A very good anthology, covering a substantial range of Indian aesthetic concerns. I recommend it to anyone wanting a sense of the history and present, and of the philosophical richness of Indian aesthetic theory. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * [ A] positive contribution to the discourse on aesthetics from a cross-cultural perspective. It should be required reading for any academic who teaches and writes on aesthetics and the philosophy of art. It should also attract any reader interested in seeing how a familiar topic in Western aestheticslike the possibility and nature of aesthetic experienceis treated in sometimes unfamiliar ways in a cross-cultural context by aestheticians writing about Indian music, theater, dance, painting, and film. There is much to be inspired by, and to learn from, in a careful perusal of this volume. * The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism * Unlike the many works that take Western viewpoints as their starting point, this collection presents Indian aesthetics from the inside, demonstrating its depth, versatility, and contemporary relevance. It welcomes novices while simultaneously addressing experts, covering traditional issues as well as such intriguing topics as the aesthetic value of the ugly, the aesthetics of festivals, the architectural character of hermits huts, and the role of aesthetics in post-colonial politics. This book is essential reading, not only for those specifically concerned with the Indian tradition, but for anyone who is interested in aesthetics and the arts. -- Kathleen Higgins, Professor of Philosophy, The University of Texas at Austin, USA and editor of From Africa to Zen: An Invitation to World Philosophy and The Music Between Us: Is Music a Universal Language? This volume of essays, offers a synthetic and creative approach to the subject of Indian aesthetics and the philosophy of art. The editor has gathered together essays that intersect hosts of themes that are omnipresent in Indian works of literature, music, stage drama, cinema, and the plastic arts alongside theoretical reflections on the cognitive, emotional, cross-cultural, political, and social aspects of the aesthetic in Indian art across time. As such, this collection of essays moves past any attempt at predictable coherence or coverage and ambitiously aims to provoke new thoughts about aesthetics in the South Asian context, a subject so ancient and so vast that no single volume could justifiably introduce its variety. -- Deven M. Patel, Associate Professor of South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvania, USA
