The Mirror of Gesture Being the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikesvara

The Mirror Gesture is the English translation of the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikesvara which was originally published with a Telugu interpretation by Madabhushi Tiruvenkatachari of Nidamangalam in 1984. The Abhinaya Darpana, according a Nandikesvara, who is a legendary figure, is an abridgement of the Bharatarnava, an exposition on the art of dancing.

For those not acquainted with the Indian dramatic technique, it may be difficult to understand the importance of such texts. However, as coomaraswamy has pointed out, this work may be of immense interest to the living actor in the European theatre and will not only be profitable for him "to adopt the actual gesture language of the East, but it may inspire him with the enthusiasm and the patience needful for the re-creation of the drama in his own environment. "This book, which will serve as an introduction to the Indian dramatic technique and its essentials which imply not merely a through understanding of the natya, nrtta and nrtya but also the conditioning aesthetic qualities of rasa, bhava etc.

Indian acting and dancing, which are, in fact, dovetailed, possess a special hieratic significance and can be understood by a cultivated audience. In general, however, natya also corresponded to the common and collective need of the folk.

To those interested in a study of Indian arts in general, the present manual is of great importance. Gesture, as a means of conveying and interpreting ideas extends beyond the stage into the domains plastic art, painting and statuary. The mudra, an essential component of Indian acting or dancing, is of equally great importance in studying the graphic or sculpture representations.

About the Author

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, the greatest among the Indian art-historians, was born in Colombo on August 22, 1877. After graduating from the University of London with Honours in Geology in 1900, he became the Director of the Mineralogical Survey of Ceylon. During this three-years' stay in Ceylon, he formed the Ceylon Social Reformation Society and led the University Movement in which he initiated the national education, teaching of vernaculars in all schools and revival of Indian culture.

Between 1906 and 1917, when he joined as the Curator of Indian Art in the Boston Museum be was busy lecturing of Indian art and formed societies for the study of Indian art. In 1938, he became the Chairman of National Committee for India's Freedom. His contributions of Indian philosophy, religion, art and iconography, painting and literature are of the greatest importance as were his contributions on music, science and Islamic art. He died on September 9, 1947.

Contents:

Introduction
The Indian Editor's Preface
Invocation
Dialogue of Indra and Nandikesvara
Natya, Nrtta and Nrtya
The Audience, Ministers, Stage, Danseuse, Bells, Dancer, Inner and Outer Life of
the Danseuse,
Vulgar Dancing, the Course of the Dance
Gesture
Nine Movements of the Head
Twenty-four Movements of the Head
Eight Glances
Forty-Four Glances
Six Movements of the Brows
Lives of the Hands
Twenty-Eight Single Hands
Twenty-Four Combined Hands
Twenty-Six Combined Hands
Hands denoting Relationships
Hands denoting Devas
Hands denoting the Nine Planets
Hands denoting the Avatars of Vishnu
Hands denoting the Four Castes
Hands denoting Famous Emperors
Hands denoting the Seven Oceans
Hands denoting Famous Rivers
Hands denoting the Upper and Lower Worlds
Hands denoting Trees
Hands denoting Animals
Hands denoting Flying Creatures
Hands denoting Water Creatures
Colophon
Works of Comparison and Reference