Published Online:September 2025
Product Name:The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJES090925
DOI:10.71329/IUPJES/2025.20.3.98-105
Author Name:K Geethanadani and Akaitab Mukherjee
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Arts and Humanities
Download Format:PDF
Pages:98-105
Classical Indian theater was not merely a ceremonial artifact but also was a dynamic medium for social education and criticism. Being a sophisticated ‘social edutainer’, it used entertainment to stimulate deep social and philosophical contemplation. As stated in Bharata’s Natyashastra, which is considered the fifth Veda due to its accessibility to all castes, this role is firmly ingrained in its theoretical underpinnings. The main mechanism for this edutainment is the theory of Rasa, which is the process of evoking distinct emotional flavors in the audience. In the play Bhagavadajjukam, the playwright makes the difficult concepts of dharma, karma, and societal hypocrisy not only understandable but also emotionally compelling by guiding the audience through humor (hasya), compassion (karuna), or disgust (bibhatsa). Bhagavadajjukam thus holds a mirror to the human predilections and peculiarities, transforming the stage into a fusion of divine storytelling and human reality. It is this unique synthesis, where entertainment is the hook and enlightenment the goal, that granted Indian theater its privileged status as a vital mode of education, as reflected in the performative traditions of Kutiyattam and the biting satire of Mahendravarman’s Bhagavadajjukam.
India, with its cultural diversity, has a variety of traditional theatrical representations, which vary in everything, from the makeup they wear to the costumes, musical instruments, the place chosen for performance, and more.