A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini's Mirror/Roxanne
Kamyani Gupta (Inner Traditions, Rochester, VT), 2000. American scholar's
personal account of 25 years of immersion in Indian yoga and dance. Discusses
the revival and reformation of classical dance in India since Independence
and its introduction to the West, role of the nurturing mentor (guru), and
yoga exercises for dance. [Also, see Dances of India: Learning Bharata
Natyam, Instructional Dance Video or DVD featuring Padma Chebrolu, Cincinnati,
OH), 2000].
India: Updated Edition with a New Preface/Stanley Wolpert (University
of California Press, Berkeley, CA), 1999. Concise and authoritative background
reading on the cultural history of India, "distillation of a lifetime's
learning." Chapter on Arts and Sciences includes "the dance of
life," "each is both," and other aspects of a culture and
philosophy where "Western dualities dissolve in the river of Indian
unity." [Also by this author: Gandhi's Passion: The Life and Legacy
of Mahatma Gandhi (Oxford University Press, New York, NY), 2001].
Mother of Bliss: Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982)/Lisa Lassell Hallstrom
(Oxford University Press, New York and London), 1999. Powerful study of
the life and teachings of a modern-day saint of India and her enduring influence
(Indira Gandhi was among her admirers). A person of "equanimity and
fearlessness," Ma was both "beyond gender" and representative
of "the lap of the Mother," the "safest place in the world."
This impressive scholarly work gives Western readers an entry into a deep
current of Indian spirituality of value to anyone who, like the author,
sees themself as "a member of the global community." Extensive
notes, glossary, bibliography.
Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India/Diana L. Eck (Columbia University
Press, New York, NY), 3rd ed., 1998. Noted scholar of India discusses the
history of the imaging of divine qualities in the arts of India, including
concepts of the cosmos as divine embodiment, the centrality of the idea
of oneness together with the "manyness" of manifestations, male
and female in an inseparable partnership; and other examples. [Also by this
author: Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras
(Beacon Press, Boston, MA), 2003].
May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons: A Journey Among the Women of
India/Elisabeth Bumiller (Random House, New York), 1990. American journalist's
observations of women's lives in India in the late 1980s and the efforts
of the Indian women's movement to bring about cultural change. Includes
information on programs such as the Working Women's Forum and the Self-Employed
Women's Association (SEWA), which provide loans and other financial services
to women seeking economic self-sufficiency and freedom from constant procreation.
Love Song of the Dark Lord: Jayadeva's Gitagovinda/Edited and Translated
by Barbara Stoler Miller (Columbia University Press, New York, NY), 1977.
This classic poem of 12th century India and the songs, plays and dances
based on it are highly esteemed in India and elsewhere. The poem addresses
the complexity of divine and human love in a lyrical account of the passionate
affair of a divine couple outside the bounds of tradition. With its episodes
of longing and reunion the poem draws one toward a resolution of the 'disquieting
distinction between 'I' and 'mine' versus 'you' and 'yours.'" A legend
about the writing of the poem adds to its interest.
Also recommended: Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction/Kim Knott (Oxford
University Press), 1998; The Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism/Benjamin
Walker (Frederick A. Praeger, Publishers, New York, NY), 2 volumes, 1968.