Apsaras in Indian Dance

The author, an eminent authority on and a prolific writer of Indian Dance, comments that the thunder announces the song for the commencement of the dance performances of the heavenly nymphs, the tintinnabulation of whose anklets, accompanied by the orchestra of the Gandharvas and the ectaticmelogy of the Kinnars even now reverberate in the heart strings of the mortels of the earth and arouse pulsating thrill in their contemplation. The Apsaras(calestical fairies) execute their arabesques and pirouette with surprising agility and verve; and gracefully move their lithe and supple figures in rhythmic unison with their nimble steps, in the spacious Indra Sabha in paradise, packed to its capacity by the lascivious Indra, accompanied by his attendants and major gods in the front rows, the lesser gods and goddesses in the back rows and the demons in the farthest balconies. The sun provides the focusing light, the moon the spotlight and all the stars the footlights and the dazzling illumination of the stage, which is the Vyom or the cosmic space. The dew-drops, fog and mist form the drop curtain. The demonstration is an unforgettable experience and beyond comprehension.The writer lucidly describes in inimitable terms the dance of the remotest age, prevalent in the Heavens, which forms the basic of the later monumental works of the codifications of Dance-art in Sanskrit. He has profusely quoted from the Vedas, the epics and scriptures to provide authentic testimony to his contentions, backed by in the rules and regulations laid down in the ancient texts. This is the first book of its kind, even conceived by any writer or scholar before. The artistic illustration embellishing the work, are an additional attraction.