. This definition does not include the narration of other non-mythological stories like that of Narsinh Mehta. In general, Akhyana can be defined as the stories narrated by story teller for religious instructions to audience accompanied by singing and acting. Dolarrai Mankad defined it as a form of poetry with musical components and scope of acting. Akhyana Performers The narrator or professional storytellers who recited Akhyanas were called Manabhatt or Gagaria-bhatt. They set poetry to musical tune ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gujarati Literature
The history of Gujarati literature ( gu, ગુજરાતી સાહિત્ય) may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, other than its composers. Gujarat Vidhya Sabha, Gujarat Sahitya Sabha, Gujarat Sahitya Akademi and Gujarati Sahitya Parishad are Gujarat-based literary institutions promoting the Gujarati literature. History Such factors as the policies of the rulers, the living style of the people, and the worldwide influence on society are important for any literature to flourish. In Gujarat, due to the development of trade and commerce, the religious influence of Jainism as well as Hinduism, and also due to the safety and encouragement of rulers like Chaulukya (Solanki) and Vaghela Rajputs, literary activities were in full force from the 11th century. * Gujarati literature ** Early literature (up to 1450 AD) *** Prāg-Narsinh Yug (1000 AD to 1450 AD) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nakar
Nakar was a 16th-century Gujarati poet from Gujarat who wrote several Akhyanas. Biography Very little is known about his life as his verses are the only source regarding his life. His lived in sixteenth century, though it was initially believed that he lived in seventeenth century. He belonged to Disaval Bania caste and lived in Vadodara. He wrote several Akhyana which were recited in public by ''Manabhatt'' (professional storytellers belonging to Brahmin caste) as only Brahmins were allowed to do so. Works He wrote several poems but only seven are published. Most of them are in Akhyana form to be recited by professional storytellers. He did not write poems in metres but in local tunes (''raga''s) like Ramagri, Ashavari and Sameri. He wrote ''Harishchandrakhyan'' (1516, Vikram Samvat 1572) in Umreth based on story of Harishchandra. His other works include ''Shiva-vivah'' (marriage of Shiva, 1544), ''Chandrahasakhyan'', ''Lavkushakhyan'', ''Dhruvakhyan'' (1544), ''Mrigalisamvad'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manbhatt
Manbhatt were Brahmin priests of south Gujarat (India) narrating stories called ''Akhyana''s to the accompaniment of music played on copper-made water pitcher or large globular metal pot (''man'') having a narrow mouth and bloated mid-part, used for beats of rhythmic beating time as required. The manbhatt has been an important fixture in the religious lives of middle-class Gujaratis for several hundred years. Today, this once extremely popular art of story-telling is almost extinct. The narrative consists of stories from the epics, the Puranas, and from everyday life. The singer uses fingers with metal rings to slap rhythmically the shoulders of the ''man''. Further accompaniment is provided by cymbals (''jhanjh''), barrel drum (''pakhavaj''), tabla, and harmonium. The communities of Charanas and Bhats have been composing and reciting epic verses celebrating the exploits of their royal patrons. They use the '' raso'' (''rasa'' or ''rasaka''), a structure consisting of several poem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhalan
Bhalan (Gujarati: ભાલણ) (b. 15th century in Patan in the present-day Gujarat state in India), was a famous Gujarati poet of the medieval period. Also a scholar of Sanskrit literature, he is considered a major contributor in Bhakti-kal in Gujarati literature. Works According to Narsinhrao Divetia, his best works are ''Kadambari'' and ''Nalakhyan''. ''Kadambari'' is an abridged Gujarati rendering of Banabhatta's well-known Sanskrit prose work '' Kadambari'' in verse. He extracted the pulp from the Puranas and converted it into various significant works, which include ''Nalakhyan'', ''Shiv-Bhiladi Samvad'', ''Durvasa Akhyan'', ''Mrugi Akhyan'', ''Jalandhar Akhyan'', ''Mamaki Akhyan'', ''Chandi Akhyan'' and ''Dhruv Akhyan''. He was an exponent of the genres of the ''Akhyana'' and ''Kavita'' in Gujarati literature. Bhalan also wrote the poems ''Ram Balacharita'' and ''Krishna Balacharita'', which describe the depth of the childness of both gods. Bhalan was the first Gujarat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance. Elements of art, such as painted scenery and stagecraft such as lighting are used to enhance the physicality, presence and immediacy of the experience. The specific place of the performance is also named by the word "theatre" as derived from the Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, "a place for viewing"), itself from θεάομαι (theáomai, "to see", "to watch", "to observe"). Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from the theatre of ancient Greece, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements. Theatre artist Patrice ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nala
Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married princess Damayanti, of the Vidarbha Kingdom. He was blessed by goddess Kali. He was also a great cook and wrote the first-ever book on cookery, Pakadarpanam (Sanskrit: पाकदर्पण). Even today, a consistently good chef/cook is credited as someone with Nala-Bhagam to mean that their dish tastes as if Nala has prepared it. He is said to have been able to cook a full meal without lighting fire. Story Nala's story is told in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata and was adapted into various versions. According to the 12th century text Nishadha Charita, one of the five ''mahakavyas'' (great epic poems) in the canon of Sanskrit literature, written by Sriharsha, Nala, King of Nishadha, found a beautiful swan in a forest. The swan told him ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nalakhyan
''Nalakhyan'' (; English: ''The Tale of Nala'') is a medieval Gujarati ''akhyana'' (long narrative poem), written by 17th-century Gujarati poet Premanand Bhatt (1649–1714). One of Premanand's most popular works, it retells the story of the mythical Hindu king Nala and his queen Damayanti. Through the machinations of Kali, an embodiment of the forces of evil, Nala and Damayanti are sent into exile, separated, and each subjected to a series of trials and reversals. Finally, when with Kali departs, they are reunited and restored to their former happiness. Although the plot is largely based on the ''Nalopakhyana'' in the ''Mahabharata'', Premanand adds several episodes of his own invention. The main theme of ''Nalakhyan'' is pathos, and the work reflects the Hindu ideal of married life. Background Premanand Bhatt was a professional reciter of mythical stories. He selected events from the old texts and reconstructed them, adding new incidents. ''Nalakhyan'' recreates and adapts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moksha
''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, soteriological and eschatology, eschatological senses, it refers to freedom from ''saṃsāra'', the cycle of death and Reincarnation, rebirth. In its epistemology, epistemological and psychological senses, ''moksha'' is freedom from ignorance: self-realization, self-actualization and self-knowledge. In Hindu traditions, ''moksha'' is a central concept and the utmost aim of human life; the other three aims being ''dharma'' (virtuous, proper, moral life), ''artha'' (material prosperity, income security, means of life), and ''kama'' (pleasure, sensuality, emotional fulfillment). Together, these four concepts are called Puruṣārtha in Hinduism. In some schools of Indian religions, ''moksha'' is considered equivalent to and used interchange ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colophon (publishing)
In publishing, a colophon () is a brief statement containing information about the publication of a book such as an "imprint" (the place of publication, the publisher, and the date of publication). A colophon may include the device (logo) of a printer or publisher. Colophons are traditionally printed at the ends of books (see History below for the origin of the word), but sometimes the same information appears elsewhere (when it may still be referred to as colophon) and many modern (post-1800) books bear this information on the title page or on the verso of the title-leaf, which is sometimes called a "biblio-page" or (when bearing copyright data) the " copyright-page". History The term ''colophon'' derives from the Late Latin ''colophōn'', from the Greek κολοφών (meaning "summit" or "finishing touch"). The term colophon was used in 1729 as the bibliographic explication at the end of the book by the English printer Samuel Palmer in his ''The General History of Printing, f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saraswati
Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a goddess is in the Rigveda. She has remained significant as a goddess from the Vedic period through the modern period of Hindu traditions. She is generally shown to have four arms, holding a book, a rosary, a water pot, and a musical instrument called the veena. Each of these items have a symbolic meaning in Hinduism. Some Hindus celebrate the festival of Vasant Panchami (the fifth day of spring, and also known as Saraswati Puja and Saraswati Jayanti in many regions of India) in her honour, and mark the day by helping young children learn how to write the letters of the alphabet on that day. The goddess is also revered by believers of the Jain religion of west and central India, as well as some Buddhist sects. Etymology Saraswati, is a Sans ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ganesha
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists and includes Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia (Java and Bali), Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Bangladesh and in countries with large ethnic Indian populations including Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, and Trinidad and Tobago. Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his elephant head. He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles and thought to bring good luck; the patron of arts and sciences; and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as a patron of letters ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Recitation
A recitation in a general sense is the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse or other writing before an audience. Public recitation is the act of reciting a work of writing before an audience. Academic recitation In academia, recitation is a presentation made by a student to demonstrate knowledge of a subject or to provide instruction to others. In some academic institutions the term is used for a presentation by a teaching assistant or instructor, under the guidance of a senior faculty member, that supplements course materials. In recitations that supplement lectures, the leader will often review the lecture, expand on the concepts, and carry on a discussion with the students. In its most basic form, a student would recite verbatim poems or essays of others, either to the teacher or tutor directly, or in front of a class or body of assembled students. In classes involving mathematics and engineering, a recitation is often used as the vehicle to perf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
