An Investigation Into The Efficacy Of Applying Bibhatsa Rasa In Public Service Advertisements In India

Abstract

The treatise called the Natya Shastra has been told and retold for centuries. Originally written  by the sage Bharatmuni somewhere around the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD, this book is considered a pedestal for modern drama and poetry. Bharatmuni in his work mentioned emotions as Rasa which he termed the ultimate reality. The concepts given by the sage have  stood the test of time so much so that this ancient theory has now permeated into modern literature, architecture, animation and cinema. In his treatise, Bharata has given eight essential emotions that together bestow upon a spectator an aesthetic pleasure and Bibhasta Rasa is one among them. The permanent emotion of this Rasa is disgust. This study analyses the application of this particular Rasa in Public Service Advertisements by the Indian government. Anti-tobacco, anti-smoking and traffic awareness campaigns are the major thrust areas. For this purpose, secondary data was collected online on the Youtube platform and detailed content analysis was done and evaluated through Youtube comment scraping. The study concluded that the use of disgust in advertising is highly effective when used for public awareness campaigns. Also to be noted here is that Bibhasta emotion does not manifest in isolation. Other Rasas always follow it.