Kathak today is counted among the most famous classical dances of India. Named after old bards known as the Kathakars or individuals who told Kathas, it initially was a religious dance associated with storytelling and was enacted by both men and women in the temple yards and town squares.
The art form, however, known for its twirling movements, developed as a court dance later under the Mughals. The three principal schools of Kathak dance, or "gharanas" as they are called, are the Lucknow Gharana, the Banaras Gharana, and the Jaipur Gharana.
Origin of Kathak
Proof from scriptures shows that the northern pockets of India had their own lasya dance patterns or styles, pretty much associated with the custom of the prehistoric Drama Manual, the Natyashastra.
The foundations of this dance form appear to lie in the narrating custom of ancient northern India, followed by the migrant tale-tellers called kathaks or kathakars.
They explained their portrayal with dance stances, gestures, and looks. An alternative source might be the dances performed in temples by the northern devadasis.
In the Mughal court setting, with its non-Hindu crowd, kathak lost its immediate religious significance. Rather than worship, the new crowds appreciated virtuosity, which still is an overwhelming attribute of kathak today.
Slowly, specific kathak schools or gharanas developed in northern India. The main ones are the schools of Jaipur, Lucknow, and Benares with their marginally various styles and accentuations.
The colonial rule by the British sent kathak into downfall. Kathak was still practiced in its unique dignified setting, yet the British viewed it as low and gave it an unwholesome picture by calling it nautch dance to the dance of prostitutes.
Since the mid-twentieth century kathak has gone through an amazing course of restoration. The Maharaj group of artists gave the dance new impulse and furthermore extended its collection to embrace duos, trios, and groups of several individuals.
As has always been, kathak is today performed by both female and male artists. It is currently viewed as one of the "classical Indian dances”, and is researched about and performed across India as well as in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Western countries.
The Music and Poetry of Kathak
Kathak artists customarily presented stories and moral stories of gods and goddesses and characters from the "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata". The earliest were tales told by storytellers and presented with hand motions and expressions. Over some time music was added and the motions and gestures developed into proper dance form.
Kathak dance, which contains both Hindu and Muslim qualities, incorporates story components, usually from stories of the Hindu gods Krishna and Radha or stories from the Mahabharata.
Kathak's sonnets, presented by the abhinaya method, actually portray episodes from Hindu folklore in a pure spirit of bhakti. Even kathak grew at the same time as the raslilas, the northern Indian journey plays devoted to Lord Krishna.
The two kinds were profoundly affected by the Vishnu bhakti movement. Raslila took on kathak as its dance counterpart, while kathak acquired the Krishna-bhakti subjects from raslila."
Dr. Jukka O. Miettinen, lecturer at the Theater Academy of Helsinki writes that the current type of Kathak dance is a result of the combination of native Indian custom with Islamic culture.
A significant number of kathak's components, for example, the sonnets portraying Hindu folklore and the division of the moves into unadulterated nritya and mimetic abhinaya segments, originate from the Hindu custom.
But, in its aesthetics and some other aspects, portrayed by straight gestures and pirouettes, kathak plainly mirrors the Islamic impacts borrowed largely from Persia.
Speaking of music, kathak developed in close contact with the classical music of the area of its origin. While Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and some parts of Mohiniattam, are in sync with the traditional southern Indian Karnatak music, the development of kathak corresponds to the northern, Hindustani school of music. The old-style Hindustani music classes utilized in kathak incorporate, among others, thumri, dhrupad, and ghazal.
The consistent cooperation of the tabla player and the artist performing Kathak is crucial. A large number of the arrangements incorporate bols, or musical words or rather syllables, denoting the patterns and often assisting the artist with retaining the tala or the musical time cycle.
Frequently the artists themselves sing these syllables. The unadulterated nritya areas of kathak are portrayed by many incredible rhythmic patterns.
In these elaborations, or plays with the time cycle, the distinguishing point among dance and music vanishes. The virtuosic nature of kathak relies extraordinarily on the treatment of the rhythm, which is seriously noticed, and surprisingly counted loudly by the observers.
In the abhinaya areas, melodious, devotional, types of Hindustani music are used, for example, thumri and ghazal. The stories sung by the artist and performed by the dancer for the most part describe short episodes of Krishna's life. Spiritual Urdu poems around love are additionally employed in the repertoire.
Birju Maharaj, the Kathak Maestro
Born as Brij Mohan Nath Mishra in Lucknow to a group of known Kathak artists, along with his dad, Birju Maharaj's uncles Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj colossally influenced his life and his art. He was also greatly impacted by Bindadeen Maharaj.
Birju Maharaj was one of the most renowned artists in the country. He started performing alongside his dad and guru, Acchan Maharaj, from the age of seven. He became a guru himself by the time he was a teenager.
He was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award at 28 years old and continued to receive several awards including the Kalidas Samman, Nritya Vilas, Shiromani Samman, and Rajiv Gandhi Peace Award among others. He was additionally awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honor in India.
Birju Maharaj was renowned for his charming Kathak exhibitions, where he utilized impersonations to enchant the audience. He had also directed and made a musical jugalbandi for a Shah Rukh Khan film Dil To Paagal Hai. Likewise, he has choreographed steps for several Bollywood hits and Indian films of directors like Satyajit Ray.
Birju Maharaj was additionally the male lead vocalist, choreographer, and composer of the song Kahe Chhed Mohe of the film Devdas. The well-known track highlighted Madhuri Dixit playing a bhaav in the classical style.
Furthermore, Birju Maharaj was an astounding singer, with perfect control over Dadra, Thumri, Bhajan, and Ghazal. He played instruments like the sarod, sitar, sarangi, and violin easily, despite not having any conventional training. He was particularly interested in playing the Naal and the Tabla.
The Legendary artist and Kathak Maestro died on 17 January this year at 83 years old. He showed that dance was something bigger: a reaction to nature and to godliness.
Maharaj Ji's eyes, arm motions, and footwork all reflected his enchanting ability with which he made Kathak eminent and won hearts and praises internationally. Through his lessons and his commitment to performing arts, Pandit Birju Maharaj's name is etched in our hearts forever.
Written by - Priyanshi Deolal
Edited by - Akanksha Sharma
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