Books

		Kathputli: The world of rajasthani puppeteers by Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy This book explores Rajasthani string marionette puppetry and the views and attitudes expressed by hereditary kathpulti Bhat puppeteers. From the history of puppetry and related bardic traditions in India, to ingenious modern adaptations of the tradition, it elucidates performance content and context, preparations and practices, including traditional songs, puppet manipulation, and the boli voice modifier. The “story behind the story” of the hero Amar Singh Rathor, central to the kathputli tradition but rarely understood by audiences, is explained based on Bhat oral tradition, derived from 47 interviews and performances, throwing a unique light on the historical figure. The book complements the fictive documentary video, Retooling a Tradition, elucidating it as only a scholarly written work can do. 280 pages, 93 color/b&w illustrations, song texts, musical notations, bibliography, index. MORE
		Sidis and Scholars: Essays on African Indians Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy and Edward A. Alpers, editors This book details aspects of African Indian history, communities, music, and religion, from the disciplines of history, anthropology, archaeology, art history, religious studies, and ethnomusicology. MORE
		The Rags of North Indian Music: Their Structure and Evolution by Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy This book explores important features of Indian classical modes: the structure of melody, the effect of the drone, ornamentation and intonation, the function of accidentals and the perception of symmetries. MORE
		Hi-Tech Shiva and Other Apocryphal Stories: An Academic Allegory by Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy The Hindu Gods and Goddesses conduct fieldwork on Earthculture, trying to determine what went wrong with their creation before it must be destroyed. In Hi-Tech Shiva they are actually Western scholars disguised as heavenly researchers using state-of-the art documentary techniques and technologies. Data collected from courtesans and swamis is presented at soirées lead to hearings in the Heavenly Assembly when even the highly respected Viswanathan, the creator of the universe, finds himself under the gavel of the portly judge, Lord Ganesha. Squabbles over methodology and ethics lead accusations to fly and much of the action parodies academia, exposing the foibles and fallacies of university politics, culminating in a unique vision of entropy. MORE
		Khmer Classical Dance Songbook by Amy Catlin, with Sam-Ang Sam and Chan Moly Sam This bilingual songbook contains texts for eleven songs in Khmer, Romanization, and English translation, with staff and cipher notations. MORE Accompanies the videotape: From Angkor to America: The Cambodian Dance and Music Project of Van Nuys, California, 1984-1990
		Apsara: The Feminine in Cambodian Art Book edited by Amy Catlin Nine oral histories of Cambodian women artists of Southern California, and two essays... MORE
		Textiles as Texts: Arts of Hmong Women from Laos Book by Amy Catlin and Dixie Swift Ten oral histories and three essays. MORE
		A Musical Journey through India 1963-1964 by Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy This publication, which features tribal, folk, devotional, and classical musics of 8 Indian states, consists of 3 cassettes based on ten twenty-minute talks by Dr. Jairazbhoy broadcast on the BBC in 1969. The cassettes contain narration and musical examples and the accompanying booklet presents the spoken text, additional musical information, a map, 41 photographs of musicians and instruments, and two indexes. Tape 3 Side 2 offers supplementary musical examples not heard in the talks themselves. MORE