A Dictionary of Bharata Natya

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Preface

When Orient Longman, Madras, requested me to write a dictionary of technical terms of Bharata Natya, I accepted the assignment with enthusiasm because it was one of my own dreams to arrange these terms of Bharata Natya Systematically. The dictionary is for the benefit of all those interested in Bharata Natya. I have tried to standardize the terminology of Bharata Natya in so far as is possible in a dynamic art in which varying views emerge from time to time. My principal sources have been the Natya Shastra and the Abhinaya Darpana, but more recent books have also been taken into account.

For this second edition, I am grateful to the publishers as well as all students and teachers of Bharata Natya who have found this dictionary useful. As in any collection of technical terms, there are bound to be some mistakes and omissions. In this second edition, I have corrected some errors, and also added many more technical terms.

I thank my wife Srimathi U. K. Chandrabhaga Devi for her valuable suggestions and general help in this edition. I gratefully thank Srimathi Gita Hariharan for pointing out a few discrepancies and for re-arranging the mater. My thanks are also due to some of my friends who have given me relevant advice regarding extra technical terms.

Once again, I welcome any constructive criticism and reviews that will help to make this dictionary, a tribute to the pristine beauty of Bharata Natya.