Performers and Their Arts

Introduction Part I: Caste, Community and performance - A ritual performance of Kerala, Vayala Vasudevan Pillai - The Patuas of Bengal, Makbul Islam - Bards and goddesses: The Pombalas in Tirupati, Anand Akundy - Explorations in the art forms of the Cindu madigas in Andhra, Y A Sudhakar Reddy and R R Harischandra - Caste identity and performance in a fisher-village of Assam, Kishore Bhattacharjee Part II: Performance Beyond Caste - Telugu pady natakam in Andhra: Performance dynamics, P Subbachary - Modernising tradition: The yaksagana in Karnataka, Guru Rao Bapat - Kalarippayatt as aesthetics and the politics of invisibility in Kerala, P K Sasidharan - India People's Theatre Association in colonial Andhra, V Ramakrishna - Gaddar and the politics and pain of singing, D Venkat Rao - Reviving moghal tamsa in Orissa, Sachi Mohanty Part III: Classical Dance and its Successors - New directions in Indian dance, Sunil Kothari - Transpositions in kuchipudi dance, Aruna Bhikshu - The impact of commercialization in dance, K Subadra Murthy - Art addressing social problems, Ananda Shankar Jayant

Simon Charsley taught Anthropology and Sociology at Glasgow University, Scotland for over twenty years. Author of several books on East Africa, Scotland and India, his current research is on performing artists of Andhra Pradesh (India) and their cultural significance. Laxmi N. Kadekar teaches Sociology at the University of Hyderabad, India. His research interests, which are the subject of the books and articles he has authored, include urban sociology, rural development, the Indian diaspora, and demographic change.

Introduction Part 1: Caste, Community and Performance 1. A Ritual Performance of Kerala 2. The Patuas of Bengal 3. Bards and Goddesses: The Pombalas in Tirupati 4. Explorations in the Art Forms of the Cindu Madigas in Andhra 5. Caste Identity and Performance in a Fisher-Village of Assam Part 2: Performance Beyond Caste 6. Telugu Pady Natakam in Andhra: Performance Dynamics 6. Modernising Tradition: The Yaksagana in Karnataka 7. Kalarippayatt as Aesthetics and the Politics of Invisibility in Kerala 8. India People's Theatre Association in Colonial Andhra 9. Gaddar and the Politics and Pain of Singing 10. Reviving Moghal Tamsa in Orissa Part 3: Classical Dance and its Successors 11. New Directions in Indian Dance 12. Transpositions in Kuchipudi Dance 13. The Impact of Commercialization in Dance 14. Art Addressing Social Problems