Session 13 of Vedic Threads:
Thursday, 06 April 2023
10am ET (New York Time) | 7:30pm IST
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Kalā, Rasa and Rasika: The Arts & The Lovers; with Navneet Raman; Part I

Included in a traditional list of the 64, “arts” (kalās) of India we find, handicrafts, trades and skills like theater, painting, carpentry, geomancy, cooking, making herbal preparations, mineralogy, hair styling, etc. and fanciful, possibly endangered or extinct arts like the art of, “splashing with water,” and many more.

Each of these kalās has a particular rasa (flavor, emotion, sentiment)—depending on the art itself, the skill and emotion of the artist, but also upon the rasika (connoisseur or lover of the particular kalā or, more precisely the emotional experience it bestows).

Navneet Raman ji grew up in Benares, India. Throughout his childhood he was surrounded by both kalās and rasikas of India, from his father’s culinary artistry, to his mother’s daily practice of Bharata Natyam (traditional Indian dance form) to the many fine artists (like Manju Sundaram, Raja Ram Sharma, and others) and educators (like Krishnamurti) who were showering him in his life for what else could they do but shower their love for the Kalas.

In this session, Navneet ji will explore with us an introduction to the kalās, how they are connected to, meaningful in and imbue the practicalities of life, and the importance—even urgency—of holding gently what he and others of his generation have been entrusted –and of sharing it with the next generation.