Emergence of a new Rasa: A post-modern phenomenon
Classical Indian knowledge defines 9 rasas, which sum up the entire emotions of the universe. They are known as Shringar (love, aesthetics), Haasya (mirth, glee), Raudra (anger), Bhay (fear), Karun (pity), Vibhatsa (disgust), Veer (heroism), Adbhut (astonishment) and Shant (tranquility). These rasas were discovered and explored by followers of performing art and philosophers and they have been representation of human emotions for years. If we really ponder about the emotions we ourselves experience, these nine rasas includes each and every reaction to any situation in life. The performing arts are reflections of life.
Interestingly, with the global exposure to our culture of new technologies, work created by them, competition, new markets and their consequences our time is changing. With a new cultural bhelpuri happening, we now taste new spices in different world cuisines. Some spices are spatial or geographical and some are temporal.
Space and time are also like spices which come up with different recipes and different tastes with varied people. Youth or new generation brings new flavours and new tastes. They are the one who like to experiment and experience new situations in life. Through the years, with new set of complexities involved, they have been able to manufacture a new rasa. This new rasa is known as Stress. Primarily it is a feeling of frustration, which has become a dominant and a major rasa now. I don’t have any Hindi name for this emotion. The words like Dabaav (Compression) and Khinchav (Tension) are associated with it. Interestingly, they both are antonyms.
The non availability of any Hindi name suggests that it may not existed in India, as argumentatively (only now), all human emotions were defined by the theory of rasa. If it is true, we should now really mull about it original 9 rasas that why the Stress rasa, was not able to make it to the Navaratnas….err Navrasas. I think it’s a true post-modern phenomenon that has happened to our culture.
Thought ignited by Prof. Kirti Trivedi
Image Credit: Aditi Kulkarni
Interestingly, with the global exposure to our culture of new technologies, work created by them, competition, new markets and their consequences our time is changing. With a new cultural bhelpuri happening, we now taste new spices in different world cuisines. Some spices are spatial or geographical and some are temporal.
Space and time are also like spices which come up with different recipes and different tastes with varied people. Youth or new generation brings new flavours and new tastes. They are the one who like to experiment and experience new situations in life. Through the years, with new set of complexities involved, they have been able to manufacture a new rasa. This new rasa is known as Stress. Primarily it is a feeling of frustration, which has become a dominant and a major rasa now. I don’t have any Hindi name for this emotion. The words like Dabaav (Compression) and Khinchav (Tension) are associated with it. Interestingly, they both are antonyms.
The non availability of any Hindi name suggests that it may not existed in India, as argumentatively (only now), all human emotions were defined by the theory of rasa. If it is true, we should now really mull about it original 9 rasas that why the Stress rasa, was not able to make it to the Navaratnas….err Navrasas. I think it’s a true post-modern phenomenon that has happened to our culture.
Thought ignited by Prof. Kirti Trivedi
Image Credit: Aditi Kulkarni
