Kuravanci Literature and the Expression of Navarasa on the Basis of Margi–Desi

Abstract

In the tradition of Tamil cirrilakkiyam (minor literary forms), Kuravañci literature is generally classified as a Deśi art form. However, the navarasa (nine aesthetic emotions) experience expressed in it is deeply connected to the fundamental aesthetic theories of Mārgi aesthetics. This study examines, within the framework of the dual artistic theories of Margi and Deśi, how the navarasas are generated in Kuravanci literature through the body, language, and milieu. Further, this paper
establishes that the theory of rasa as articulated in the Natyasastra and the Desi expressions of Kuravanci literature are not mutually opposed, but rather function as an integrated aesthetic process. The primary objectives of this study are: to explain the aesthetic foundations of the Margi–Desi art theory; to identify Kuravañci literature as a Desi art form; to examine how the navarasas are expressed organically in Kuravañci literature; and to demonstrate how the Mārgi ideal of rasa is achieved through Deśi expressions. Moreover, this study gains significance by centering Kuravañci within the aesthetic analysis of Tamil minor literary forms and by elucidating the interrelationship among literature, dance, and aesthetics. The research is based on the descriptive analytical method. Treatises of Bharatanatyam such as the Natyasastra and Abhinaya Darpana are used as primary sources, while Kuravanci literary verses, works on Tamil literary history, and modern scholarly Margistudies serve as secondary sources.