Volume V, Issue 11-12
Author: Beloo Mehra
The greatest nations and the most cultured races have always considered art as a part of life and made it subservient to life.
~ The Mother, CWM, Vol. 3, p. 108
As part of our ongoing year-long exploration of the topic – “The Spirit and Forms of Art in India”, we recently invited Dr. Mala Kapadia for a conversation. The focus was on the multifaceted richness of Indian aesthetic traditions and their integral relation with Life. We explored the connection between Indian arts, particularly performing arts and human psychology in the light of the eternal Indian knowledge tradition.
Exploring a text like NāṭyaŚāstra (Natyashāstra) – one of the core treatises on Indian aesthetics – from a psychological perspective was the focus of this session of Insightful Conversations at BhāratShakti.
About Dr. Mala Kapadia
Dr. Mala Kapadia brings a very rich and diverse academic and professional background. She is presently working as Director, Center for Indigenous Knowledge Systems at Anaadi Foundation. She is also member of the Advisory Council of Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems at Chanakya University, Bengaluru, India.
Over her long career she has worked as educator, researcher, coach, research guide for doctoral students, author, curriculum designer in areas as diverse as Psychology, Management and Leadership, Holistic Well-being and Happiness. Her key interests are: integrating Bharatiya Wisdom and Dharmic Frameworks, as well as insights from Ayurveda and Yoga – particularly concepts such as panchmahābhoota, triguna, knowing one’s svabhāva, in areas related to education, organisational leadership, deepening self-awareness, cultivating emotional intelligence, higher order intelligence and holistic well-being.
Dr. Kapadia has worked with various higher educational institutions in India and abroad. She has several publications to her credit. And she has also convened several important conferences in her chosen areas of interest and expertise. In 2023 she was selected by Indic Academy under their initiative Grateful to Gurus and honoured as one of the leading figures, a Guru for her tireless work in spreading the light of India’s ancient wisdom and inspiring young minds.
She has been deeply inspired by Sri Aurobindo since her young days and is a regular visitor to Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. Over the past few years I have had the pleasure of meeting with her a few times at various conferences and workshops in Auroville.
Given her deep interest in Indian knowledge system, Dr. Kapadia has also been exploring Natyashāstra from a psychological perspective. And that was the primary focus of our conversation with her.
