Chennai, July 29: Under the canopy of lush, green leaves of the young trees, coir mattresses had been spread and colourful rangolis dotted the vacant spaces. The place resounded with the calls of birds as they settled down for the night, even as people walked into the tastefully decorated frontyard. The half a dozen children and 50 adults did not mind the occasional flights that made their way to the airport and the vehicular traffic beyond the walls of Bimba.
The audience soaked in the restful ambience as it looked forward to the lecture on aesthetics in Indian art and thought. Bimba, (meaning reflections) The Art Hut held its inaugural lecture of the monthly series on `Art and Our Inheritance' amidst a collection of terracota and wood artefacts and furniture, which are housed in thatched huts.
S. Ramaratnam, principal of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, spoke on aesthetics. He sprinkled his speech with examples from Kalidasa's works and the Ramayana and tempered it with Sanskrit quotes.
It is the sound effects that retain the child's attention and so the child does not tire of repeating nursery rhymes, he said, quoting a Sanskrit verse.
Allusions could get the message across better than blunt, to the point speeches. Suggestiveness is the hallmark of good poetry. A work of art leaves much to the imagination of the consumer of this artwork. Good poetry is one which abounds in suggestions. Figures of speech, like similes and metaphor can explain a situation better than a long paragraph.
In Kumara Sambhava, Parvathi's bashfulness is expressed in just a couple of verses. The poet says the girl cast her head down and began counting the petals of the lotus that she held. The rest is easy to understand.
An artist uses his work to communicate his feelings, emotions and understanding of a situation. In dance, bhava is used to explain a situation an emotion or a feeling. Art brings joy only when the art form is suggestive. It is the allusions and references that lend charm to this art form.
An understanding of the words and their etymology is necessary to enjoy literature. A simple word like Raja which means king, has its roots in the word `raj' which also means to please. Thus a man who knows how to please a large number of people is the one who can rule.
Indian writers understood the need for synthesis and analysis which they incorporated in their work. A proper understanding of the world around them, the synthesis of their daily experiences can be seen even today in our midst. The professor's speech has set in motion a new trend, according to Deepak Doraiswamy of Bimba. The aim of this effort is to help inquiring minds understand the modern and the traditional arts.