Unit 2. Performance as communication: Divine-play, bardic storytelling & puppetry

A traditional point of view suggests that the Western culture was preserved in texts and artifacts, while in the East culture was communicated as performance. The following essays suggest that it is counterproductive to define textuality and performativity as binary opposites even for heuristic purposes.

Essential readings:

• Varsha Rani, “The unforgettable magic of the Ramnagar Ramlila”, Indian Horizons, Vol. 61, No. 2 (June 2014), pp. 12-27

• Jyotindra Jain, “The Painted Scrolls of the Garoda Picture Showmen of Gujarat” in Marg, Vol. 49 No. 3, March 1998, pp. 10-25.

• Niels Roed Sorensen, “Tolu Bommalu Kattu: Shadow Theater Re: Andhra Pradesh”, Journal of South Asian Literature, Vol. 10, No. 2/4, THEATRE IN INDIA (Winter, Spring, Summer 1975), pp. 1-19

• For illustrations of Tolu Bommalu Kattu https://www.sahapedia.org/tholu-bommalata-show-adishakti-theatre

Download:

• Varsha Rani, “The unforgettable magic of the Ramnagar Ramlila”, pdf Meenakshi Khanna, 8 Sept 2019, 1:19 AM

• Niel. R. Sorensen, “Tolu Bommalu Kattu: Shadow Theater Re: Andhra Pradesh”, pdf Meenakshi Khanna, 8 Sept 2019, 1:20 AM

For illustrations of Tolu Bommalu Kattu:

• https://www.sahapedia.org/tholu-bommalata-show-adishakti-theatre

• https://www.sahapedia.org/tholu-bommalata-telugu-shadow-puppet-theatre-0