The academic programme on ‘Natyashastra – Synthesis of Theory and Praxis’, organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) at the Red Fort, placed India’s classical performing arts treatise within a contemporary global cultural framework. Held during the 20th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the event highlighted how ancient knowledge systems continue to inform living traditions and modern artistic practices.
The Context: UNESCO, Red Fort and Cultural Diplomacy
The programme was organised alongside a key UNESCO forum dedicated to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. Hosting it at the Red Fort — a symbol of India’s layered history — underscored the linkage between heritage, nationhood and global cultural dialogue. The screening of a short film on the inscription of the Natyashastra in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register further situated the text as a globally recognised documentary heritage.
Understanding the Natyashastra Beyond a Classical Text
Attributed traditionally to Bharata Muni, the Natyashastra is not merely a manual on drama. It is a comprehensive framework covering theatre, dance, music, aesthetics, emotion (rasa), gesture (abhinaya) and stagecraft. Speakers emphasised that the text should be read as an evolving intellectual tradition rather than a closed or static canon, one that invites reinterpretation across time and cultural contexts.
The Core Idea: Synthesis of Theory and Praxis
A recurring theme of the deliberations was the inseparable relationship between theory and practice in Indian artistic traditions. The Natyashastra codifies principles but also embeds them in performance, ensuring that abstract ideas find expression through the body, voice and space. This integration explains why the text remains relevant across diverse regional forms and contemporary creative expressions.
Relevance to Contemporary Theatre and Performance
Discussions highlighted how classical dramaturgical concepts — such as structure, characterisation and emotional communication — continue to shape modern theatre and performance pedagogy. Rather than constraining creativity, the Natyashastra provides a flexible grammar that artists adapt to new social themes, audiences and aesthetics.
Natyangas and the Architecture of Aesthetics
The conceptual framework of natyangas — the constituent elements of performance — was presented as central to understanding Indian aesthetics. Their dynamic interplay gives coherence, emotional depth and meaning to performance, reinforcing the idea that the Natyashastra functions simultaneously as a philosophical text and a practical guide for artistic creation.
Why Such Engagements Matter Today
By foregrounding the Natyashastra at an international cultural platform, the programme reinforced India’s approach to heritage as a living, adaptive process. It also reflected a broader policy emphasis on reclaiming and re-articulating indigenous knowledge systems within contemporary cultural discourse, without reducing them to museum artefacts.
What to note for Prelims?
- Natyashastra: Ancient Indian treatise on drama, dance, music and aesthetics.
- Attributed to: Bharata Muni.
- UNESCO Memory of the World Register: Includes documentary heritage of global significance.
- IGNCA: Autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture.
What to note for Mains?
- Natyashastra as an example of India’s intangible cultural heritage.
- Concept of theory–praxis integration in Indian knowledge systems.
- Role of cultural institutions in preserving and reinterpreting classical traditions.
- Link between heritage, soft power and global cultural engagement.
