| We who live in India live with the fact that art and spirituality are inseparably linked. We cannot be isolated from 5,000 years of the subcontinent's history. The dominant religion, Hinduism, permeates the whole of society. We do not choose to be involved with India's culture, her way of life and thought. If we are committed to communicating the gospel, we are involved-involved with our Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jain, Buddhist, animist and secular neighbors, sharing with them their hopes and joys, their frustrations, their worries. We either identify with people or retreat from them into our comfortable communal ghettos. We either communicate and live, or withdraw and die. Many, especially in urban society, appear to be secular and materialistic; under the surface they are culturally Hindu, Muslim, Silkoh or Jain. The stream of culture runs very deep. India is a mosaic of cultures, of many climates, many languages, religions and lifestyles. It is a glorious mosaic, held together only by a strong political leadership. The crisis for Christians in India is one of identity. What does it mean to be both Christian and Indian? Many Christians, especially new converts, react against Indian culture and absorb more and more Western culture. We can sympathize with them because they have often found life to be harsh; they have often been rejected, deprived of their family inheritance. Translating the theology of the Great Commission into the practicalities of communicating with one's neighbor involves great risk. In communicating in India, there is anguish as well as joy. All culture, whether Western or Asian, reflects something of the image of God in man and all of it reflects the impact of the Fall. The living Word judges everything in culture that is idolatrous, and demands its destruction. But the same Word recreates what is good, and true, and beautiful in every culture, and offers it in worship and service before a holy God. Let us remember how precious is the unity of the Body and trust the Holy Spirit to guide those who are agonizing over the possibilities of traditional media in communicating life and its meaning. They need time in assessing what must be rejected and what they can joyfully embrace. Let us turn now to some of India's art forms and see what it means to bring them in both judgment and hope to the foot of the cross. The art form that most deeply expresses the religious soul of the people of India is poetry. How much of our Hebrew Bible is composed in poetic form, which modern translations such as the New International Version seek to recover in English. In India poetry is part of life. For the adolescent lover, the nursing mother, the toothless grandfather it lifts life from the mundane to the interesting, from the secular to the spiritual. Linked as it is with music, drama and dance, poetry is part of our lifeblood and not a cultural museum piece. Audiences will sit all night listening to a poetic symposium, as my husband and I experienced in the small town of Yavatmal where we lived for many years. On Easter Sunday two years ago the TRACI community in New Delhi sponsored a program of poetry in a hall in the midst of the Muslim community in Nizammudin, New Delhi. Some 15 Christian poets for two hours recited their poems in praise of Jesus Christ in the Urdu language and the couplet form beloved in India. The hallfull of Muslim men listened attentively and many more stood outside. Afterwards, members of the audience talked to the poets about the content of the poems. Had these poets, instead of reciting Urdu poetry, preached in the logical prose of the evangelist, there might have been violence. One of the most moving experiences of my 28 years in India was in discussing a poem of Rabindranath Tagore with a grieving Sikh friend. (Sikhs share the heritage of both Hinduism and Islam.) The poem ends, "Let me find the grasp of your hand in my failure." This sensitive, deeply hurt woman is a musician and responded to the poetry in a way that led to our talking for an hour or so about the fact that God cares. India has the most complete melodic system in the world. This is a much more natural and satisfying means of praising God than is the slow singing of Western hymns. Some Christians still prefer the Western music, considering it to be "safe." Others have been creative in their use of Indian music and have moved from the known to the unknown in the use of the traditional ballad forms-villa pattu of Tamil Nadu, kirtan of Maharashtra and hurra katha of Andhra Pradesh, among others-to sing of Jesus and his life and death and resurrection, of the wonder of creation and of fellowship with God. The results have shown that people do respond to a new message when it is clothed in familiar forms. There is nothing new in this. State governments, life insurance companies and family planning units have followed the principle for years. There are some Christians trained in classical music who have demonstrated that the singing of devotional songs based on a known raga (melody based on a grouping of notes conducive to a certain emotion) at the beginning of a service of worship calms the mind and spirit and leads to a sense of worship and expectancy. There is no evidence that the religious origins of the raga-s which were originally dedicated to Hindu gods carries over into new interpretations of the raga-s. On the contrary, it is the emotion that carries over, whether it be that of surrender, repentance, beseeching, or delight. The singer/musician must be well trained and understand the nuances of melody and rhythm before he can hope to sing such music. Perhaps the somewhat Persianised Hindustani music of North India is a more neutral medium than is the pure Hindu Karnatic music of South India; some very fine Christian songs have, however, come from the Karnatic stream. Drama is a natural way of communicating and teaching, and most Indians are superb actors. There have been many exciting Christian performances of plays in the form of epics, street drama and traditional katha (story telling), but we could do more. One mistake that enthusiastic Christians make is to take urbanized drama (which is basically Western) to rural areas and expect people to understand. Sometimes they do, mercifully, but not always. Discipline is needed in studying the dramatic forms of an area, using local actors and communicating new material in familiar forms. Again, state governments have done this successfully as have the Marxists. West Bengal became communist largely through the enthusiastic efforts of young Marxists using the traditional drama form, yatra and injecting their new material, including good slogans. Puppetry is a much-loved art form that has been sadly neglected by Christian communicators. It has total communication. A puppeteer has only to pick up a glove puppet and beat a drum to acquire a captive audience. The Indian Institute of Mass Communications carried out some interesting experiments in villages near Delhi, using film and puppet shows. The village people enjoyed the shows equally, but remembered what they had seen in the puppet shows. Shadow puppets of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, glove puppets of Orissa, marionettes of Rajasthan and rod puppets of West Bengal- what a thrilling canvas! The potential is for much more than entertainment, as audiences react to the laughter at human foibles, as the puppets say things that a preacher might not be able to say. As teaching assistants, puppets are invaluable; in Taiwan puppet performances are used to teach theology!1 For urban audiences, very innovative and creative productions are available, thanks to the growing interest of various state arts academies. What a challenge all this is to Christians who have both enthusiasm to communicate and the modicum of artistic ability.
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