On Saturday evening, Mumbai’s cultural space G5A, hosted Rasa: Feeling as Form, an engaging panel discussion exploring how the ancient Indian aesthetic framework of the Natyasastra continues to shape contemporary artistic expression. Drawing from the nearly 2,000-year-old treatise on art and performance, the evening examined how concepts such as Rasas, Bhavas and Dhvani continue to resonate across disciplines including classical dance, poetry, lyric writing and cinema. The discussion reflected on how these ideas have evolved with changing artistic mediums and modern sensibilities while retaining their emotional core. SHOVANA NARAYAN OPENS THE EVENING The programme began with a performance by celebrated Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan, a Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, whose evocative interpretation of the Rasas set the tone for the evening’s reflective dialogue.
ARTISTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES SHARE PERSPECTIVES The panel featured noted poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar, who brought insights from literature and cinema, alongside filmmaker Sumantra Ghosal, known for documentaries on Indian artistic traditions, including works on Zakir Hussain, Malavika Sarukkai and Kaifi Azmi. The discussion was moderated by author, activist and theatre personality Rama Pandey, who guided the conversation through the intersections of tradition and contemporary creativity. ‘LEGACY MUST CONTINUE TO INSPIRE’ Reflecting on the evening, Anuradha Parikh, founder and artistic director of G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture, said the organisation has always sought to create a dialogue between heritage and the contemporary arts.“Our hope is that evenings like this inspire young and upcoming artists to look back as much as they look forward, to revisit our cultural heritage and find in it not a constraint, but a resource,” she said. Katyayani Agarwal, Convenor of the INTACH Mumbai Chapter, described the event as “an evening dedicated to exploring the Rasa theory of the Natyashastra through the insights of four extraordinary masters of their crafts,” adding that their perspectives made the ancient text “strikingly relevant to the contemporary world.” ‘A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE’ For N Jaykumar, Managing Director and Group CEO of Prime Securities, the evening offered an unexpected perspective beyond the world of finance. “Seeing four veterans of art and culture in action, in one evening, was truly breathtaking,” he said, adding that the discussion highlighted how much there still is to learn about India’s artistic and cultural traditions.
