Why I started Naadarasika

I always thought Indian classical arts were something strangely fascinating, but I could never quite pinpoint why they fascinated me. I started Naadarasika thinking it would be a place to appreciate Indian classical arts. I wanted to write about a raga, write about a dance form, and share why I enjoy these things so much and why they have become such a big part of who I am.

But eventually I started wondering if that was a little self-centered. I began thinking more about how much emotion exists underneath art. I am someone who feels things very deeply, and maybe that is part of why art means so much to me. Sometimes I need to step outside of my own perspective and experience something through someone else. Another person. Another story. Another life.

That is when I started looking more closely at the emotions behind Indian classical arts, and eventually I found rasa. The more I explored it, the more I realized that the emotional side of art can sometimes affect us even more than the art form itself.

That is what I want Naadarasika to become. A place where people can explore themselves through Indian classical arts, understand feelings from different perspectives, and understand one another a little better.

That is why Naadarasika has essays, writing, interviews, games, and collaborations. I don't want this to just be a place where one person talks about art. I want it to become a community where people can share how they see things and feel heard by other people. Indian classical arts are where this began. They are not where the conversation has to end.