Rik Amrit

Aesthetics

A Review of Indian Aesthetics and Applications in the Vishnudharmottara Purana (Part 1)

My initial encounter with the Vishnudharmottara Purana occurred while pursuing a diploma in Indian aesthetics at Ramakrishna Mission, Golpark. Despite...

May 29, 2025

766

Introduction to Indian Poetics: In Search of a Literary Universe (Part-1)

Hello, friends of literature and lovers of the word! Today, as I sit down to write this on February 21, 2025, I’m thrilled to invite you into a worl...

May 29, 2025

176

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 1): A Personal Academic Exploration

A decade ago, in March 2013, I visited Manish Da’s (Manish Mitra, the director of the Kasba Arghya theatre group) home for the first time for a lu...

May 29, 2025

1,140

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 2): Philosophy Beyond Performance

Natyashastra is not merely a handbook or manual for the art of Theatre; it is a philosophy that speaks of Purushartha (the four aims of human life) wi...

May 29, 2025

1,032

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 3): The Complete Training Manual

Without further preamble, let us now consider the chapters and topics of the Natya Shastra. For until we know exactly which aspects are being discusse...

May 29, 2025

1,017

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 4): The Sacred Purpose of Art

No matter how much Sri Krishna directs towards Brahmajnana in the Gita and advises against desiring the fruits of one’s actions, if Arjuna did not f...

May 29, 2025

1,013

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 1): A Personal Academic Exploration

A decade ago, in March 2013, I visited Manish Da’s (Manish Mitra, the director of the Kasba Arghya theatre group) home for the first time for a lu...

May 29, 2025

1,140

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 2): Philosophy Beyond Performance

Natyashastra is not merely a handbook or manual for the art of Theatre; it is a philosophy that speaks of Purushartha (the four aims of human life) wi...

May 29, 2025

1,032

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 3): The Complete Training Manual

Without further preamble, let us now consider the chapters and topics of the Natya Shastra. For until we know exactly which aspects are being discusse...

May 29, 2025

1,017

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 4): The Sacred Purpose of Art

No matter how much Sri Krishna directs towards Brahmajnana in the Gita and advises against desiring the fruits of one’s actions, if Arjuna did not f...

May 29, 2025

1,013

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 1): The Night Journey

Chapter 1: The Night Journey The applause had died hours ago, but its echo lingered in the empty auditorium like dust settling after a storm. The cri...

May 29, 2025

436

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 2): The Dream of Cards and Dice

Chapter 2: The Dream of Cards and Dice The bus station materialized around him at dusk, though he could not remember the journey there. The familiar ...

May 29, 2025

418

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 3): The Arithmetic of Exhaustion

Chapter 3: The Arithmetic of Exhaustion Kaurav found himself calculating the days like a prisoner marking time on a cell wall. January 3rd had been t...

May 29, 2025

372

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 4): The Question Without Answer

Chapter 4: The Question Without Answer The discomfort had lasted for hours after that first viewing, a persistent ache like hunger or homesickness. A...

May 29, 2025

362

Airavata's Head: Ganesha's Agricultural Connection

Parvati created a son from turmeric paste scraped from her body and ordered him to guard her cave. When Shiva tried to enter, the boy refused passage....

Aug 27, 2025

The Paradox of the Elephant-Headed God: How Ganesha Became Hinduism's Most Beloved Outsider

In a temple courtyard in Mumbai, a businessman touches his forehead to a clay elephant and whispers a prayer before signing a contract. Halfway around...

Aug 26, 2025

120

Janmashtami Special: Rama and Krishna- The Dialectics of Dignity and Divine Play

Dividing life into two distinct perspectives is a natural characteristic of any religious philosophy. If we look at examples like Gautama Buddha, Maha...

Aug 15, 2025

The Betrayal of Reason: Political Islam, Intellectual Decay, and the Crisis of Indian Civilization

The Khilafat Movement and Its Legacy in Indian Politics The Khilafat Movement marked the beginning of political Islam in India, representing early at...

May 29, 2025

199

Ancient Stories, Urgent Questions: Why I Wrote Two Plays

Some stories never really leave us. They return in new forms, wearing new clothes, speaking new languages—but asking the same old, essential questi...

Jul 17, 2025

Four Poems by Rik Amrit

Archaeological Below my pillow, tram lines run their course,And beside them, a new crematorium burns el...

May 29, 2025

177

From Ajanta to 1947: Unfolding India's Independence in Verse

69 th Independence DayIs it the mural of Ajanta or India’s map? We debatedwhich held greater artistic m...

May 29, 2025

161

Kolkata

Know that time has healed your wounds,Yet you dread the scars.Even now, when the Bāula sings,Your morning dishevelment holds only silence…Whom do y...

May 29, 2025

163

The Last Adolescence

I cannot grasp this bohemian life—Wandering all day, seeking refuge..Sometimes resting upon your shoulders,To find solace, at times I escape into my...

May 29, 2025

201

A Review of Indian Aesthetics and Applications in the Vishnudharmottara Purana (Part 1)

My initial encounter with the Vishnudharmottara Purana occurred while pursuing a diploma in Indian aesthetics at Ramakrishna Mission, Golpark. Despite...

May 29, 2025

766

Mahadev, Maya, and Time: The Profound Secret of Shiva-Tattva

Maya—that which is not real yet appears real—is called illusion. It conceals the true nature of the Ātman (soul); hence, it is referred to as Tam...

May 29, 2025

224

Hangover, Heartbreak, and Highways

A morning like this wasn’t exactly expected. I was startled. What happened? Kaushik. A college friend. Haven’t met in a long time. But he saved me...

May 29, 2025

509

Matchstick

Dreams slip away when I wake up. They dissolve, leaving nothing behind. But some stay, lingering in the mind for years. One such dream was at Sinthee ...

May 29, 2025

464

Abhinavagupta & The Importance of Abhinavabhārati in Understanding the Nāṭyaśāstra

The cold winds of Kashmir carry whispers of an ancient time when its valleys were alive with philosophy, art, and the mystical teachings of Śaivism. ...

May 29, 2025

160

Bharata’s Doctrine and the Eleven Elements of Natya: A Dive into the Essence of Indian Classical Theatre

The Nāṭyaśāstra stands as a seminal treatise on Indian classical theater, encapsulating a comprehensive framework known as the Eleven Nāṭya Sa...

May 29, 2025

1,275

Exploring the Vedic Basis of Bharata's Natyashastra

According to Bharata, the Nāṭyaveda was divinely revealed by Brahmā himself, compiling the essence of all four Vedas and serving as the quintessen...

May 29, 2025

1,208

The Sacred Dance of Agni and Soma: Exploring the Heart of Vedic Rituals

In the rich knowledge systems of Vedic traditions, few elements hold as profound a significance as Agni (Fire) and Soma (the sacre...

May 29, 2025

689

ॐ (Aum): The Cosmic Symphony of Consciousness in Vedic Philosophy

AbstractThis article explores the profound symbolism of the sacred syllable ॐ (Aum) as presented in Vedic ...

May 29, 2025

111

Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Tagore

The colours of my May are as yellow as the golden showers. The 7th of this month, the twenty-fifth day of Boishakh in the Bengali calendar, marked the...

May 29, 2025

637

Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Entertainment

Lately, I find myself surprisingly content—perhaps even fortunate. I experienced the great stillness, that strange gift of witnessing how Brahma mig...

May 29, 2025

399

Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Books

The final bell echoes through the book fair, and silence settles like dust. An artist alone in a hotel room after the curtain falls, packing costumes ...

May 29, 2025

753

Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Masturbation

I haven’t been able to write even ten sentences together for nearly a year. The only thing I managed to write during this time was a letter to my co...

May 29, 2025

422

Airavata's Head: Ganesha's Agricultural Connection

Parvati created a son from turmeric paste scraped from her body and ordered him to guard her cave. When Shiva tried to enter, the boy refused passage....

Aug 27, 2025

The Paradox of the Elephant-Headed God: How Ganesha Became Hinduism's Most Beloved Outsider

In a temple courtyard in Mumbai, a businessman touches his forehead to a clay elephant and whispers a prayer before signing a contract. Halfway around...

Aug 26, 2025

120

Janmashtami Special: Rama and Krishna- The Dialectics of Dignity and Divine Play

Dividing life into two distinct perspectives is a natural characteristic of any religious philosophy. If we look at examples like Gautama Buddha, Maha...

Aug 15, 2025

Ancient Stories, Urgent Questions: Why I Wrote Two Plays

Some stories never really leave us. They return in new forms, wearing new clothes, speaking new languages—but asking the same old, essential questi...

Jul 17, 2025

Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Tagore

The colours of my May are as yellow as the golden showers. The 7th of this month, the twenty-fifth day of Boishakh in the Bengali calendar, marked the...

May 29, 2025

637

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 1): A Personal Academic Exploration

A decade ago, in March 2013, I visited Manish Da’s (Manish Mitra, the director of the Kasba Arghya theatre group) home for the first time for a lu...

May 29, 2025

1,140

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 1): The Night Journey

Chapter 1: The Night Journey The applause had died hours ago, but its echo lingered in the empty auditorium like dust settling after a storm. The cri...

May 29, 2025

436

A Review of Indian Aesthetics and Applications in the Vishnudharmottara Purana (Part 1)

My initial encounter with the Vishnudharmottara Purana occurred while pursuing a diploma in Indian aesthetics at Ramakrishna Mission, Golpark. Despite...

May 29, 2025

766

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 2): The Dream of Cards and Dice

Chapter 2: The Dream of Cards and Dice The bus station materialized around him at dusk, though he could not remember the journey there. The familiar ...

May 29, 2025

418

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 3): The Arithmetic of Exhaustion

Chapter 3: The Arithmetic of Exhaustion Kaurav found himself calculating the days like a prisoner marking time on a cell wall. January 3rd had been t...

May 29, 2025

372

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 4): The Question Without Answer

Chapter 4: The Question Without Answer The discomfort had lasted for hours after that first viewing, a persistent ache like hunger or homesickness. A...

May 29, 2025

362

A Memoir of Kaurav (Chapter 5): The Weight of Names

Chapter 5: The Weight of Names The bus swayed through the Karnataka night, and Kaurav found himself thinking of that evening two years ago when every...

May 29, 2025

369

Airavata's Head: Ganesha's Agricultural Connection

Parvati created a son from turmeric paste scraped from her body and ordered him ...

Aug 27 8

The Paradox of the Elephant-Headed God: How Ganesha Became Hinduism's Most Beloved Outsider

In a temple courtyard in Mumbai, a businessman touches his forehead to a clay el...

Aug 26 120

Janmashtami Special: Rama and Krishna- The Dialectics of Dignity and Divine Play

Dividing life into two distinct perspectives is a natural characteristic of any ...

Aug 15 88

Ancient Stories, Urgent Questions: Why I Wrote Two Plays

Some stories never really leave us. They return in new forms, wearing new cloth...

Jul 17 49

In human lives, I have observed three main desires: wealth, power, and knowledge. I have one more—Rasa (The Universal Emotion). This desire is so intense that it can easily overshadow the other three.

— Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Tagore

As our own global civilization struggles with questions of identity, belonging, and meaning across cultural boundaries, Ganesha's journey from local spirit to universal symbol offers unexpected insights. In an age of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering, when we're creating new forms of hybrid existence, the ancient wisdom embedded in the elephant-headed god's impossible form may prove more relevant than ever. The question isn't whether Ganesha exists, but whether we can learn to see ourselves—fractured, contradictory, yet somehow whole—reflected in his knowing smile.

— The Paradox of the Elephant-Headed God: How Ganesha Became Hinduism's Most Beloved Outsider

Accept. Love. Not in the BJP’s version of Hindutva, but in the civilizational idea of Bhāratīyatā.

— The Betrayal of Reason: Political Islam, Intellectual Decay, and the Crisis of Indian Civilization

Airavata's Head: Ganesha's Agricultural Connection

The Paradox of the Elephant-Headed God: How Ganesha Became Hinduism's Most Beloved Outsider

Janmashtami Special: Rama and Krishna- The Dialectics of Dignity and Divine Play

Ancient Stories, Urgent Questions: Why I Wrote Two Plays

Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Tagore

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