Aesthetics: the Indian perspectives
 The concept of Aesthetics as conceived and practised in India is as
interesting as the Grecian and later developed western theories on
Aesthetics.
Reading a well-documented and interpretative elucidation of Indian
Aesthetics (that is the title of a book in Thamil) by Dr. A.N.
Krishnaveney I was delighted and educated on the subject. The book is
published by Kumaran Book House at 361, 1/2 Dam Street, Colombo 12-
publishers of selected research oriented quality books both in Thamil
and English.
The author is the Head of the Department of Fine Arts, Yaalpaanam
University. She is a senior lecturer there. She obtained her
post-graduate degrees and the doctorate from the Chennai University’s
Radhakrishnan (the internationally known philosopher from India in the
last century) Institute for Advanced Philosophy.
She has written several erudite articles researching on religion,
philosophy, the arts and aesthetics in Lankan and Indian journals. He
has presented several researched papers at various seminars in Lanka. It
is a pleasure listening to her lectures which are clear, lucid and
explanatory.
In a nutshell what does the author say in her work?
The conceptual elucidations of artistic beauty come within the
confines of aestheticism. Though the concept of beauty in the Indian
tradition is very old yet the development of the nucleus thinking took
place Alankara Shastras in Sanskrit. The Indian Aesthetics prevails even
today since the Rig Veda times. It has a long literary and art
historical background.
In this book, as the publisher says, the following are analyzed:
Sanskrit Poetics, the Rasa theory, unworldly Rasas, the idea of Dwani,
the chapter on meaning in Tholkappiyam (a great grammatical work in
Thamil) in the process of Thamilian thoughts on aesthetics, Meipaadu
(Physical Manifestations of Emotions) Simile as a poetic technique,
Bhakthi Rasa as expounded in Periya Puranam (a great work by (Cheakilaar)
Tholkaapiyam is a great work on Thamil Poetics as well. The author
says that in this book she briefly introduces Sanskrit poetics and
Thamilian sense of beauty
In her introduction Dr. Krishnaveney says as knowledgeable readers
know the word ‘aesthetics ‘in English is derived from the Greek word
‘aesthesis’ and the Greek word ‘aesthetikos’ relate to Aesthetic Science
of Sensory Knowledge. The first to use the term ‘aesthetics’was
Alexander Gottieb Baugarten (1714- 1762)
Readers maybe interested in remembering some other facts: Rene
Descartes was reckoned as the father of modern philosophy. Gottfried
Wilheim Leibniz took Descartes ideas further. Baumgarten was drawn to
the ideas of Leibniz and he was also a student of the French philosopher
Fredric Wolf. Baumgarten, a German, in his work Aesthetica (1950) says
that whether it is natural beauty or artistic beauty it s perceived with
a ‘sense perception.’
It is only in the 18th century that Aestheticism became a separate
study disconnecting the link with philosophy. Aestheticism later came to
be linked with Science, Behaviourism and Psychology.
Literary and artistic terms like Taste, Creation, Imagination, Comedy
and Tragedy came to be understood better with the concept of
aestheticism.
As the author rightly points out that the ‘Rasa’ Theory stipulated by
Bharatha Muni (not be pronounced as Bhaaratha) became fundamental to
Indian Aesthetics The arts in India are linked with religion and have
inherited a spiritual flavour.
Readers in Thamil- laymen, undergraduates, scholars, artistes,
writers, critics- will find this book useful and absorbing as it is
written in an easy style which is not common with most academic writing
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