Chalcolithic South Asia Aspects of Crafts and Technologies

http://www.easternbookcorporation.com/book/9788182749085/chalcolithic-south-asia-aspects-of-crafts-and-technologies

Chalcolithic South Asia Aspects of Crafts and Technologies

by Vasant Shinde, Shweta Sinha Deshpande, Amrita Sarkar

isbn 9788182749085, pp. 244 Rs. 1895 / Us$ 29.15

Technology forms an important aspect of culture, as it gauges the economic and social developments of a society during its various phases. The rate of technological change that took place until the Chalcolithic was slow and that spread over a long period of time. For, that was in response to the basic social needs, like the search for food and shelter. However, 5,000 years ago during the Chalcolithic period, a momentous cultural transition began which generated new needs and resources. That was accompanied by a significant increase in technological innovation.

In this book, an attempt has been made to explore the possibility of reconstructing various aspects of Chalcolithic technologies in South Asia. In order to reconstruct that, the archaeological evidences related to the craft and manufacture and the ethnographic data of the modern communities, which is technologically at par with the Chalcolithic, have been considered. 

An Era of Darkness The British Empire in India by Shash Tharoor

An Era of Darkness The British Empire in India

Shashi Tharoor

2016 ISBN 9789383064656 US$ 10.75

To Buy Online Visit

http://www.easternbookcorporation.com/book/9789383064656/an-era-of-darkness-the-british-empire-in-india

In this explosive book, bestselling author Shashi Tharoor reveals with acuity, impeccable research, and trademark wit, just how disastrous British rule was for India. Besides examining the many ways in which the colonizers exploited India, ranging from the drain of national resources to Britain, the destruction of the Indian textile, steel-making and shipping industries, and the negative transformation of agriculture, he demolishes the arguments of Western and Indian apologists for Empire on the supposed benefits of British rule, including democracy and political freedom, the rule of law, and the railways. The few unarguable benefits—the English language, tea, and cricket—were never actually intended for the benefit of the colonized but introduced to serve the interests of the colonizers. Brilliantly narrated and passionately argued, An Era of Darkness will serve to correct many misconceptions about one of the most contested periods of Indian history.

Books on Indian History

http://www.easternbookcorporation.com/book/9789385005831/natyasastram-ascribed-to-bharata-muni-2-vols.

Natyasastram Ascribed to Bharata Muni 2 Vols.

A Treatise on Ancient Indian Dramaturgy and Histrionics

Manomohan Ghosh (Intro)

2016, isbn 9789385005831 Rs. 2120.75 / US$ 38.38

The Natya sastra had been accepted as fifth Veda, as the same is gist of Vedas. According to scripture itself, "The recitative (pathya) he took from the Rgveda, the song from the Samaveda, the Histrionic Representation (abhinaya) from the Yajurveda and Sentiments (rasa) from the Atharvaveda and thus was created the Natyaveda.

With thirty-six chapters and over six thousand verses, this is encyclopaedia of Natya Vidya (Vidya of dance, drama and music). This comprises of every single aspect of Natya viz. it talks about the issues related literary constructions, set up of stage, details related to musical scales and murcchas, analysis of dance forms which considers several body gestures or mudras and movements along with their impact on viewers, it also educates the viewers about the etiquettes to be followed while watching a performance and it deals with Rasas.

Bharata muni describes 15 types of drama ranging from one to ten acts. Individual chapters deal with aspects such as makeup, costume, acting and directing etc.

With detailed theory of drama, Natyasastra is comparable to the Poetics of Aristotle. Bharata Muni refers to bhavas, the imitations of emotions, as per him eight principal rasas are srngara rasa (love), karunya rasa (pity), Raudra rasa (fury), Vibhatsa rasa (disgust), Vira rasa (heroism), Adbhuta rasa (wonder), Bhyanaka rasa (horrific) and Hasyarasa (comedy) however Mahamahesvara Abhinava gupta who wrote a commentary on it also, later setup ninth rasa the santa rasa and said all the other rasas are part of it.

The Natyasastra is the first major text that deals with music at length. It is considered the defining treatise of Indian classical music until the 13th century, when the stream bifurcated into Hindustani classical music in North India and Carnatic classical music in South India; the stronghold of the Hindu kingdoms. Even till date its strict follow up can be seen in performing arts of south India.

With major focus on musical instruments in its musical art narration the Natyasastra also talks about several aspects of musical performance, particularly its application to vocal, instrumental and orchestral compositions. Natyasastra also talks about jatis which are the origin of the notion of modern melodic structures called ragas.

The present edition is critical edition with Samskrta text, transliteration, annotated English translation along with detailed index, which makes it very useful for research scholars, performing arts experts and enthusiasts.

For more books on Sanskrit

SRK 25 YEARS OF A LIFE

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SRK 25 Years of a Life

by Samar Khan & Sonali Kokra

ISBN 9789385285257, Rs. 3400 (free shipping by India post) / US$ 61.54

A collection of 30 essays from directors who worked closely with India’s biggest and the most successful super star SRK. These stories offer an intimate and honest picture of Shah Rukh the actor and how he became SRK the icon. SRK — 25 Years of a Life’ looks at Shah Rukh through the eyes of the directors who transformed him into unforgettable characters in every film. A deeply personal and professional account of SRK, the actor, as seen by these film-makers and what makes him a living legend. The design of the book is inspired by the Bollywood hand-painted film posters.

These iconic portraits transform paint into living, breathing characters from SRK’s movies.

Books on Indian Cinema

Architecture in India by M.A. Dhaky

http://www.easternbookcorporation.com/book/9788187586692/architecture-in-india

Architecture in India
History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, Volume VI, Part 2
M.A. Dhaky (Ed.) & D.P. Chattopadhyaya (Gen. Ed.)
US$ 33.85 or Rs. 2200

In "Architecture in India" an attempt is made to present a panoramic view of the development of art and architecture during the early and the medieval periods of Indian history in the whole country from Kashmir in the north to Kerala in the South, from Maharashtra in the west to Bengal in the east. Altogether there are sixteen research papers which have given authentic accounts about the material, technique, style and idiom of the prominent religious and secular architectural structures, sculptures and other historical monuments constructed at different times under the patronage of various rulers of great kingdoms.

The volumes of the PROJECT ON THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE, PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE IN INDIAN CIVILIZATION aim at discovering the main aspects of India’s heritage and present them in an interrelated way. In spite of their unitary look, these volumes recognize the difference between the areas of material civilization and those of ideational culture. The project is not being executed by a single group of thinkers and writers who are methodologically uniform or ideologically identical in their commitments. The Project is marked by what may be called ‘methodological pluralism”. Inspite of its primarily historical character, this project, both in its conceptualization and execution, has been shaped by scholars drawn from different disciplines. It is for the first time that an endeavour of such a unique and comprehensive character has been undertaken to study critically a major world civilization like India.

Books on Indian Architecture