INDIGENOUS AESTHETICS IN RECONFIGURING SPECTATORSHIP IN KAVALAM NARAYANA PANIKKAR’S THE LONE TUSKER

Abstract [English]

The Lone Tusker by Kavalam Narayana Panikkar moves beyond the traditional view of spectators as passive recipients where modern performance practices position the audience as active participants in meaning-making. This paper examines this shift within the post-colonial contexts where theatre practitioners like Panikkar resisted western realist conventions and revitalized indigenous performance traditions to reshape theatrical experience. The study draws on reception theory and Bharata’s rasa theory to highlight the interactive and relational nature of performance. This play exemplifies Panikkar’s attempt to fuse native aesthetics and modern dramaturgy through stylized acting and metatheatrical techniques.  Transformative practices like ‘pakarnnattam’ blurs the divide between performer and spectator, encouraging collaborative construction of meaning of the text. Ultimately, this paper  argues that contemporary Indian theatre is a dynamic, participatory practice that redefines performance as a shared and transformative cultural entity.