THE JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES

Thapar notes (pp. 134 ff) that the current cosmic age (Kaliyuga) is a dystopia an era of moral decline where Yavanas (foreigners) play a role in the contest of gods and evildoers. Chapter 3 contains a fascinating discussion of how performers of Dhola, who do not make use of props or costumes, use symbolically charged melodies and rhythms borrowed from the regional pool of genres (p. 77) (including, in recent times, Hindi lms) to aid in the process of character development. [...]tunes from 854 THE JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES the Alha epic are used to evoke martial themes, Malhar is used to evoke female longing, and so forth. According to Wadley, Dhola illustrates the intellectual side of peasant life, showing that Hindus are not the passive fatalists they are sometimes said to be.