News & Notes

Book Review - A GRAMMAR OF DANCE

The epic Silappadikaram and its unequalled position in classical Tamil literature perhaps needs little introduction. Anjana Anand’s effort to examine the Arangetra Kaadhai—a seminal chapter that addresses dance in particular and extracts a translation with guidance under the eminence of Prof. S. Raghuraman, is a work that will prove infinitely useful particularly to dancers. They have long awaited such a helpful guide to the classical language in the epic, and the work and effort must be commended. Anjana’s own training and exposure to the world of dance brings in an angle of focus and clarity that is important and needs to be acknowledged. While the epic has seen multiple translations over the last century and more, the works have been summary extractions of the chapters and storyline that follow a descriptive form intended for general audiences. This work sets itself apart. Anjana’s presentation showcases a detailed meaning stream aimed at non-Tamil speakers (or scholars) with the most important aspect of a ‘word to word’ meaning and ‘phrasal’ transliterations in the Roman script with summaries that follow. In the coming decades and more, this work will benefit research scholars and the student fraternity from undergraduate to doctoral levels. Across the passage of time, translation attempts of epics often cross-refer to commentaries by erudite scholars that provide invaluable perspectives. These clarities add context and content understanding that illuminate readers with insights and clarity that carry meaningful learnings most often related to general life and the social fabric of the bygone ages. In this work, Anjana has included the insights of perhaps the earliest known commentators – Arumpada Uraiasiriyar (10th century) and Adiyarkkunallar (12th century). 


To read the full article - http://srutimag.blogspot.com/2022/08/bookshelf.html

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