*Rasa, meaning “essence” or “flavour” in Sanskrit. Why is understanding Indian aesthetics imperative to identifying trends in a heterogeneous landscape?
Understanding Indian aesthetics is crucial for discerning trends in a diverse landscape. To grasp fashion and trends in India, it’s essential to delve into the origins of Indian attire, textiles, art, and aesthetics, distinguishing them from Western counterparts.
Ancient Indian treatises, like the Shilpa Shastra and Natya Shastra authored by Bharata Muni, offer invaluable insights into the rules, directions, and narratives of Indian art. While ancient these aren’t as overt in the mainstream today, their influences.
Indian aesthetics diverge from Western norms, prioritising symbolism and philosophy over naturalism. The artist aimed to craft poetic symbols, philosophical statements, or perhaps even unravel the enigma of existence itself. Through art, the myriad emotions and imaginings of the human journey are given tangible form through various mediums. Thus, whether it’s music, sculpture, dance, or theatre, each branch of art is intimately intertwined with philosophy in the pursuit of aesthetic expression. This concept is best understood through ancient texts that outline aesthetic rules, with the theory of Rasa.
Rasa, meaning “essence” or “flavour” in Sanskrit, determines the emotional character of art. Ancient Indian scholars meticulously studied the physical and metaphysical aspects of aesthetic experience, influencing both artists and audiences.
Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra delineates eight Rasas—each associated with sentiments, deities, and colours—reflecting diverse emotional experiences.
Shringara – Romance, Love, Attractiveness. Colour: Light Green
Hasya – Laughter, Mirth, Comedy. Colour: White
Raudra – Fury. Colour: Red
Karuna – Compassion, Mercy. Colour: Grey
Bibhatsa – Disgust, Aversion. Colour: Blue
Bhayanaka – Horror, Terror. Colour: Black
Veera – Heroism. Colour: Saffron Adbhuta – Wonder, Amazement. Colour: Yellow
Bhayanaka Rasa
The 9th Rasa was proposed and added by Udhbhata, a critic, in the 8th Century CE. Shantam – Peace, Tranquility. Presiding Deity: Vishnu. Colour: perpetual White
In ancient Indian life, and even today in many Indian communities, art, particularly music and dance, intertwines with everyday existence. This deep affection for music and dance resonates throughout folk practices in painting, sculpture, textiles, and crafts, showcasing the interconnectedness of diverse art forms with life itself. This underscores the profound link between philosophy and material culture, illustrating how they are intricately woven together.
For instance, my understanding suggests that in the performing arts, the Rasas are governed through movement and expression. In music, rhythm, pacing and different Ragas (a topic worthy of its blog) convey and evoke certain emotions and messages. Whereas in the more visual and tactile forms of art, the choice of colour, the character of lines, the texture, the material as well as the depiction of certain motifs which may have an association with a deity is a manifestation of the Rasas.
From this standpoint, art, costumery then and fashion now share an intricate connection, serving as perpetual creators of relationships among the artist, the wearer, and the consumer. The lack of considering such an expansive history makes it difficult for anyone to implement trends within culturally inclined demographies.
In the subsequent blogs, we’ll delve into more aspects of the Indic system of aesthetics and costumery that influence contemporary trends.
Words by: harini_srinivas
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