Chapter 1: Introduction to the Divine Art Form

         

The original roots of Kathak can be traced in 500 BC North India. The word ‘Kathak’ traces its roots from the Sanskrit word ‘Katha’, meaning story.  In ancient India, storytellers or Kathakars used footwork, hand movements and gestures to tell stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata in temples to the common masses. It gradually became a distinct dance style, Kathak. This was enhanced and filled with devotion to God or ‘Bhakti Rasa’. It was the most divine and pure form of Kathak.

When foreign invaders attacked India, they destroyed the temples and looted their wealth. This left the Kathak dancers unemployed, as the dancers used to earn their living from donations, people used to offer in the temples as dakshina. Therefore, the dancers sought refuge with the Nobles and Kings, both Hindu and Muslim. Thus, two Gharanas were born: the Jaipur Gharana and the Lucknow Gharana.

                                            ARTIST TRAINED IN JAIPUR GHARANA                                                                    (COURTESY: GOOGLE IMAGES)

The Jaipur Gharana saw Kathak evolving in its pure form, devoid of foreign influence. Stories of Lord Shiva are mainly depicted by the artists trained in this Gharana. The use of Raudra (anger), Veer (bravery), and Adbhut (awe-inspiring) Rasas is seen in this Gharana.

             

                 

                                     ARTIST TRAINED IN LUCKNOW GHARANA                                         (COURTESY: GOOGLE IMAGES)

The Lucknow Gharana can be seen with the Mughal influence. The Shringar (romance), Hasya (humour) and Karuna (sad) Rasas are mainly seen being used in this Gharana. Stories of Lord Krishna and ‘Raslila’ are performed.

Over the years, Kathak evolved and went through many ups and downs. But it was during the British Era that it was seriously neglected. It became common among people that the upper caste women should not be allowed to dance in public. That, it will be a blot on their character, if, they even thought about learning any of the classical dances, except Devadasis. (Devadasi system was seen in the dance forms Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi. It included women who had to serve a deity or a temple for the rest of their lives. These were usually lower caste women who were made Devadasis.)  ‘Nritya’ came to be known as ‘Naach’. Nritya is the respectable word for classical dance which is performed by a trained dancer. A Classical Dance form has a distinctive style and specific rules and regulations. A classical dance is performed in praise of God. On the other hand, ‘Naach’ means a dance which a person does for expressing his emotions or for the entertainment of others. It may or may not have rules and regulations.

                           

                                          LEILA SOKHEY, ALSO KNOWN AS MADAME MENAKA                                            (COURTESY: GOOGLE IMAGES)

But whenever the society the society is misled, a revolution begins. And this revolution was brought about by many people, including Madame Menaka. She learnt Kathak from Pandit Sitaram Prasad. With the help of her husband, she arranged a dance tour to Europe with her disciples. Her disciples were female dancers from respectable families and not devadasis. This was for the first time that the audiences in Europe were witnessing classical Kathak dance-dramas. Because of her efforts and also due to Uday Shankar, who patronized Kathakali and Ram Gopal, a Bharatanatyam dancer, Indian classical dance was put forth on the map of the world. Also noteworthy are the efforts put forward by Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Awadh, Kalka Prasad Maharaj and Bindadin Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana and Harihar Prasad and Hanuman Prasad of the Jaipur Gharana. They brought about a change in the mentality of the Indian people with respect to dance, by explaining them, through their mesmerizing performances that classical dance is a pure and divine form of worship to God. This eventually led to accepting Kathak and other Indian Classical Dance forms as a rich Indian cultural heritage not only in India, but also in the world.

                                              MADAME MENAKA DURING ONE OF HER  STAGE PERFORMANCES

         (COURTESY: GOOGLE IMAGES)                                    

After India gained freedom, an independent Ministry of Culture was formed in the year 1971, to preserve and publicize all ancient and modern Indian cultures and traditions, including dance, music, painting styles, etc.

Now a days, Kathak is one of the most loved Indian Classical Dance forms all over the world. It’s dynamic style, different influences from different foreign cultures, it’s flexibility and simple tradition, have made it popular among the masses. More and more children and youth are taking up Kathak as a hobby. But still a lot needs to be done on increasing influence of Indian Classical Dance among each and every Indian youth. We shall continue in the next article.

                                                         THANK YOU

Mrinal Jawalekar