A ~PATHWAY~

R G-
cA qrza'i/a% i lte "I the cArt"
SEPTEMBER 1959 NUMBER 4.

4. Nautch Girls-by Baijnath. 1II. MUSIC, THEME AND

COSTUME:
5. Raigarh Raja's contribution to
SURVEY: Kathak-by "Rasdhari". 1. The Role of Rhythm in
Badcground of Kathale-by 6. 'Menaka·. Pioneer of Kathak Kathale_by S. K. Saxena.
D. G. Vyas. Dance Drama-by Shirin 2. Raslila-An Operatic Drama
Technical terms pertaining to Vajifdar. -by S. Awasthi.
Danct' in general and used in
Ltha"-hy Nirmala Joshi. II. THE TECHNICQUE OF 3. The Kathak costumes in
'I\e schools ~f ~thale: KATHAK: Mughal Times-by C. L.
Fabri.
.. Lucknow Gharana-by 1. Nritta-by M. S. Kalyan-
Mohan Khokar. purlear. 4. Some songs of Binda Din
L. Jaipur Gharana-by 2. Nritya-by Mohan Kholear .
Maharaj-by Nirmala Joshi.
. K. Saxena.
Co Banaras Gharana-by 3. Hastas in Kathak,......by Maya APPENDIX
'Natavara·. Rao. Biographies

Couer is based on the Mughal Miniature: Kathak Dancers from the collection of Sir Cawasji
Jehangir, Bart.
Marg acknowledges with gratitude the aduice giuen in the preparation of this number by
Shri Mohan Khokar, Smt. Nirmala Joshi, Shri Lachhu Maharaj, Smt. Sitara Deui, Kumari
Damayanti Joshi, Shri Hazari Lal.
The IIntire layout of this issue has been carried out by D. H. Sahiar.
The sketches are by Shiauax Chauda.
Copyright of text, photos and sketches is reserued by Marg Publications.

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Karl KhandaIavaIa
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EoITORS MARG Otto Koenigsberger Hilary Waddington
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 IN PRAISE
After the production of two special issues on Bharata Natyam and Kathakalt.
Marg presents here the third of its series of special numbers on the classical Dance Art
of India. on KATHAK.
Actually. in the beginning was the Dance. the Rhythm of the Universe. which
began with creation. But. because the story of creation had to be retold and its
variegated. complex and subtle phenomena interpreted through the stories of the goda
and goddesses. heroes and heroines. the Dance-word became necessary. Katha is the
adumbration of these stories. and Kathak is the person who tells them. This is
the ancient Hindu theory. of the origin of the dance style. which came to be known
as Kathak.
The Dance-word is more than an academic phrase. It is the ebullience of the
soul-body. through the upsurge of all those vital energies, which, by their rhythmic
expression of dance, interpret the other mind of humanity in its search for «rar
It is the attempt of the dancer, not only to render the inspired message of e
Gods, but to embody that inspiration. In essence, it is the aspiration t~ be(ti:
God, in the sense in which N jinsky wanted to become God. Only, in spite ?
deep religious sense, this great Russian dancer was instinctive in his approach. : am
a freak who has feelings and sensitiveness and I can dance like a hunchback.
an artist, who likes all shapes and all beauty" , so Njinsky wrote in his diary.
0 L
nbJ
other hand, Guru Lachhu Maharaj, perhaps the foremost exponent of pure ~at th
Dance today, puts the same thing to us, and fuses the instinctive approach Ith eak
conscious approach when he says: "I raise my hands in That and I dance. sp
of Krishna or Radha and I dance, even as I keep seated while I speak." ub ce
Thus the urge for creation is the same in both, the upsurge and exh ~ranof
of surplus energies. But, while in the European dancer, it remains seIf-expres~lhare
the highest calibre, in the Indian dancer it is the expression of all the souls WhIC tten
in torment, or ecstasy, through an accepted symbolic language, about the separa
of man from God or Radha from Krishna.
OF KATHAK
In Indian Dance Art. temperament is not enough. It has to be schooled by
the intricate processes of a conscious understanding of feelings and emotions and a
deliberate invocation of moods in a gesture language where every delicate phrase
and its various accents have been thought out far in advance. Njinsky may not have
gone mad if he had been a Hindu dancer. He might have understood his conflict
and found balance in the rhythms which arise from violences in the individual
soul and are yet personal.
The ancient dramaturgy of the Kathak style of dance percolated. through the
broken religious traditions of the Vedic period, and the classical renaissance into the
medieval Hindu revival. It is not quite certain. whether the pure dance aspects and
the expressions (Abhinaya) of moods and feelings, changed much by the time the
classical art found its imagery in the medieval Krishna-Radha cults. Certainly, it
fell into decay through the ups and downs of feudal history, until it was recognised in
its emotive aspects by the great Mughal Emperor, Akbar. From then on the musical
and dance content of Kathak tended to become secular. This process enriched
Kathak with the grace of Islamic choreography and costume. But. in the hands of
the lesser nobility, it also became a medium for the more febrile impulses. The poet-
king Wajid Ali Shah rescued it and restored it to the famous Lucknow Gharana,
whose descendants in Oudh, and elsewhere, have preserved whatever purity there
remains in it. The devoted Raja of Raigarh and Madame Menaka gave sustenance
to the style, at a time w hen it h a d become Nautch in Northern India. The surviving
gurus, honoured by the Sangeet Natak Almdemi of free India, and the many humble
unrecognised gurus, h ave begun to re-establish it.
The revitalisation of Kathak will depend on how far its various individual
Phractitioners wish merely to filmise its sensational steps, gestures and moods, and on
Ow far they wish to achieve the ecstasy of the ancient Hindu festivals,......,to dance in
order to become gods.
 Historical 1. The Background of Kathak
While the word Kathaka is mentioned as such
in the Sanskrit literary works starting from the
Mahabharata. it is named as Kahuga in the Jain works
like the "Aupapatika Sootra" and Kalpa Sulra and is
used in the same sense. Although Brahmanism. Jainism
and Buddhism were prevalent simultaneously and the
literary works pertaining to them were written in
different languages. certain social and cultural patterns
and trends of art and literature were common to all
the three religions. The words. therefore. pointed to
the same institutions and conditions.
Katha as narration was then a distinct form of
composition intended for use hy rhapsodists and reciters.
As such it had music and dance. with Ahhinaya. among
the features of its technique. Knowledge was, thus,
conveyed to the people in a vivid and entertaining
manner.
One of the peculiarities of Indian social organisa -
tion is that certain professions become hereditary. and it
was so particularly in the fields of music. dance and
drama. The Kathakas have been known through
centuries as a community of dancers and musicians.
It is, therefore. not unlikely that their dance recital came
to be styled as Kathak by virtue of its association with
this community.
This hrings us to the position of dance in the North.
MUSic. as defined in the ancient treatises, is a composite
Hallishaka--Bagh Caves
art consisting of singing. playing and dancing.
Numerous patterns of 'Desis' (folk music) will seem to
have dancing as their integral part. The development of
classical music has proceeded on similar lines, carrying
dance with it throughout its course.
The Karnataka music is related to the Bharat
Natyam and Kathakali schools of dance. The position
is slightly different in the North. hecause of the strong
tl:'ndency to treat dance in isolation. drawing only
incidentally upon music. However. Kathak and Manipuri
have to he acknowledged as the schools of dance related
to H indusfani music. Among the two. Kathak
by D. ·G. Vyas commands a much larger area for itself. Although
Kathak and Manipuri are different in styles. hoth have
a common hackground and are rooted in a common soil.
There are numerous references to dancing in
different forms in the 'Ramayana'. 'Mahabharala' and
other Sanskrit works. A few examples would suffice
to illustrate this point. The 'Tandava' of Shiva is
descrihed in detail hy Rajanaka Rathakara in his Hara
Vijaya Kavya of the early ninth century A.D.
Hallishaka. Charchari and Rasa are counted in the
category of Uparoopakas in the works of dramaturgy.
Hallishaka is introduced as a dance interlude in the
Balacharita of Bhasa. and Charchari in the Ratnavali
of Harsha. The performances narrated in the
'Harivamsha' were presumahly dance-dramas. hecause
they are stated to have heen danced; and ahove all
stands the Rasa of Krishna. vividly portrayed in the
Bhagavata Purana.
Hallishaka. Rasa and Charchari or Natyarasaka
are classical forms. Their technique was governed hy
the fundamentals and principles laid down in the
Natyashastra. Dancing presented in the court or temple
by a classical dancer was in the classical technique
irrespective of his communal or sectarian affiliations.
Now the point which has to be considered is what
• type of dance it could have heen which is suggested
in the examples quoted above and which is mentioned
in other literary sources. Or what were the techniques
of dance when it was performed by the Kathakas and
other artistes. during the several centuries?
One can guess that such dance was classical in
type and the authority by which it was governed was
Bharata Natyashastra, ever since this work was compiled
as a comprehensive treatise. Bharata Natyashastra has
been an authority for the whole of India. and not merely
in one or two regions. In other words. it embraces.
within its sphere. all the schools of dance which are
classical. irrespective of their regional distinctions.
Dancing. introduced as a sequence in the literary
compositions of the past, should not he taken merely
as a decorative aside. It is indicative of the importance
of dance which was in practice during those times.
Whether the form of classical dance which has survived
in the North represents the classical tradition conti-
nuously from the past is not certain. But this tradition
was elahorated as a style for a long time. It is rich,
varied. and resourceful and has been called Kathak in
the various periods.
The fact that dance was prevalent as a practical
art for over a thousand years is confirmed hy historical
evidence. Jayadeva and his wife Padmavati are stated
to have danced in ecstacy while singing Keertanas.
Vidyapati-the renowned devotee-composer is also said
to have danced madly, Apart from these individual
mystics. there were communities among whom dancing
was a profession.
Murakiya. Dadhi. Nahva. Bhagatiya. Bhanvaiya
·f 5
 (Bhavaya). Kanchani and Kurtaniyas (musicians) are
the names of the communities specified in the Ain-l-
Akbari. written hy Ahul Fazl in Persian in the reign
of Akhar the Great. Although the Kathak community
is not mentioned among them. its existence can he
estahlished as a historical fact. The part played hy
the Kurtaniyas. Dadhi. Natwa. Bhavaya and Rasa-
dharis. hesides the Kathaks. in the field of dance will
he reviewed in its proper context.
Kath~s
As a community of dancers. the seem to
have gained greater prominence following the advent
of the Mughal rule. In this respect. the notion which
is held hy some that there was almost nothing of art.
especially music and dance. hefore the advent of the
Muslim rulers. is completely untrue and misleading.
This was the age when Vaishnavism had already
estahlished a vast spiritual empire of its own. and it
had upheld the hest tradition of music. dance. poetry.
literature and painting. hecause it was fully alive to
the values of creative art and had adopted it as a medium
for worship and devotion.
Krishna and Radha are the presiding deities of
Vaishnavism. The precious art heritage of Vaishnavism
was huilt up on the hasis of the Leelas of Krishna.
during the Rajasthani-Mughal period. The Krishna
Leela. though it was hrought out in high relief hy the
Vaishnavism of this later age. had its origin in the
remote past. and it can he traced hack to the age of
the Mahabharata and of Bhasa.
Vaish"navism gained its enormous popularity.
hecause it was interpreted to the people through their
own languages and through the medium of music. dance.
drama. It is also the religion in which the scenes of
the various Krishna Leelas were depicted and Vriya
retained at this date its popularity as the centre of
Vaishnavism.
During the period of the resurgence of Vaishnavism.
communities of artistes like Dadhi. Natwa. Charan.
Kalawant. Kurtaniya. Rasadhari. and also Kathaks were
residing in Vriya. Some of them have continued. till
late. the glorious tradition of music. dance and dance-
drama which hear the impression of Vaishnavism.
The dance which Rourished under the impetus of
Vaishnavism was pure Kathak in its style. technique
and forms.
The Kurtanas. which are mostly in the Vrija
language. make a resourceful music heritage of the
North. huilt up under the auspices of Vaishnavism. From
the point of view of music. they form an important part
of Hindustani music and furnish a great source for
Dhruvapad and Dhamar. They. moreover. throw
immense light on the conditions of art. culture and dance
during the Rajasthani-Mughal period. The list of
composers or Vaggeyakaras. includes among other
eminent names: Swami Haridas Maharaj. Surdas,
Tansen. Kumhhandar. Govindaswami. Nandudas and
Mitaharivansha.
In the Kurtanas. Krishna is named as Natavara and
is represented as the divine dancer with Radha as his
6 7
partner. Krishna is the hero and R dh L Charchari, which also means a cltltauda and tala.
. a a. tne
t h e K urtanas. musIc compositions and of all
forms . solo. duet and group suggested in them
presents hoth of them in their most . t • and is regularly played in the temples and other places
. In ense
Dance is the motif of numerous Kurt
intended to he danced and interpreted~n~e
fea~ures of such compositions is that the Bola
Mrldanga and the conventional signs of T I
'Tatkar' are included in their lines. aa
As poetic compositions. the Kurtanas
times of the composers and cultural cond'ti
locality which was Vriya Mandala. The d~;na
reRected in them must have he en much old
times of the composer. ·Nirtakar·. is the er
used in the Kurtanas for the communities of
It is evident from the dance Kurtanas
comp~sers w.ere fully conversant with the classical
techmque laid down. in the Natya and Sangeet
Surdas Madan Mohan. for example. has retll'!lWod
chapters on Swara. Tala and Nritya. while extomal
heauty of the hans' performance of Krishna. In
Kurtan. he has indicated the order of hands. feet,
neck and emotional expression during dance
conforms to the principle of the classical tec:lullfcplt.:
As the divine dancer. Krishna is represented
perfect artist in terms like 'Vat(lJ1Qtyarcu• •
'~bhinaya-nipuna' and 'Lasyabhedanipura'.
Kurtanas have presented him in poses Idee
J'ribhangi. 'Natauara' and Girdhari.
mentioned some gaits such as gatamayand (eJepI• •~·
Jlans. mrigamaral, udghat and sanel and
a distinctive type 'Nalauaragati'. It may he noted III
connection that the Kathak dance is well known '-'
'Natauairi.'
The dance Kurtanas have suggested m
like urapa and tirapa and a variety of rnanclcda
bhramaris. As regards the Angika Ahhinaya they
referred to the various poses and movements of the
neck and arms. They have mentioned certain
expressions such as brijauitas. driguitas, f~
mandalaliasa and bhrikut'iuatas.
In respect of the hand movements. the K
have used the words 'Mastaka-Bheda Dikhaue'.
Krishna is represented as a perfect dance artiste.
'Mastaka-Bheda' in his case should he talcen in the
of Hastahhinayas of the different hands. The
of Krishna and Radha. as portrayed in the K
was ' a perfect art form and had all the classical
the Nritta, Nritya and Natya. and as such It
wide scope for interpretation (Ahhinaya),
Certain dance forms are continued as a .....11111!"1
in Vriya and other Vaishnavite regions. The R8Ia
danced with enthusiasm hy the Rasudharis in the
of dedication to Krishna and Radha, The
consists of a definite sequence which is strictly
There are. in addition, a few circular dances
the pattern of Hallishadha.
, a dance-form exclusively intended for the spring. In
:he Vriya language, it is known as chauchar, thamar.
b the Brijavasis, during the days of HolL The special
~iC compositions meant for the Vasant festival are
: the difficult dhamar tala, and for this reason they too
are known as dhamars.
Besides the Rasa and Vasant festivals . there are
Rasa Leelas which are hased on the various Krishna
episodes. In form they are Natya. dance drama. and
are enacted hy a class of artistes..-the Rasudharis. The
Kurtanas..-music compositions for the Rasa Leelas are
peculiar to each of them. From the point of view of
technique. the Rasa and Rasa Leelas are near classical
and not folk art forms .
Among other forms . mention should h e made of
Dadhi dancing. According to the Ain-I-Akbari, Dadhi
was one of the communities of dancers. hut the name
and dancing peculiar to it were integrated in the
Vaishnavite system of dancing. Today the Dadhi which
is danced with Ahhinaya is presented in th e temples
on the day prescrihed for it.
The Keertana type of music which helongs to the
Dhruvapad school is the music of the Vaishnavite
dances. It was. originally the music also of the Kathak
school which is detached from the temple. It has special
varieties like the Rasa. Dharkar. Mori. and accompany-
ing dance-compositions. The Keertanas are sung as a
part of worship in the temples hy the Keerta na mandalis.
They are danced and interpreted hy the Rasa mandalis.
Both the Keertana and Rasa mandalis are functioning
until this day as traditional institutions.
If the dance suggested in the Keertanas is
constructed out of the details given in them. it will
be the classical dance that is Kathak. And if the Kathak
dance is viewed in the light of Vaishnavism. it will
seem to he essentially a temple dance with Krishna and
Radha as its principal deities. Additional evidences of
the classical nature of the Kathak dance and its asso-
ciations in Vaishnavism are provided hy their works
inthe Rajasthani-Mughal period. The movements. poses
and gestures of Krishna and Radha in paintings are
likewise suggestions of Kathak.
The Kathak dance is in all the classical forms such
as Nritta. Nritya and Natya. The erroneous view held
by some that it has no Ahhinaya is refuted hy the wide
range of bhaua darshana. l~ the language of Vriya
and Kathaka. Ahhinaya is known hy the similar
word Bhava.
The footwork in the Kathak dance is often appre-
Ciated almost to the exclusion of its other features. The
foot movement is implicit in the conception of the art of
dance. The varieties of the gait and rhythmic palleries
of movement are dependent upon the feet. The Kathak
dance has simply emphasised the heauty of footwork
Its an unequal part of the classical dance technique.
It has not overdone the foot-movement.
The predominance of the tarya type which is one
of the distinctions of the classical dance in the North
is the result of some special conditions. The process
according to which the Lasya or feminine type had
spread in the Western influence is explained in the
Sangeet Ratnakara.
The Lasya hecame a favourite mode with the
dancers. hecause it has a wide scope of interpretation.
a nd. moreover. it was in conformity with the gentleness.
tenderness and modesty inherent in the Bhakti cult of
Vaishnavism. But the T andava type was not entirely
given up. Besides the popularity of the dance of Shiva.
the T andava. has heen also assigned to Krishna in
appropriate situations.
The age of Vaishnavism marked the eillorescence of
music. dance and painting. literature and poetry. This
was the golden period of Dhruvapad and Keertan in
music. and of Kathak..-the classical dance related to the
Hindustani music. But the tendency to view music and
dance only in the settings of the court of Muslim rulers.
has militated against a correct estimation of the whole
area of culture. which includes the environments of the
temple. It has further led to detachment of the Kathak
dance from its religious hackground and from its original
music-Dhruvapad and Keertan school.
Dance and music were also in practice within the
folds of Jainism. As already pointed out. 'Kahuga' is
the word which is given as synonym of Kathak in the
Jain sootras and lexicons. While the Vaishnavite
Keertanas have special compositions for the Rasa and
Vasant festivals in a dance. the mediaeval Jain
literature of Gujerat shows parallel compositions in the
Razor and Fagus which were intended to he sung
and danced.
Bahuvaiya mentioned in the Ain-I-Akbari is one
of the communities of dancers. This refers to Bhavaya
of Gujerat. The Jain literature of Gujerat has referred
to Bhavaya and Tirgula. This is one and the same
community known. at present. as Nayak. and noted for
acting. dancing and music as its hereditary professions.
They are the communities which are traditionally
associated with 'Bharai' folk drama of Gujerat.
The Nayak community is Vaishnavite in helief.
but a small part of it. the Bhojak. is Jain. Bhojaks are
the people who have served in the Jain temples as
PUjaists and musicians. The dancing in Gujerat.
occurring as a feature of the Bhavai and. practised within
the ritual of Jainism. has heen hasically Kathak in its
style and form.
The classical dance. like music. was evolved and
elahorated as a system out of the art of the people-
the folk art forms. The Kathak dance seems to have
grown out of soil which has preserved its roots. If the
numerous Desi patterns in the several regions of the
North are carefully studied. they will present certain
elementary features of the Kathak dance. In style and
form. the Kathak dance is different from the other styles
and forms. hut it derives. equally with them. its authority
from the Natya Shasfra.
•
·f
 •
terms pertaining to in general and used In Kathak by Nirmala Joshi

(~) being the life-blood of
connected with this aspect are used
jh.Jthi.~lIIll1\(~ style,
Graha
'me units.
Of the Dasa Pranas (~ ~)
or ten elements of tal, the expo-
nents of Kathak make use of the
following terms:
Kal (~ Time
Knya (~) Marking time by beats and other
movements of the hands. The
beats are called Tali or Zarb.
Each tal has a specific number of
talis,
Anga (af1r) Constitutent units of particular
varieties of taL
Laya (~) Speed or tempo,
The technique of dance is regu-
lated by laya. Each pattern in
rhythm is rendered mainly in three
tempos like Vilambit (slow);
Madhya (medium); Druta (fast) .
These are known in the voca-
bulary of Kathak dancers as
Tha (OTt) (slow); Doon (~)
(twice the speed of Tha)
Chaugun (~) (four times
the speed of Tha). Sometimes
Athgun (OJOTf) (eight times
the speed of Tha) is also used.
Apart from these there are more
complicated patterns in laya like
Paun (~) (3/4 of the original
speed); Sawai (~) Oi of the
original speed); Dedhi (~ )
01 of the original speed). Th e
student's proficiency in technique
is marked by his skill in rendering
any rhythmic pattern in Anudruta
laya (aq~ ~) the fastest
tempo (or as some aealCl'llbe 4.
atom speed),
(~) The point where the tal II
.attacked' or accordtn, to
where the tal 'rests', 'I'Lea.
three points: Sum (ft)
Atita (aRfRr);
(~), When the
follows exactly the same
as the song and dance
the stroke of the drum
together with the rh,rtlulllh!
of the hands, this is known
attack on the beat, Bum
if it comes after the heat
termed al'ita (aRfRr); and
the beat Anagata ( .......~
Empty beats or rests are
Khali (~), Each tal
three elements, viz. Sum (
Tali «(ffift) and Khalt (
Each of these is marked ."
movements of the handa.
tal is made up of an Avardi (.
cycle), a rhythmic arran,emeDt 01
syllables which EOI1lll the
scale of the time measure.
The mode of creatinlf
varieties of tal by usin, ~
] ali
Laya Iati(~~):
of the constituent units (Matras)
(lfro).
The exponents render rhythmic
patterns in Aadi laya (arm) or
cross-time scanning. i.e. changing
fractional measurements of the
matras of an avardi by cross-time
scanning and returning on the
sama after completing one or more
avardis, i.e. cycles.
For instance. a tukra (~~)
(rhythmic pattern) in Trital
(~) can be rendered in the
laya of Ektal (~) (12
beats) or Dadra (~)
(6 beats) without violating the
time-scale or tntal played on the
accompanying drum. The climax
of the tukra and the drum should
be noted precisely on the sum.
When a tukra of a particular tal
is rendered in the laya of another
tal, to the accompaniment of
another basic-tal played on the
tabla. all three touching the
climax on sum together. this
difficult pattern in maintaining
the rhythm is termed Kuaad.
( ;;mIT ) The species of tals are of five kinds
chatusra, tnsra, misra, khanda and
sankirna, having 4, 3. 7. 5 and 9
syllables respectively. In other
words the number of syllables
into which each constituent unit
of a tal is divided is termed 'jati'.
Tihai in different jatis rendered
with tntal as basic-time measure.
The tihai starts from sum and
touches climax on sum.
Trisra 123.123; 123.123;
123.123;
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Misra 123.1234; 123.1234;
123.1234
xl234567; 1234567;
1234567x
~ 12345; 12345;
( a::~~J 12345;
xl2345678910;
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1234567891 Ox
x123456789:
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T ntal is composed of 4-
beat units-hence it is
based on chatusra jati.
Bollati (imnmiT): Is a variation in the 'boIs' or
syllables of tals belonging to the
same jati. A tal is classified
according to the number of units.
For instance. 'Chachar' and
'Rupak' are tals of misra jati-
each having 7 units. But they
differ in the bois.
Yali (lfffi') Is the arrangement of Zaya. It is
the rhythmic arrangement of units
of slow and quick speed. This
technique is used in parans. The
units are called angas.
Some of the Yatis used in Kathak:
Sama (ijlf) In which the angas of beginning ,
middle and end are maintained in
the same Zaya.
Srofogata«(>I1Jl.ldl) : In which the angas proceed from
vilambit to madhya and then to
druta. The composition resembles
the Howing course of a river.
Mndang (~)
In which the angas of the b egin -
ning and end are in druta. and
middle in vilambil.
Pipilika (f1:rq1fuct;r) : In which the angas of the begin-
ning and end are hi vilambit and
of the middle in druta.
Gopuchha (~) : In which larger angas are followed
by smaller ones.
Vishama(~) In which the angas are· not placed
in a specific order.
Prastara (SffiI'R) Permutation and combination of
constitutent units to make up a
single variety of tal. This is
termed as 'Zaya ki bant' in Kathalc

8 9
·f
(
3. Schools of .Kathak: -
The Lucknow Gharana of Kathak came into
existence about the beginning of the 19th century.
It was not the outcome of any sustained process of
evolution, but it appeared on the scene abruptly. This
happened during the time of Wajid Ali Shah, the last
Nawab of Oudh, or, as some are inclined to aver, during
the reign of his grandfather, Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah.
Anyway, even if its genesis can be traced to a relatively
earlier period, it is known for certain that the Lucknow
Gharana matured . and shaped itself to become a
pJausibly individualistic art only during the time of the
last Nawab of Oudh.
It is a mere accident of history that this School of
dance came to be known as the Lucknow Gharana.
Previous to this, there was no tradition of dance in
Lucknow, at least not of any stylised mode of this art.
Thakur Prasad, a Kathak, migrated to Lucknow about
the beginning of the 19th century and became the Court
Dancer of Wajid Ali Shah: or, as some contend,
Thakur Prasad's father Prakashji, also a Kathak. came
to Lucknow during the time of Asaf-ud-Daulah and
enlisted himself as a dancer in the Nawab's service and
in this way laid the foundation of the Lucknow
Gharana. It is not known for certain where Thakur
Prasad, or for that matter Prakashji, were before coming
to Lucknow: the common presumption is that they
belonged to Handia, a village in the district of
Allahabad, but it is also held in some quarters that they
belonged to Rajasthan and came from the village of
Jaiatna in Jodhpur State. The important fact is that the
Gharana of Lucknow began with the coming over to
that place of either of these masters both of whom
apparently were Kathaks of the Rasdhari tradition.
Tha kur Prasad had a brother, Durga Prasad, and
10
he also served _(lliif~r:
Wajid Ali Shah bec:am.e -J
he had so much respect for
used to allow him to sit next
from being a dancer
also a scholar and it
dance which was,
his house. Thakur
Binda Din, Kalka Prasad
these, Binda Din and to .....
in Wajid Ali's Court, while not much is known .Laat
Bhairon Prasad.
Binda Din and Kalka Prasad were inseparable. . . .
whatever greatness and beauty the Luclmow GLanaa
of Kathak has today is largely due to the contrihulloM
made by these two luminaries. Both were dancen aad
both were teachers. But Binda Din, being rtEted wIlL
poetic leanings. proved himself to be an outatan_
composer, while Kalka Prasad's speciality lay In ...
mastery of rhythm. The two brothers pooled their taIaII.
worked jointly and created a style of Kathak wldc:la WIll
at once lyrical as well as precise. and
Binda Din was a great devotee of Krialma • known as Achhan Maharaj. The second brother.
is said that he once had a vision in which he I8W . . .
Lord who charged him with the duty oE pro.........
the art of dance. He introduced several n~
into the art of dance which was, so to speak. umLer J
to him by his father, and he also added a n 01
new items to the repertory. He composed score- tLea.
thumris, dadras and bhajans and these have. sin~
become an integral part of the nritya content oE temPle
He built his own house at Lucknow and also 918. . -
dedicated to Bhaironji. He died childless. in I hat ",.,
with this the Lucknow School of Kathak lost. w
appropria tely be called, its chief architect. Kalka Prasad,
who was an inimitable tabla player and specialised in
layakari, died a few years earlie-r, b eing survived by
three sons, Jagannath Maharaj, Baijnath Maharaj and
Shambhu Maharaj, all of whom were trained in dance
by their worthy uncle, Binda Din Maharaj.
Kalka Prasad and Binda Din were both employed
as dancers in the Court of Wajid Ali Shah and it is
largely due to the great encouragement they received
from this Nawab that they were able to devote them-
selves wholly to the development . and propagation of
this art. Wajid Ali Shah was himself an accomplished
dancer and musician and intensively patronised both
dance and music. He was a poet in Hindi as well as
in Urdu, and he is believed to have been responsible
for introducing the thumri, both in dance and music.
He lived extravagantly, but his riches were •squandered'
mostly on dance and music. He had five wives, and
apart from these he maintained over 400 concubines, for
housing whom he built the Kaiser Bagh near his palace.
Chuttar Manzil, at a cost of Rs. 75 lakhs. His palace
always resounded with music and dance, but there was
one occasion in the year when a very special performance
was arranged. At this time, a setting purporting to
represent Indra's Sabha was created and women
dressed and made up as fairies and nymphs
danced for ten days and ten nights. On the last day,
the Nawab himself took part in the performance and,
according to the convention instituted by the Nawab,
after the performance, all his queens and mistresses had
to lavish gifts on him-gifts for the purchasing of which
he himself provided the money T A very happy creative
life, indeed , was lived by the Nawab. But this did not
last long. The British Government wished to absorb his
kingdom and intervened early in 1856, annexing Oudh
to British India. The Nawab then went to Calcutta.
taking with him all his costly jewels. He stayed there
till the end of his days in 1887. He was receiving a
pension of Rs. 12 lakhs a year from the East India
Company. which too he lavished on his twin passions.
music and dance.
The tradition of dance which was started by
Thakur Prasad, nurtured by Wajid Ali Shah and per-
fected by Kalka Prasad and Binda Din, went over
to Kalka Prasad's three sons. Of these, Jagannath
Maharaj was the eldest: he was also the good brother,
the achha one, so to speak, and hence he came to be
Baijnath Maharaj, was very naUghty as a child; hence
he came to be called lucha. but through usage this
became lachhu and it is by this name-Lachhu
Mah~raj_that he is popularly known. The youngest
brother Shambhu Maharaj was apparently more
amenable; it is possibly because of this that his own
name has stood him in good stead right through his
IifeI Actually, it is Achhan Maharaj, who was the true
recipient of the knowledge of his predecessors and it is
he who passed it on to the other two brothers. Achhan
~aharaj died in 1946, thereby leaving a void which
nobody has really been able to fill. He is survived by
hi s son, Birju Maharaj , who is now the youngest
torch-bearer of the Lucknow Gharana.
The Lucknow Gharana of Kathak. we have seen.
attained maturity as well as perfection in the Court 01
Wajid Ali Shah. This Nawab was given to pleasures,
but its chief exponent, Binda Din was a devout person.
Hence the dance form that came into existence at this
time, attempted a compromise between the two ideals : '
it b ecame secular in character but it did not divorce
itself from the Krishna-Radha theme, or, to put it
another way, it continued to present the Krishna-Radha
episodes. but with a sensuous flavour.
The Muslim patrons had no patience with mere
technical virtuosity, however dazzling it may have
been. They wanted to see an art which mirrored life
in all its moods, which projected life with all its passions.
Hence the Kathak which blossomed under their
patronage began to lay greater stress on mood, on bhava.
And so, eventually, the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak
came to be characterised as a dance which was graceful.
decorative, suggestive. expressive and sensuous.
Bhava. then. became the forte of the Lucknow
dancers. To present this. they created a number of new
items and also improved and augmented some others
which were already in the Kathak repertory. They
created many new gats and most of these are described
in certain Urdu books which were written during the
time of Wajid Ali Shah. Then, the thumri was evolved.
and this was followed by the dadra and ghazal.
The Lucknow dancers did not, however. simply
create new items for presentation in bhava: they also
evolved a technique of bhava-presentation. They
analysed human emotions. took inspiration and help
from the nayak-nayaki bhedas and their treatment in
poetry. and evolved a very effective system of expres-
sional dance. They regarded the face as the supreme
medium of expression and the eyes, in particular. as the
mirrors of emotion. In this way. their dance became
capable of expressing the subtlest nuances of emotion,
and each nuance in any number of ways. This paved
the way for the incorporation of sanchari bhava in the
nritya part of Kathak and it eventually became one of
the predominant features of the Lucknow Gharana.
It is to b e noted that. in giving prominence to bhava,
the Lucknow Gharana did not completely divorce itself
from nrita. T oras and tukras and other nrita items
continued to be performed here. but they were not given
much importance. Some new bois of nrita were intro-
duced at this time and the tabla. as an instrument,
replaced the pakhawa; in their hands.
All that has been written of the Lucknow Gharana.
it shol;lld be pointed out, is not so true today as it was.
say. three decades ago. At present there is no rigid line
of demarcation between the two Gharanas of Lucknow
and Jaipur. for the technical elements of one Gharana
are freely used by the other.
11
·f
 h. Jaipur Gharana
by S. K. Saxena
The contribution which the Jaipur gharana has
made to the preservation and spread of Kathak dance
is very considerable. To this school goes the credit of
having given us some of our best Kathaks. The veterans
among the lovers of this dance-form fondly recount the
names and performances of the great old masters of this'
school. namely. Hari Prasad. Hanuman Prasad. Durga
Prasad and Shyam Lal. And. in comparatively recent
times. who among the lovers of Kathak dance. has not
heard of the great Jaya Lal. Narayan Prasad and Sunder
Prasad? It would. however. be difficult to maintain
that these modem masters have not at all been inDu-
enced by the Lucknow school. For instance. Sunder
Prasad. though belonging to the Jaipur gharana by
birth. has learnt a great deal from the famous Binda Din
Maharaj of Lucknow.
Before I pass on to trace the history of the Jaipuf
gharana. and to comment upon the art of some of its
better known exponents. some general observations
appear necessary. This school has prospered essentially
under the patronage of Rajasthan states. It is probably
lrue that. occasionally in its lesser representatives-the
Jaipur style has tended to present Kathak dance as
merely the mechanical display of rhythmic wizardry.
But. shall we not add in the same breath that it has n ever
allowed this art-form to degenerate into mere effeminacy
and sensuousness? Austerity may well appear mere
stiffn ess. but it is always the pre-condition of elevating
art. M ost of the authentic representatives of this school
have b een all-rounders. that is to say. accomplished not
only in Kathak dance. but in singing. and in tahla
and pakhawaj playing.
Yet. taken as a whole. the Jaipur gharana cannot
be said to be in a really good state today. though its
representatives certainly extend all over the country and
can justly claim to have initiated as great a mber of
pupils into the subtleties of Kathak dance a t treatment, but difficulty was experienced In CO
gharana. This is due to many reasons. Lac
patronage is one. It is a well-known fa t t:l1b~~~~
the honouring of Pandit Sunder Pras ~ d_-'!1i~~~
Akadami Award this year. the Jaipur g'~~H""
received scanty recognition . Even this veteran rep,
12
both Luckow and
known how many
scholarships for Kathak \
recommended to be COlllt.ll~~
Jaipur school. But. a LWi~~/l..-
progress has been
weakn esses. Its seldom get to,etL.
academic intent. liquor and drq, ...
heavily upon the prosperity of the gharana. ADd
the virtuous have suffered from neglect. The wllllllla: '
of Jaya Lal and Narayan Prasad. two of Ind•••
known Kathaks. are finding it exceedingly dII...1t
exist. I have met them personally. and tallced to
They reveal a keen. almost pathetic. colllcioUlDell
the tragedy which the dancer's desperate Iwtng
in its wake.
HISTORICAL SKETCH
The history of the Jaipur gharana is not ...,
sketch. One finds here as much of story-teIIIof
fact. The description I am giving is baaed apGIl
personal remembrances. and documents in the ,......
sion of Sri Mohan Lal (eldest son of the late Han• •
Prasadji of Jaipur). who claims to have
corroboration of this account from their
bard. Pratapji. aged more than 100 yean. on the
of Hanuman Prasadji about 35 years afO: and -
account provided by Pandit Sunder Prasad. The
of the comments on individual artistes which follow If
be taken as an index. not necessarily of the 01
merit of the individual in question. but only
availability of data with regard to him. Per.....
other good exponents_I am reminded here of Sd
of Raigarh-should also have been cholen for Incll'fldlll!l-
authentic data with regard to them. fad
The earliest name that living memory can f
upon in its attempt to trace the history 0
gharana is that of Bhanuji. a devotee of
is said to have learnt Shiva-T anJava from a
passed on the art to his son Maluji. who had two sons.
Laluji and Kanhuji. Both. the brothers learnt Shiva-
T andava from their father. Later. Kanhuji decided to
pick up a nother dance-form as well. so went over to
Brinda ban. where he became a devotee of Krishna. and
ultima tely succeeded in mastering the grace of La.sya
style. His two sons. Geedhaji and Shehjaji. specialized
respectively in T andava and La.sya styles. One of the
five sons of Geedhaji was Dulhaji. The latter made
Jaipur his abode. and. as Girdhariji. was later recog-
nized as a distinguished exponent of both Shiva-
Tandava and La.sya styles.
Girdhariji had two sons. Hari Prasad and Hanuman
Prasad . Whereas Hari Prasad had no sons. Hanuman
Prasad had thrce.-Mohan Lal. Chiranji Lal and
Narayan Prasad. Besides being well-versed in Kathak
dance. the seventy-five year old veteran Mohan Lal
is recogn ized for his deep knowledge of the dhrupad-
dhamar styles of vocal music. He is at present on the
teaching staff of Sri Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwa-
vidyalaya• Khairagarh. teaching Kathak dance with
distinction. Chiranji Lil is now a Kathak dance teacher
at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. New Delhi. In
Kathak circles. he is known essentially for the immacu-
late tabla accompaniment he is capable of providing to a
Kathak dancer. Along with Sri Mohan Lal. he has in
his possession a substantial number of the authentic
patterns of the Hari Prasad-Hanuman Prasad gharana.
D elhi' s well-known Rani Kama. who first won wide-
spread recognition as a pupil of Narayan Prasad. is
now learning under him. But. so far as actual dancing
goes. Narayan Prasad. who died last year. was the most
famous of these three brothers. His eldest ll-year old
son-Charan Girdhar-popularly known as Chand. is a
very promising Kathak dancer.
Hari Prasad and Hanuman Prasad were in their
day a famous pair. Dancing together they would
provide a remarkable blend of virility and grace. which
earned them the name: 'Deo Paree ka /orha'. Hanuman
Prasad was a deeply religious man. About him a strange
story is current which. though difficult to verify. is at
least illustrative of the spirit in which he used to dance.
13
 Eevery year on the festive occasion of Holi ka Phaag,
he would dance spiritedly at Govindji ki Dyorhi in the
Jaipur State temple, trying to delight the Deity with
both dancing and representational renderings of bl1ajans.
Once, however, he could not reach the temple in time.
The Deity had 'gone to bed', as they say, and the
temple door had been closed. But, even with the idol
thus cut away from his sight, Hanuman Prasad insisted
upon dancing. He began singing his favourite bhajan:
'Men suno, men suno, hei Rama', delineating, at the
same time, the significance of the text through various
postures. After some yearning rendering of 'men suno',
it is said, the temple bells tinkled; and, when the artiste
came to the words 'Narsingh roop turat Han dhaaro',
himself tearing across his dupatta in a frenzy of emotion,
the door of the temple suddenly broke into two.
Sometimes it is wise to allow the breath of a fable
to temper the fact. Let the lovers of Kathak dance realize
that the readiness with which it can appeal to the human
eye is not the best thing about it. Great classical art
has an elevating quality. The latter issues from loftiness
of conception and dignity of execution. The promoters
of Kathak dance today are faced with a challenge.
Bharata Natyam, with its movements of remarkable
amplitude and sculpturesque poses of delightful
symmetry and grandeur, is able to conjure up an atmos-
phere of massiveness and dignity as compared to which
the average Kathak dancing of today appears frail. In
our fold, even the thaat is not presented with the amount
of self-possession which it really needs; and, generally,
the total aesthetic effect of a Kathak recital is one of
neatness, Ruency, sparkle and general appeal rather than
that of depth, inclusiveness or encompassing quality and
loftiness. The difference is due more to the dancer's own
attitude to the art-form in question than to the distinc-
tive idiom of the latter.
Hari Prasad and Hanuman Prasad had an array
of brilliant artistes as their cousins,-Shyam Lal,
Chunni Lal, Durga Prasad and Govardhanji. I have it
on the authority of Pandit Sunder Prasad, that all these
celebrated Kathaks owed a great deal to one Shankar
lalji who is said to have been an old man of seventy,
when they were just old enough to receive lessons, and
who. as a thumn singer. could make his presence felt
even after a full-fledged recital by the great khayaaliyas
of old. F ateh Ali_Ali Bux. Shankar Lal had no son.
but his daughter's son, Badri Prasad. later distinguished
himself as a Kathak. One of the sons of Shyam Lalji
is Sheo Prasad•• tOW with the Simla Radio. A brilliant
light music composer. he is married to one of the
daughters of Narayan Prasadji. Chunni LaI's two sons,
Jaya Lal and Sunder Prasad. have both won recognition
as two of the country's very best Kathaks . Durga
Prasad, younger brother of Chunni Lalji, was a versati le
man. excelling not only in Kathak dance. but in singing,
harmonium and tabla playing, and even astrology. He
had no son. but it was he who coached Jaya lal and
Sunder Prasad into the artistes they grew up to be.
Durga Prasad's teacher is said to have been his maternal
uncle, Natthoo Lalji. Govardhanji's son Khem Raj has
distinguished himself as one of th e country's famous
Mm music directors.
14
SOME INDNIDUAL ARTISTEs
L /AYA LAL
Bo~n at Jaipur. Jaya Lal made
ind.ividual c~ntribution to the recognition :nd
zation of Jalpur style as a distinctive form oIPOP"'~~
dance. He took his early lessons in KathaIc daace
his father. Chunni LaI. who was accompliaLed ba
playing, and later learnt at the feet of his uncle
Prasad, and also from Binda Din Maharaj of La..L.
Thus equipping himself. he visited Bo~
Calcutta. and the States of Raigarh. S~
Bheerwarhaa and Manorpura. presentinll and t:eec....
Kathak dance wherever he went. Besides Leta, •
Kathak dancer of note, Jaya Lal Was a taLla
pakhawaj player of the highest class. and was LeId
awe by recognized exponents of these inab.. ...
Introduction of remarkable rhythmic subtlety.
intricacy and grace into Kathak dance. tLrou,Ia
medium of long parans in particular. has been Ida
effective contribution to this art. By experta he
deemed as peerless in bollaya and virile danclq (
rasa) and also in parhant, that is. the recitaHon of
text of patterns. His most famous pupil hu
Jayakumari. though prohably another pupil of
Kartik of Raigarh. is no less known. Jaya Lar.
Ram GopaI. now in Calcutta. is himself a K.tW
dancer of great merit. Among his other pupila ...
Sohan Lal of Madras, Radhey Lal and Sheo Datta.
Loth in Delhi. and Hira Lal who taught KatLak duce
for quite a few years at Sangeet BharaH. New DeO.L
Jaya Lal was 70 when he died in Calcutta about litem
years ago.
2. NARAYAN PRASAD
One of the hest Kathak dancers in Lu daJ.
Nrittyacharya Narayan Prasad died on Septemher 12.
1958, at the young age of 48 years. He was awarded
the honorific title of 'nrittyacharya hy the AD-Jadla
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mahamandal at BeItaaa III
pro.,.,..
1957, in recognition of his contrihution to the
tion of Kathak dance. His more important pupils. 10"
of them working as dance teachers in dillerent .....
of the country. are: Bahu Lal Patni of Jalpur. Kanda
=
Lal, Professor of Dance, Music Collete. BaNda
University. and Shankar Jha of Dehra Dun. SLalruntwla
Jain. and Pushpa Batra. Better known 01 Lu
pupils at the capital are Rani Kama and
Mathur. As a dance teacher at the Gan~
Mahavidyalaya. New Delhi. for twelve yean. un 01
end of his life. Narayan Prasad had the opportunItY J
initiating many young students into the subtletfea
Kathak dance. ......
Narayan Prasad's dancing would he aII __.....
loveahle. The chiselled manner in which he ~....
every detail. complete lack 01 impatience in w tevtr
he did on the stage, and the dignity of Lu ~
instinct with tenderness-all this, hesides accu;:..,
lal and anga, made his recitals appear cons
classical. The /aipur gharana of 'Hari Prasad- Hanuman
Prasad'. to which he helonged. strove for dignity of
appeal and grace. Hari Prasad excelled in bolder work.
in aCcuracy. variety, Ruency, expansiveness and suhtlety
of rhythmic manipulation. Hanuman Prasad was
known essentially for his skill in presenting the gentler
hues of dance. Narayan Prasad's style sought to blend
the excellences of hoth. His mother was a close relative
of the well-known Jaya Lal. So, from his childhood,
a rich environment contrihuted to Narayan Prasad's
growth as a dancer.
His public performances hegan at the age of eleven.
Later, he won recognition as a Kathak dancer at several
music gatherings and conferences held at Jaipur,
Baroda, Kanpur. Jamhusar. Ajmer and Raigarh. The
'guni jan khana' of the Jaipur State. where he worked
as a dance teacher for a numher of years, always gave
him the regard he deserved. He had the distinction
of dancing also at Raigarh, that unparaIIeIIed seat of
tahla, pakhawaj and Kathak dance experts, accom-
panied hy his nephew Kundan Lal. His dancing was
not confined to trital. In fact, such difficult timing-
measures could he deftly managed hy him as Laxmi
101. Braftma tal and Dhamar. The veteran pakhawaj
player of Rampur. Ayodhya Prasad, who sometimes
prOVided accompaniment to Narayan Prasad, fondly
recounts the latter's skill in layakari to this day.
c. A Note on Benaras Gharana and its offshoot in Lahore
It is generally believed today that there are only two
Gharanas of Kathak-the Lucknow and the Jaipur. But some
orthodox exponents are prepared to give recognition to a third
Gharana-the Janki Prasad Gharana. This Gharana, it is
claimed, is as old as the other two, and it originated in Rajasthan
but had its development and maturity in Benaras. For this
reason, this Gharana is also sometimes referred to as the Benaras
Gharana.
It is held in some quarters that, previous to the Jaipur
Gharana, there was another Gharana of Kathak in Rajasthan,
which was known, after its founder, as the Shyamal Das Gharana.
This Shyamal Das Gharana later bifurcated and gave rise to
two Gharanas, the Jaipur and the Janki Prasad. The Jaipur
Gharana developed in Rajasthan while the Janki Prasad
Gharana went over to Benaras.
Janki Prasad had three chief disciples, Chuni Lal, Dularam
and Ganeshi Lal. Chuni Lal stayed in Rajasthan but the other
two, who were Janki Prasad's brothers, went to Benaras.
Dularam had three sons, Bihari Lal, Puran Lal and Hira La!.
Bihari Lal toured several parts of North India and gave . .
numerous dance performances. He later settled down in Indore, '
Where he was employed as the Court dancer. He had three
SOns, Kishan Lal, who worked as a dance teacher in Bombay
and died there, and Mohan Lal and Sohan Lal, both of whom
are now teaching dance at Dehra Dun. Puran Lal was also
for a long time in Bombay and he is survived by two sons,
Madan Lal and Ram Lal, both of whom are now teaching
~athak in Patiala. Hira Lal, the third son of Dularam, served
In the States of Bikaner and Indore, and he spent his last days
at the latter place. . i~ that in nrita, only dance bols,- or syllables, are used,
Ganeshi Lal, the second brother of Janki Prasad, had three
sons, none of whom is now living. These sons were Hanuman
Prasad, Shiv Lal and Gopal Das. Hanuman Prasad worked
as the Court dancer in several States, including Jammu, Patiala,
Bikaner and Nepal. He also worked for some time as a dance
teacher at the Sangeet Bharati, Delhi. He oied in 1952, at
the age of 80, in Delhi. Hanuman Prasad is survived by three
SOns, Naval Kishore, Bansi Dhar and Onkar Prasad, all of
Some other important features of Narayan Prasad's
performing ahility were: such chakkardar patterns in
Ektal as allow no respite between 't heir sub-sections.
commonly called bedam; parans which, hy just varying
their manner of movement, can he danced in different
tals without losing any of their bols or textual syllahles;
three such successive countings of eight. that the first
one is danced in vilambit. the second in madhya, and
the third in drufa, with the last one landing immacu-
lately at a sama; and adroit manipulation of laya in terms
of patterns of anaagat and ateet variety. A really
reposeful rendering of 16 matras-called dheema tntal-
would invariably bring out the master's self-possession in
dance. And it was always a delight to see him presenting
the 'boat gat': the entire audience would feel heing
gently rowed along with the dancer. Excellences such
as these made his lecture-cum-demonstration per-
formances at Baroda University in 1956 remarkahly
satisfying.
Narayan Prasad could also sing thumn, bhajan
and khayals effectively. A favourite thumri of his own
composition was: 'Yeh ansuaa kaahe bhar laayi pyaari
Raadhika'. The appeal of the way in which he used to
bring out. through varying poses and gestures, the
textual significance of the song was irresistihle. In
Khayal-singing, Narayan Prasad's tans were admirahle
in respect of controlled power. Huency and distinctness ..
whom are now at Delhi and doing dance tuitions. Shiv Lal,
the second son of Ganeshi Lal, was more of a tabla player than
a dancer and he spent most of his time with his elder brother,
Hanuman Prasad. Shiv Lal has left three sons, Sukhdev and
Durga Prasad who are in Rajasthan and who are not following
the dance profession, and Kundan Lal who is at Delhi giving
dance tuitions.
Ganeshi Lal's third son, Gopal Das, spent most of his
time in Lahore. He was popularly known as Pindit Gopal and
he also worked for some time as a Court dancer in the State
of Patiala. He spent his last days ' in ' Lahore', where he died
about 25 years ago. He is survived by a son, Krishan Kumar,
who is now a disciple of Shambhu Maharaj . . Pandit Gopal
played an important part in the development and spread of
Kathak in Lahore and the rest of Punjab, and he made numerous
disciples who earned a good name for themselves as well as
for him. Bhurey Khan, who is also known as Ashiq Husain,
is a disciple of Pandit Gopal and he, in turn, has a number
of disciples who are well known, including Hazari Lal, who is
now teaching at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, and
Tara Chaudri, who is presently running a school of dance in
Ceylon.
Today, the principal exponents of the Janki Prasad
Gharana all of whom are hereditary masters, are: Krishan
Kumar, ~on of Pandit Gopal, Naval Kishore, Bansi Dhar and
Onkar Prasad, sons of Ganeshi Lal, Kundan Lal, son of Shiv
Lal, and Sohan Lal and Mohan L~, sons of Bihari Lal.
The distinguishing feature of the Janki Prasad Gharana
and bois of the tabla and pakhawaj are never employed. These
mark a distinct variation from the Jaipur and Lucknow
Gharanas where the nrita is composed mostly of t(lbla and
pakhawaj bois. Then the Janki Prasad Gharana does not
give importance to speed but believes in executing steps .and
movements in . slow or moderate tempo and with grace and
precision. There are also some differences in the anga and in
the movements and postures which are used in the Janki Prasad
Gharana, relative to those employed in the othe.r two ·'Schools.
'Natavara'
15
 Table No.3

SHANKAR LAL
I
Daughter
I
GENEALOGY OF KATHAK DANCERS OF J AIPUR GHARA BADRIPRASAD

The historical veracity of names, dates and relation-
ships, much less their standing as artists, is open to
question, further study and research. The skeleton
genealogical tables are to be supplemented with larger
truths of cultural history to make them really useful.
During this study one is faced with several improba-
bilities and seeming contradictions. It would, therefore,
be advisable to avoid putting implicit reliance or
jumping to hasty conclusions based on these tables.
These are useful. however, when other evidence is
available to corroborate and offer scope for possible
revision by comparing the evidences.
Though, no one can vouch for the authenticity of
the genealogical order presented here, certain general
facts can safely be adduced from the available evidence.
For instance, all the persons mentioned in these tables
are said to have been dancers themselves. The traceable
ancestry of the families does not go beyond 150 years.
The earliest name in the tables is barely that old. It may
also be observed that, if the nomenclature '/aipur
or
gharana', which has definite geographical oonno Son
Son
is to be accepted, the families must have lived In or (name not known)
(narne not known)
the state of Jaipur. This is, however, not correct. AI living at / aipur
families commonly grouped as '/aipur oluaran.' living at Bombay
been the natives of western part of Rajaathan. I.e.
state of Bikaner. Their long association wltla tIae
of Jaipur and the economic pressures reaultIna III
migration to Jaipur state must have been 1'eapcMn .....
for such nomenclature. It is equally intereatlllf tv
that the -families of 'Kathak gharana' claim to Table No. 4
to a single, clan, viz. KathaL:. a sub-cute
Brahmins. In the opinion of many, this claim fa (name not known)
to question and further verification.
The tables given here are exclusively in dtrect
I
01 descent of each family. Another equally HARI PRASAD
cant line of succession can be traced amon, tlte HANUMAN PRASAD
(no issue)
of these families. Any assessment of tlae contrtLall. I
of these families in preservation and diuem1n....
Kathak art must necessarily take into account tlte .,.. .11 CHIRANJI l.AL NARAYAN PRASAD
MOHAN l.AL
line of succession of Master-Pupil tradiHon.
(no issue) (no issue)

I
I
1 2 3
(Three minor sons living at Delhi)
Table No. 1

NAYAK NATHU l.AL

I
I Table No.5
SHEO NARAYAN HARNARAYAN
(no issue) (no ......)
(name not' known)
~ ___________ IL -__________________- '
I
PURNA RAM UDARAM BHANROO DAN

Table No.2 -
- - -1:- - -- - - -- -\
GIRDHARI LAL NARAYAN RAM MUKUN LAL RADHE LAL

I I
1 RAMANLAL

CHUNNI l.AL DURGA PRASAD sUKH DEY

I
I HAzkI LAL RAM KUMAR SAGAR
--I
JAYA l.AL SUNDER PRASAD MALU LAL
I ANOKHELAL BRU MOHAN
(naJrnl not known)
RAM GOPAL

17
16
 GENEOLOGJC L TABLE OF · THE I
CJC\,O\,V GHARANA

ISH\t\1ARIJI

ARAG UJI
KHARAGUJI
r
TULARAMJI
/- - - - - - - - . - - - - - - - -
PRAKASHJI DAYAUI
I
HARILALJI

I- I.- - - - - - r -___
DURGA PRASADJ'
THAKUR PRASADJI
-,
MANSINGIiJI

BlNDADIN MAHARAJ /
KALIKA PRASADJI
BHAIRAV PRASADJI

JAGANNATH PRASAD BAIJNATJ PRASAD

'- 1
(ACCHAN MAHARAJ) SHAMBHOO MAHARAJ
(LACCHU MAHARAJ) 4.
1
BRIJMOHAN MAHARAJ
I
KRISHNA MOHAN

Kathak performed as a Nautch Dance (From a lithograph dated 1959, Ram Gopal Collection)
GENEOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE BA ARAS GHARANA

JANKI PRASAD
Today. Indian dance is an art which is much that some of the Moghul Emperors were great reformers
respected. which is admired by all and pursued by many. and men of action. but at the same time. it should not
Its greatness and richaess have been recognised and be forgotten that. generally. their zest for a hfe of
DULARAM -I acknowledged not only in the country of its birth but pleasure and enjoyment was equally strong and tameless.
GANESHI LAL also in other parts of the world. This is indeed They considered entertainment a necessary part of life.
1_ _- - - .- _ - -. remarkable. especially when one recalls that hardly three Hnd one of their principal diversions was the dance.
1 .
decades ago this very art was considered unseemly and Of course, there were dancing-girls in India even
BIHARi LAL PURAN LAL HIRA LAL HANUMAN PRASAD branded as a pursuit fit only for the vulgar and the before the advent of the Moghuls. but apparently there
SHIV LAL GOPAL DAS
depraved. That was the time when very little was were not many among them, who were prepared to dance
I generally known of Indian dance. when the world was and to entertain the feudal overlords in the manner

I
MADAN LAL /. content to refer to this art in its entirety as 'Nautch' they wanted. This led to the wholesale importation of
RAMLAL
KRmHAN JUIIA& and to its expositors as 'Nautch-girls'. professional dancing-girls from Persia. and thus was
The word Nautch-wah. or Nautch-girl. simply laid the foundation of an institution which in later years
1 1- ----. means a dancing-girl. but this particular connotation came to represent the be-all of Indian dance. It is
SUKHDEV KUNDAN LAL DURGA PAAIAD gained currency only during the time of the Moghuls . recorded that there were four main types of professional
I I Dancing-girls. needless to say, existed in India from dancing-girls who came from Persia, namely. the
KISHAN LAL MOHAN LAL very early times, but the specific class of professional [..olonis. Domnis, Horckenis and Hentsinis. They
SOHAN LAL
dancers known as Nautch-girls came on the scene only brought their own dance when they came to India, but
when the curtain rang up on Moghul India. they promptly adapted this to suit the ideals of their
When the Muslims became the rulers of this new masters , and in doing so they borrowed freely from
NA VAL KISHORE
BANSI DHAR ONKAR pRASAD country, they brought with them many of their customs the main stylised dance form then extant in North India,
and habits. good as well as bad. There is no denying namely, the Kathalc Thus, gradually, a new form of
18

19
Kathak began to shape itself-the Kathak of the Nautch-
walis; and this. while it made an attempt to retain the
basic graces of the Kathak then in vogue. divested itself
of much of its spiritual Oavour and. swinging to the
other extreme. directed itseU towards sensualism .
Eventually. the dance of the Nautch-girls came to b e
associated w ith voluptuoumess and lasciviousness. and
the dancers came to be categorised as women of easy
virtue. And it is this impression of Indian dance and
dancers that the European and other travellers who
visited India between the 16th and 19th centuries
carried with them when th ey returned to their countries.
Little wonder. then. that for over 400 years the world
continued to regarrt Indian dance as a n ignoble art. as
something which was encouraged purely for its
carnal appeal.
As a class. the Nautch-girls w ere generally w ell
patronised by the feudal rulers. many of w hom
retained whole sets of them in their service or as inma tes
of their extensive harems. The standard of decorum
b eing thus set. it did not take long for the nobles and
the rich and. later. even for the ordinary p eople to learn
that the Nautch-girls really had something to offer. In
this way. by degrees. several castes of dancing-girls came
into existence in the different parts of North India and,
side by side. they also came to be divided into different
classes. each being intended for patrons of a particular
social bracket. As time went b y. the Nautch-girls
progressively realised that their patrons were more
interested in the dancers than in the dance ; hence. to
make adjustments , they b egan to use dance not as an art
but as an artifice. as it w ere. to help them in their
vocation.
If one w ere to peruse the notes written by the
chroniclers and travellers who were in India during the
last five or six centuries. one would find ample references
to the Nautch-girls as a class. And. invariably. it would
b e found that these referen ces put a greater accent on
the dubious character of these girls than on a nything
to do with their dance. Right from the time of the Slave
D ynasty to th e present century. there a re several
references, and here. b y way of illustration, are some
which have been culled at random:
Writing about Kurra Khan . th e second son of
Sultan Balban (1266-1286) of the Slave Dynasty,
Ferishta records that "he inaugurated a society of which
musicians and dancing-girls w ere members and which
used to meet at the Prince's palace." Continuing.
F erishta writes that "in the reign of the Bahmani King.
Mohamed Shah II (1378-1397). we have a good example
of how the vitiated taste of a king can spread its
infection so as to affect even those who have made
education their profession. The King was much addicted
to baser pleasures and his Court became the resort of
musicians and dancing-girls from Delhi. Lahore. Persia
a nd Khurasan."
From the period of the Moghul Emperors we have
many examples. Abul FazaI. for instance. has much
to say about the state of the arts during the time of
Akbar (1556-1605). In his Ain-i-Akbari he writes :
"The Akhara is a n entertainmen t enjoyed b y the rich .
The performers nre dancin g-girls. A set consists of fou r
20
dancers. four singers and four instrumentalists (wi.
the pakhawaj. owpunk. rabab and junler), and
are also two others who stand by with lighted torcLe..
In the same work the author also describes the diI
types of professional dancers who existed at that
and among these he lists the Nutwah, ~
Bhugleye. Bhunweye, Kanjari and Nut castes o( d.. •
The pattern of life set by the feudal lord. ...,.."
~any ways. emulated by those who followed.
Instance, about Chatrapati Shahu 0707-177D) •
"'-F:
Maratha ruler. it is written that he ordered rood"';"'"
dancing-girls to be kept in his zenana. Bajlrao B.IW
. (1720-1740), the second Peshwa ruler, went one . . .
further: it is recorded that. in the latter part of Lia life.
he became so enamoured of a beautiful danclnt-trbl of
Muslim extraction. named Mastani. that he com,.....,
neglected his duties and obligations as a ruler.
In 1810. Francis Buchanan wrote about the ...
in the district of Bhagalpur. in Bihar. He Itata ...
describes the different types of dancing-girls of the l'eIIoD.
and among these he mentions the Mirasi. Bat, Rwn.na.
Kheloni. Domni and Nariyal castes of dancen. ,....
incidentally shows that there were several cute. of
dancing-girls. even in a single region of the C01Dltry.
It is said that Maharaja Ranjit Singh. the lJoo of
the Punjab. was. like some of his predecessors. vert lead
of the n au tch. Some idea of this can be had from tLe
Journal w hich was kept by the Hon. W. G. 0aL0me.
Military S ecretary to the Governor-General of india ..
that time. At one place this Journal records that "Lot.
is rather a celebrated dancing-girl at the Comt 01
Lahore. Ranjit Singh received her with the trIbate
from Cashmere about two years ago." Continubl" tLe
same Journal records at another place: "In the evenlaf,
a detachment of the dancing-girls arrived with maak:
and fi reworks. The establishment of this corpa fa ODe
of R anjit Singh's capricious whims. He originally L.d
150 dancing-girls. who were selected from amont the
best in Cashmere. Persia and the Punjab. lotus told
me that she was the owner of seven good villates whlch
she had received at different times from RanJlt SiDth
as marh of his favour."
It is evident from the interest taken by the varIoID
Courts in the Nautch girls. that they reduced dance.at
merely to entertainment. This does not mean that tt.e
Kathak style which the Nautch girls practise (eU Into
complete decay. Some of these practitioners were hIfIdJ
accomplished dancers who devoted their whole ItftI to
learning this art. The fact that their patrons had reduced
them to a low caste naturally brought a bad name ~ place anywh ere a nd everywhere. according to the mood
the dance art as practised by them. Besides. the I t'*
noblemen and courtiers were more interested ~
bodies than in their art. Indian society dfainl
and the whole concept of creativeness fell into ~
Today after three decades of renascent elort OD jail
p art of enlightened pioneers. Indian Dance ~ ~J,taIe
emerging before the still corrupt. ignorant an debt ,..
middle sections of our society. And perhaps the Le
people owe to the hapless Nautch gir~s ~II (mK:.....
recognised for preserving the countmUlty 0 ~
style. at a time when the caste-ridden feudalistic
may well have consigned it to oblivion.
5. Raigarh Raja's Contrihution to Kathak
by ·Ras dh art '
Like any other traditional art in India. Kathak. too.
has had its share of patrons and promoters. The number
of those who have helped. in various ways. to further
this art is not too large. but two names stand out-of
Wajid Ali Shah who b elonged to the last century. a nd
of the Raja of Raigarh who belonged to the present one.
Both were rulers. both were dancers. and both served
Kathak with a zeal which made it appear as if that
was the only purpose and mission of their lives. Wajid
Ali Shah patronised the Lucknow gharana and
encoura ged the leading exponents of this School. But
the Raja of Raigarh patronised both the Lucknow
liharana and the Jaipur gharana. as well as their
offshoots; and this patronage extended not merely to
the principal exponents but to all Kathak dancers of
his time. Indeed. whatever differences. whatever rival
claims Kathak exponents of the hereditary fold may have
today. on one point they are all agreed: that the Raja
of Raigarh was. literally. the patron saint of Kathak
dance. its greatest benefactor.
Raigarh was a sizable state in the Chhatisgarh
region of Madhya Pradesh. and its ruler. with whom
we are concerned. was Raja Chakradhar Singh. He
had only one passion in life-Kathak dance. but apart
from this. h e was also interested in the pakhawaj and
tabla ; and. to a lesser degree. in musical forms. such as
the Dhrupad and the Dhamar. As long as he ruled.
Chakradhar Singh sp~nt every day of his life in an
atmosphere saturated with dance and music. He
engaged the best available vidwans to teach him Kathak
e nd the pakhawaj and tabla. and he invited experts from
all over the country to perform at his court.
Chakradhar S ingh had several large rooms and
halls in his palace but none of these was set apart for
dancing: dance practice and performances used to take
of the Raja. He had his own practice regularly. but.
more than this . he enjoyed seeing the performances of
others. From time to time. he invited leading exponents
to his palace. but there were scores of others who came
uninvited_he received everyone of them with grace
and respect and saw the performance of each; and if
there was anything for him to learn from any of the
Visitors. he did not hesitate to do so. Any Kathak dancer
or player of the pakhawaj or tabla who visited Raigarh
stayed there as a guest of the Raja. and before leaving
each was given cash and token gifts according to his
merit.
Of the various Kathak dancers. who served at the
Court of R aigarh. the foremost w ere Jai Lal and Achhan
Maharaj; and. next in importance. Mohan Prasad and
Narayan Prasad. None of them. incidentally. is now
living. Jai Lal served at Raigarh for about seven years.
He was brought there. as. indeed. was nearly every
master. to train the Raja's pupils. Kartik. Kalyan.
Phirtu and Beman. The Raja spared neither pains nor
money to get what he called his 'prize finds'. Kartik
and Kalyan. trained in Kathak: they were ordinary
boys belonging to the Raja's menial staff. but when
trained, there was hardly a dancer who could compete
with them. Kartik and Kalyan are still living. but when
the Raja left this world it seems he took away all their
initiative and inspiration. It is a pity that these really
accomplished dancers have. since the Raja's demise.
preferred to recede more and more into their shells.
The Raja was an expert in the pakhawaj and tabla.
but his hunger for learning was insatiable. He had
outstanding tabla players such as Munir Khan. Azim
Khan. Nahan Khan and Qadir Baksh in his service.
Once. it seems there was a technical contrQversy and
in this Qadir Baksh humbled his colleagues. The Raja
ascribed this to Qadir Baksh' s superior knowledge of
the pakhawaj. and. convincing himself that a more
intimate knowledge of the pakhawaj would some day
stand him in good stead. he seriously set about to find
a worthy guru for himself. His choice fell upon Swami
Ram Das. the leading pakhawaj player of the time.
but no attraction seemed to be too great to prompt this
veteran to leave his home-town. Ayodhya. The Raja
then approached Swami Thakur Das. who had the
honorifi c 'Mridang Arjun'. and became his disciple.
The Swami came to Raigarh and stayed there and
taught the Raja for fourteen years. To assist him he
also called other experts. notably Vasudev from Gaya.
Shambhu from Bandha and Makhan from Mathura.
each of whom was an expert in a particular anga of
pakhawaj technique.
Performances of Kathak dance used to take place
practically every day in Raigarh. But the major occa-
sions came at the time of certain annual festivals . such
as Basant. Holi. Ganesh Chaturthi. Dassera and
Diwali. Ganesh Chaturthi. in particular. was celebrated
on a very lavish scale. the proceedings lasting for well
over a month. At this time. scores of Kathak dancers .
many with their musicians and disciples. some with
their families as well. came from all over the country
21

and assembled at Raigarh. Raigarh played _
everyone who came, and incidentally relieved ibelf 01
thousands of rupees every year. Every day and
night there were performances in two diff t __~
eren - - . . :
one 0 f t hese was for the Raja and a select audience
here only reputed artistes were allowed to perf'orm.
other was for the janata, as it were, and in tbia d...
~ere performances by ordinary artistes. At the ClO
SIon of the festivities, the Raja gave gifts and aw..r.
to all who had come to Raigarh and partici ted III
festivals . pa
Raja Chakradhar Singh was a dynamo of eneI'ff.
He was a staunch Vaishnava, simple in his habib.
he normally ate llnd dressed austerely. He had
~ives, but it apparently needed considerable det~
tion on his part to visit any of them, for hia de,. ....
nights were mostly spent in the company of dancen aad
musicians. He spent lakhs to satisfy his paulOD . .
dance and music and, in the bargain, proved himIeI.
thorough misfit in matters of statecraft: 10 ......
eventually, the Resident had to intervene and uL: ....
to leave the gadi, which was given to his son. A. ...
as he ruled, the Raja had a faithful secretary and ad9I.
in Bhushanji, who was a scholar. an aesthete and •
rasika; the Raja always referred to BhwhanJi ..
•-. nial companion' and never tired of sayin, how ......
was obliged to him for the guidance he received
e ery step in his life.
Raja Chakradhar Singh died about Meen , -
a o. He died a frustrated man, deprived u he was
t means to continue to indulge in the one pudaa
th t sustained him as long as he was on the fld
in our time, the greatest patron and devotee J
use of Kathal<. He always considered ........
ent and no sacrifice seemed too much to hbn to
a i the knowledge and experience he destred. It
said th he often purposely provoked his teachen.
well as others who performed before him. and prodcW
them to enter into heated discussions-to get tLe ....
out of them. He had immense respect for 11,11 KatMil
and he himself was a dancer of no mean merit. It
said that once Jai Lal and Achhan Maharaj and ....
other dancers were having a discussion about fI-:
Raja, who was present at the discussion. got up
showed over 20 different ways of carrying the
Seeing this Achhan Maharaj got up and Lurred
Raja and kissed him and said: "You are an .,.",
Natwar Krishna." Certainly, he was a devotee
Kathal<.
22
6. Men a k a: Pioneer of Kathak
by Shirin Vajijdar
"It was reserved For M enaka to do for the Indi a n Dan cin g
w ha t Profesor Bh a t·khande did for Indi a n Singing" .
This tribute to the la te M enaka's m a gnificen t
a hievements in, .lI1d services to. the Cl assica l D a nce
Art of India was very significant. b ecau se of th e occasion
on which it w as paid. he and her Ba ll et ha d just
returned to Indi a a fter having 'w on for India a nd
la sical D a nce, three Honour Pri zes a t th e 1936
Intern a tion al D a nce Olympiad . held in B erlin in connec-
tion with the Olympi c ga mes. The Me naka B a llet ha d
carri ed away m ore Honour P rizes th a n a ny oth er ba ll et
of the seventeen na tio ns w hich too k part.
enaka first a ppeared on th e dan tage in
Bombay in th e yeilr 1926. Ma dame P avlova was prese nt
at thi s p erForm a nce. a nd thi s doubtle s encouraged th e
Indi a n dan seu se.
S he w as th en a lrea d y a hi ghly tra in ed musicia n .
an d ha d devoted years of stud y to the m as tery of Kathak
of th e Lucknow chool. H er earlies t teachers w ere the
grea t mas ters . P a ndit S it a ra m M isra . M a ha ra j V a idya-
nath M isra and Guru R am Dutt Misra. S he also studi ed
Kathakali under G uru K arunakara M enon a nd
M anipuri under G uru aba Kumar Singh a.
Apart From t·he tra ining in solo recitals of K a thak
for the realisa tion of th e form a nd sequence of thi s
da nce style, M.en a ka inil'ia ted a new kind of choreo-
gra phy into K a th a k. ada ptin g its techniques for
dra ma ti c purpo e. ' he formed a Corps d e Ballet of
ta l nted d a ncer fll1d musician s. And sh e cr ea ted
evera ! ball ets. which he took on tour. H er first three
ball ets. D eva Vijaya Nritya (a theme from Hindu
lythology) . Krishna Leela (adapted from Visnaya
Padavali of Vidyapati) a nd M enaka Lasyam (the
story of th e temptation of M aharishi Vishwa-
), individua ll y form ed th e second half of a n
_ ......., - in g p erform a nce, a nd w ere preceded in th e fi r t
sm a ll items of divertisements.
of th es b a llet . in K a thak I:echnique.
a nd called for still greater efforts on her p a rt,
'B""'lII{TToeItake a much more ambitious proj ect of a full
(a piece lasting two and a h alf hours)
different variation s of Bhara ta Natyam.
Ii and Ma nipuri could b e u sed for
For thi s purpose h e tool< K a lidasa's
Malcw iko gnimitram. a nd success full y
he took two years to do it. And it w as
a "brillia nt'ly con ceived and brilli antly
b a llet" .
:Vlena ka m a de ..,.,at-II~
to d a nce art. She d
beating of the rhy
usually dan ced . and made ski!
Ra gas w ere knit togeth er to
th e da nce a nd tra nsition from
so that th e sentiment of
,-,nhindered. With all that. the
en cha ntin g rhythm. Tala. so
pa ttern s of K a thak dance. It
music a nd not a t all " ref
till rememher the heavenly
her child. S hakuntala . to lay at the
before going back to H eaven (in
Lasyam) , d a nced to a poignant and
R aga ha dava Sampoorna. Bhaira i.
Menaka inAuen ced the dance in
as pect. Because of her a ri stocratic
high socia l sta nding. she had to face
before she could appear on th e stage as
a rt ha d. up to th a t tim e. been
caste b asis, a nd these classes had
o tracised . Since then. h er pioneer
a nd many women from the m
followed her lead .
M enaka' s w ell -tra ined group of
a nd musicians. repeatedly vi sited our principa l citi es and
presented Clas ical Dance in its matchles beauty and
puri ty. regardless of cost and effort. She won th e esteem
of her countTymen. and was awarded a gold medal for
services to Classical Dance. by th e Bengal Music
A ssoci ation . Addresses w ere presented to her at Karachi .
H yd ra bad. L a hore. Colombo. etc. Then she visited
Burm a. M a laya a nd Indonesia. She then w ent to
E urop in 1936 a nd gave over 750 perform a nces in a ll
th e capital of the Continent. Bombay City gave h er an
enthusiasti c recept'ion on her return to India from the
D a nce Olympi a d , Berlin.
Wh en she cr eated her new ballet. Malavikagni-
mitram. sh e toured Jndi a a gain in 1939. But th e war
cut short h er tour.
H r work cr ated a dema nd for a C entre. where
Cl ass ica l D a nce could b e learnt. To m eet thi s demand.
M enaka took th e logical tep of openin g th e famous
'Nrityalayam' at Khandala in 1938. It w as a residential
in st·it-ute. wh ere young aspirants w ere provided with
ex ellent opportunities of learning and studying the
class ica l d ance tec hniques extant. under the personal
23

supervision of Menaka, who was assisted by hereditary
profess~onal teachers. They were also helped to receive
the ordmary school education. After Rourishing for lour
or five years. war brought this institution to an end.
Among the distinguished colleagues who helped
her in d esigning dresses and decor for the ballet wtft
Karl Khandalawala and Manishi De. Dr. Raghavan.
the Sanskrit scholar, advised her on stories for the
themes. Ram Narayan Misra was her male ~
partner. Musician Ram Chandra Gangoly, and a treat
master of Tabla , Vishnu Shirodkar, were her colleallJel
in d evising music for the ballets.
Menaka restored to Classical Dance, the "Nautch"
(Kathak) which Ananda Coomaraswamy (1917)
d escribed as "one of the most beautiful and moving arts".
Those who know in what a precarious condition this
1. S ce ne f Tom AI alavikagnimit ram
style was when she took it up, will understand the
2. S ce ne from Krishna Lila : M enaka and Ram
Narayan Misra significance of h er efforts to restore it to its pristine
beauty and to give it a new and vigorous life.
The world Wdr made touring even in India difficult.
and enforced inactivity. and a serious illness carried her
away on 27 th April , 1947. She had no children of her
own, but she left b ehind many brilliant dancers of her
troupe. Krishnan Kutty . Ram Narayan Misra. Bipln
Sinha. S hirin V a jifdar. hevanti, Damayanti. Malati
an d Vimla and oth ers. who had com e to her in their
youth and whom she had brought up and trained a
d a ncers.
M enak a (in private liFe Lady Leila Sokhey) was
born on 151-h Odober , 1899. in a Kuleen Brahman
fa mil y of BarisaI. H er fa l-h er hri Pyare Lal Roy wa
a bi g la ndlord . he was educa ted at Loreto Convent.
Darj eelin g a nd s howed grea t promise as a violinist. Sht'
was lake n 10 E n gla nd in 1909, where she was admittt-d
to St. Paul' s Gir ls' School. London. There she won
the Lupton Schola rship for v iolin for two years in
succession. h er graduatin g from the school. sht'
appea red on th e con ert stage in London. She latt'r
marri ed Captain a hib S in gh Sokhey of the Indian
M edical erv ice. who later b ecam e Director of tht'
HaFfkin e I nstitute. and was knighted in 1946, and
promoted to Ih e rank of M a jor General.
Ma rg acknowLedges its d ebt to Major General s.s. Sok-;;;"
for suppLying the information in th is article, and photos.
24
II. The Technique of Kathak:
1. Nritta by M. S. Kalyanpurkar
Th e concept of Art in India has in a sense h een
pa rtly forma l. n ecessitated perhaps b y the highl y
intellectual and punctilious type of livin g of our a ncient
peo ple. This is not only true of dance but also of other
forms of art. Just a s an Indian icon " is neith er a m emory
ima ge nor an idealisation but a v isu al symbolism , idea l
in the mathematical sen se", or instrumental mus ic
which presents perfedion of suara combina tion s; so al 0
the nriLLa aspect of d ance expresses certa in rhythmic
pa tterns interpreted b y the feet, hand s, and other limbs
of the body. In the Ab hinaya Dal'pol1.a oritLa is
co nsid ered as pure dance:
" Bhauab hinayahinom lu nritLantityab/li,dhiyaLe "
The Dasarupaka explains furth er:
" NriLtam Lalalayasrayam"
riUa is thus m eant to convey a sense of pure
joy of movem ent and rhythm. But inspite of its abs tract
na ture it is not d evoid of ' rasa' as is often misunderstood.
A in 'instrumenta l music or alapa in vocal mus ic, rasa
lies in th e correct u se' of th e svaras and th eir combina-
tio ns, so in nriLLa I-h e b ea uty li es in th e correct renderi n g
of the rh ythm ic patterns b y th e feet a nd grace ful move-
ments of th e limbs. In su ch pure form of art. an
ap precia ti ve a udi en ce recreates th e pi eces in th eir own
m ind a nd d erives pleasure according to th e for ce of
individua l experi ences. Every on e of the audi ence enjoys
a dan ce piece in hi s own way; " like a Kamadhenu,
it y ields to th e s pecta tor just what he seeks from it, or i,s
ca pable of understanding·'.
kill in nrULa ha a lways b een considered v ita l for
t he a rt of dance. as, b es ides its inh ere nt b eau ty.
il s knowl edge is fund am e nta l for I-h e p erformance of
good abllinaycl ex press io n .
In Kat-hak . th e nritta a -pect is predomin ant. The
va rious pi eces dan ced. bring out th e bea uty or rhythm
in all its Form s.
Th ese rh yt hmi c composition s a re ca ll ed ' bolas'.
 The 'bolas ' have dillerent features a nd compositiona l
peculiarities. On the basis of thi s they are classified
into the following types:
1. Ganesha Vandana
2. Amada
3. Thata
4. Natwari
S. Paramelu
6. Paran
7. Kramalaya
8. Kavita
9. Toda
10. Tukada
11. Sangeet
12. Padhant.
1. Ganes 11 Vandana : To offer saluta tion to
Lord Ganesha, the dis peller of obsta cles and difficulties,
a t the commencement of ceremonies is tim e- hon oured
tradition. All religious ceremonies b egin w ith the
chanting of Sri Ganeshaya namah. Abhinaya
Darpana advises the comm encem ent of dance with
" Praising Ganapati, the lord of mura;a (drum) a nd the
sky one should pray to the earth." (Introductory
benediction). The Sangeet Sara of Jaipur is more
precise. It says : "At th e b eginning of th e d a n ce, recite
compositions on Ganeshji a nd dan ce accordin gly" .
G a n esh Vandana is a com position in whic h w ords in
praise of Lord Ganesha are blended w ith oth er dance
bolas, the whole forming a rh ythmic piece. Form erly
t1tis was the first piece danced by the Kathak d a n cers.
It is interesting to see tha t thi s a lmost lost tradition is
being revived by the Kathak teachers of today.
G a n gan gan apaU gaja mu kha m anga la gita
gida gita gida thun thum ta t ta t th ei - jaya
ja ga vandana va - kra lu - nda d a ni dh a ta -
vigha naha rana, sukha kara, na dh a gen a dhage
dhimi kita dhimi kita thudan - ga thuda n
_ ga dadhi gana th ei. thuda n - ga thuda n - ga
dadhi gan a thei thuda n ga thuda n - ga
Jad hi gan a th ei.
2. A mada : Amada is a P ersi.a n word wh ich
means a dvent or comin g. This pi ece is dan ced in
the b eginning of th e p erfor mance a nd is composed of
n cha racteristic pa ttern of Nat vari bolas a nd h ence is
classed separately a s amada. The Natv ari bolas u sed
he rt' a re:
" ta thei tat thei ta thei ta t th ei th ei tathei-
ta the; thei thei ta t ta t ta".
To ma ke it more impressive p erh a p s, a con ve nli o n a l
pakhaw a; or paramelu is prefixed to it as foll ows:
dha ta ka thun ga - dh a ge di ge La
dha din ta ddhe Ua kida dh a ta kka t hum ga
tald tata ka - tita ka ta gadi ga na ta th i ta t
thei ta thei tat thei thei ta th ei - ta th ei th ei ta t
ta t ta.
om e peo ple a re of o pin io n th a t amada is a piece
p layed as a r hythm ic pro logue on the tabl a or Lhe
26
pakhawaj jus t b efor e th e commencement of the d
Though thi s theory is d eb a table it cannot be' ~C;
Igno.~
3. Thata: 'Thata' in general means d ecorat.
Ion ora
grace fu I a ttitu d e. T h ese attitudes or postures are talcen
(thata bandhana) b efore th e amada is danced. Thato
is u sed in a nother sense a lso a s ' thata ka barat • In
thi s th e d a ncer stands with one hand h eld to th: ~ide
.1Od the other high a nd a loft, a nd moves his eyes, eye..
brows, n eck. shoulders, arms, ch est and wrists to the
acco mpa niment of s low rh ythm played on the tabIa.
4. Nat w ari : 'Natawara ' is a n e pithet of Lord
Krishna, whi c h m ean s " the b es t among dancers". It fa a
b.eli ef that when Natwara subdued the monster-serpent
K a liya a nd d a nced on its hoods, the sounds la Ihei and
Lat we re produced . It is p erha p s due to this belief that
a ll bolas composed of yllables ta, thei, tal and their
derivatives suc h as digidigi. tram, tigdha, are classed u
Nat w ari b y th e K a th a k m as ters:
tigdh a digidigi dig tho digidigi thei tata _ ta
thei ta th ei tigdha thei tigdha digidigi diltLo
digidigi thei tram thei tigdha digidigi diltLo
digidigi thei tra m thei tigdha digidigi diltLo
digidigi thei tra m thei.
5. Paramelu : Th e term 'paramelu' is composed of
the two words ' para' m eaning different and 'me'"
meanin g union . Th e Paramelu pi eces are composed by
cleverly blending th e sound syllables of various percus-
sio n ins trum ent su ch as, nagara, pakhawaj, jhan,.
rne jeera, tasha, dapha etc. with natwari bolos. The
sound sylla bles however b y u se have become conven-
tion al a nd ome of th ese are-thari, kuku, jhanaka, a. AMAD
r1ivang a, dhilanga, jhangara , jagajaga, thudanga, by Lachhu Maliaraj.
jftangajhanga e tc.
J aga jaga th a ri th ad kuku thari naga thad
dhim i kita taka n aga tha ri kita thun lIa
tha rika th a rika tha rika ta na ga dhimiki tatalua
jagaja gajaga thun. thun-thun-ta-thun-lIa -
ta kat hun -ga- dhimita thunga
dhimiki ta ta h jaga n a gathari
dhimiki ta l'a ka th eita theita
th ei-theita th eil a th ei-theita theita thei.
6. Paran : Nex t w e come to a variety of compo-
ilion s pl ayed exclusively on th e pakhawaj. Thesj are
call ed ' parans'. T h ese a re for ceful compositions an are
d a n ced w ith v igorous mo vem ents :
Kita tah I'h un- thun nati ta ta "
dh a dinta kiddh a dinta ka ti tadha dinta :~
a
til'a dh adin la ki dadhet - dha dinta kati ta
· ta dha
_ thun - I'a dha ka ti ta dh a - t hun -
ka ti tudh a - thun - ta dh a.
7. Kmmalaya : T his is po pu Iar IY kno wn as "'a,kar
d ~
f
/-Ii ba dh a f " or imp Iy " paLra
. 1a a n d
t het· taL ' 0 f tnta
. ba/ana.
I'l enI
' .. In this the , an,,.,,,
br~gin s w ith th e basic' tatkar' of the tala, e·g·d~lJa rent
d S to show
procee d I ethere
the stu ents
)
1
laya jatis, a nd ends in a fas t aya. or F t with
are et pa ttern s. b ul t I1 m asters 0
f th e a rt interpre
II form.
t'xtem pore improv isati ons. TI11's should rea y
e. & f, PARAN and PARAMEL
by Bir;u Mahara; .
THAT d. TORA and TUKRA
by Birju Maharaj.
by Lachhu Maharaj ,
 -
\~ ---- -

h. TATKAR
by Sudershan Kumar .

.
J. CHAKKAR
by Sitara Devi.
 part of the nat wan but due to its exclusive character
it is classed separately.
8 . Kauita : 'Kavita' is a poetic composition set
to lala. The metres used usually are 'sawaiya ',
'ghanakshari', 'panch-chamara' etc.; very often a nalwari
piece is a ffixed to it. The m eaning is interpreted b y
vario us ges tures, while laya is marked by th e feet.
Thoug h abllinaya is evident in these compositions , it is
cIa sed under nriUa because the rhythmic a spect is
predo min a nt :
mura liki dhuna sun a bajata mri d a n ga dhun a
dhudhu kitadhudhu kita dhuki tadhu kita thei
tana taka rata uth a hera taphe rata chita
ch a n dracha pala di gidigi nadigi digina digidi gi
digidigi thodigi digitho digidigi digidigi kdan
kidta thei yaka th ei kidta th e; yaka thei kidta
thei yaka thei.
9 & 10. Toda and Tukada: Nothing d efinite is
LTA kn ow n about these terms. Some use th em in th e sense of
han Kumar. the w hole nritta p erforman ce when they say" tode lukde
nacho". Oth ers a re of opinion that ' toda' in d a n ce is
composed on the same pattern a s the todas for sitar,
which are of a fix ed pattern, with 'dara dida dran dadida'
as bolas. ' Tukada' is supposed to be a small piece of the
nalw ari variety.
11. Sang eela : Whe n an y dance bola, b e it natwari,
parameLu or paran, is r ecited in swaras it is ca lled
'w ngeela'. The late Maharaj Bindadin p erha p s wanted
to o nvey thi s idea when he sa ys in on e of his p a d as:
'S ang eela nachal'a taguna tharikita latta Ihei thei Iram
dhetta", b ecau e in thi ' Iagun tharikita' is paramelu,
"atta thei thei tram' is natwari and ' dhetta' i part of a
paran. T he R asadharis of Mathura a nd Vrindava n
re it e all d a n ce bolas of th e R asaleela set to a raga. In
my opinion this is th e true form of sangeeta. Thus
\a ngeeta' is not va riety of bola but the mode of mus ical
rc ita tion of a ny bola.
12. Padhant : Th e w ord ' padhant' i d erived from
th e a nskrit word pathana m eaning recitation. In a
K athak p erform a nce ' the G uru, or th e d a ncer him e lf.
r cites th e bolas to b e d a n ced. m a rkin g time of th e taLa
w ith hi h a nd -cla ps. Th e es ential p oints to b e observed
in padhan t a re, correct pronunci a tion , acce nts a nd
intona tion of th e bolas. In Sang eeta Ratnakara on e of
th q ua liti es of a dan ce teac her m e ntion ed is, " mukha-
Ie GUN HAT
I)y Gopi Kn han and Suder han Kumar.
uadyes/lU kouidah". Explainin g thi s the comm e ntator
says that th e t'mukhauadya" m eans recitation of the
sounds produced on th e muraja (drum).
In the composition s of th e va rious bolas use is ma d e
of the jalis a nd yati.s.
latis: 'Jatis' a re of fi ve kinds: 'C/lOta sra ', ' risra',
'Khanda', 'Mi ra ' a nd ' Sank eema'. Th e n a me signify
the kind of laya used . 'Chatasra' is four b ea ts of the boLa
coinciding with four of the ta la . 'risra ' is three b eats
coincidin g with four of th e ta la . In ' khanda' fi ve b eats
coincide with four ; in ' misra' seven a nd in 'sankeema'
nin e b eats come within th e timin g of four b ('ats.
Yatis : The ' Yati s' a re also fi ve in number a nd
th ey a re visu a li sed p a ttern s of ' laya '.
(i) Sarna-even . (ii) GopuchchllO-like th e tail of
a cow, b eginnin g w ith s low or broad Laya w hi c h goes on
tapering a nd ends in a fas t tempo . (iii) Srotagata-like
a river fast a nd noi sy in th e b eginnin g but gradua lly
becoming slower. (i v) Mridanga-s ha p ed like a
pakhawaj, ta p erin g or fas t at both ends and broa d in
th e middle. (v) Pipilika or Damaru-s hapcd like a n
a nt or clamaru . broa d at both ends a nd narrow in the
middle.
Th ese jatis a nd yatis ca n b e u sed in a n y type
of composition .
T he musical accompa nim ent to N ritta is ca lled a
laflara whi ch is jus t a on e-lin e musica l pi ece. Thi s in
a sen se is monotonous as th e sam e lin e is re pea ted ove r
a nd over a gain , a nd erves more to ma rk th e tim e a nd
has Ie s m u sica l va lue.
I h ave give n in bri e F a n acco unt of th e N ritta in
K a th a k as it exists today . Th ere is much scope Fo r
perfection a nd innova tion s. lew expression s a re n eed ed .
but they should b e introdu ed b y th e rn a ters of the art.
who a re w ell ver ed in th e techni q ue a nd a re not
lacking in imagin a tion, For it need s a creative and
di sciplin ed mind to produce su ch w ork. Ex periments can
b e m a d e a t composin g d a nce on th em es like ' tri ual' ,
'chaturanga', 'tarana' a nd 'sargam' ,
The list 0/ items in N ritta, giIJc n in th e tex t, is slightly di ffere n t
from the list followed /01' illustrations du e to ex ige n cies 0/
layout .
27
 ritya. w hich is an import a nt as pect of Indi a n
class ical d a n ce. impl ies the rendering of th e m eanin g
or import of a son g or s tory through s u gges tive fa ci a l
ex press ion s. codifi ed gestures of th e h a nds a nd symboli c

2. Nritya postures of th e bod y. A ll form of classical d a n ce in

India include N riLya in th eir technique. th ere b ein g
pertinent vari a tion s in th e m a nn er in whi ch th e i nter -
preta tion i effected in each s tyle. The techni cal Jay-out
of K ath a k. too. p rov ides ample .scope for N ritya. there
b ein g distin ct items in thi s style of d a n ce whi c h a re
intended specifically for ex press ion a l di spl ay. However.
it d eserves to h e pointed out th a t. while K a th a k. like
o th er form s of Indi a n classical d a n ce, h as a va ri ety of
il ems wh ich involve th e expressional rendering of a song .
or of a seri es of son gs. it has also a set of Hem s whi ch
ha ve no words. no song. bul' only expression . This latter
a ttribute of Kath a k...... the u se of mim e...... puts thi s dance in
a class b y itself. for there is no other r ecogni sed form of
classical d a nce in India whi ch in corporates this fa cet of
Abhinaya in its technique.
Kathak was originally a religious dance; h en ce the
songs th a t a ccompani ed it in its formation p eriods w ere
of a religious character. After th e chants of th e Vedas .
the earliest type of classical mus ic in India is known
to have b een that of the Chhandas. This was followed .
in th e M edieval p eriod. b y the Prabandha style. of
whi c h th e Gila Govinda is a prominent example. After
this cam e th e music of th e Keertans and th e DhrupaJs.
It is not known if Kathak was danced to th e ChhanJas
a nd th e Prabandhas. whe n these w ere the only form s of
s l'yli sed music exta nt in I·h e country ; but it is certa in
I·h a t Keertans and D/lrupads w ere, from the very b egin -
e Dadra ning. u sed as son g-m a terial for Kath a k. Prabandhas ,
such a s th e Gila Govinda. w ere a lso u sed. and are still
u sed . in Kathak. hut th ey w ere proba bly intToduced into
th e rep ertory of thi s dan ce a fter th e adve nl of th e
Dhrupad a nd related form s of music.
Th e n ext phase in the evolution of th e religious
a nd styli sed music of N orth Indi a saw the emergen ce
of form s su c h a s th e Hori. Dh.amar. Pad and Bhajan .
all of whi ch w ere eve ntua ll y a dopted for u se b y th e
K a th a k dancer. After this. as a res ult of Mus lim
inAue nce. Ih e styli sed music of N orth Indi a ceased to
b e essenti a ll y reli gious in ch arac ter a nd n ew form s of
on g a nd sin ging. exemplifi ed b y th e Thumri. DaJra
a nd Ghazal. were u s hered into existe n ce. This n ew
music w as of a n a morous ch aracter and . b eing in tune
with Ih e mood an d Ih e lempera ment of th e rulers a nd
th e pahon s of I·he tim e. it was appropri a ted b y th e
K a th a k d a nce rs ~ ho. by now. w e re obli ged 1'0 confin e
by Mohan Khokar their a rt to th e nt erta inm ent a nd edifica ti o n of only
th e feuda l rulers a nd th eir nobility.
Th e Ndtyaitem in K a th ak. which a re b ased on
so n gs . a re na m ed a fl er th e styles of sin gin g in whi ch
th ey a re re nder d . Thus. K a th ak h as Dhrupads a nd
Keertans. Horis, D/'amor . Pa.cls a nd Bhajcms, a nd
Thumri.s. Daclras a nd Ghazals. Whe n renderin g
A b/'inaya for a n y of th e e ite m s. th e d a ncer him self or
herself doe th e sin gin g a well. Thi s impli e th a t a
K a lh a k d a n cer w ho present s Bl1aua. is ex pected to b e
an ex pert voca li st as w ell. Th e nua nces of em otion a re
regisle red o n th e face. a nd 10 a ugm ent th e overa ll effect.

28 29
 a. "Pragate Brij NaudalaI"

h. "Haririha mugdha vadhu"

Ra dha is waiting in despair because she has

been lold that Krishna is sporting with
anot her woman.

., Enjoying I he dance ." Radha's sakhi tells her: " I n the company of a
" H e is there" . . . woman of passion and
allurement",

" H e has his body and limbs

smeared with sandal paste",

" H e wears garlands of the

H is mot her beckons him . .. choicest flowers" .
2 and lift s him up to hug him,
3 but he indulges in pia), . . .
4 and childish pranks.
5 H is moth er says: " May he be
blessed wilh a lon g life . . .
6 .. . who fou ght K ansa . . .
7 . •• and slew him ...
8 ... ruthlessly."

"H e wears the

Pila mber of go ld"

6 " And a bewitching smile plays on his

face " .

8
it Bhaj01t perfo rmed by Birju Maha raj.
The composition is of Binda Din .

7
An Ashtapadi from the Gita GOlJinda, rendered by M aya Rao.
31
30
 c. "Kahe rokat dagar pyare NandalaI mere
•••

I. "I nto which lane ... . "

1. " Has Shyam gone?"
l. "Is it tha t lane he h a.s gone
into?U
t "Ah ,1 see, it is that lane he
has gone into."
j, "As the surma enters the
eJle so has he entered the
lane of my visio n . .. "
6. " ... H e h as entered the
lane t~at i~ , the parting 0/
my hatr . ..

i. " ... E ve n as the bottle 0/

perfu me is opened .. .
8.

9.

.1 & 2 " [ m ake entreaties to him, but

he does not listen to me . .. "

gunyya kon galin gayo Shyam .. "

. performed by Shambhu Mah araj. The opening line of this Thurm'i is " Bata do
kon gal in gayo ShJ,am". The pictures show how th e dancer de velops the theme
Sanchari Bhava.

3 & 4 " . . . M ')I necklace h e has ~a!"

and he re fu ses to return It.

Section of T h umri perform;!

b')l Birj u M ah araj . Th~ corn
sit ion is of Binda Dm .
33
:32
 d. "Mohe chherhp. dekho saL narin me. "
••

e. "Nikas chaI he tUIU ko Iai ke Sanwariya .. "

A D adra performed by Shambhu Maharaj . In this Radha entreats Krishna to take her
away, to take her far from the sakhis and gopis so that she can have Krishna all to herself.
She further says that if he will not take her away, she will have to take him away.

" ... he teases ... "

" See for yourself,

he teases me amidst
all my companions"

I m e to yourself . . .

Thumri Andaz, performed by KUll1udini Lakhia ,

34
:L'ill lake lOU . "11' pull you by' the hand. ,. 10(('
aU"
f. Hori Gat 1. Radha pours water into the pot for prepar·
for playing H oli.
01
III, C ow.4
2.
3.
Krishna, seeing this, says, "Wait my t"rn"
D renched with water sprayed by Krishna Ratlla .
g. Kaliya Mardana Gat
the water on her face . • • •,., . ,
4. And also her arms.
S.

6.
After changing her clothes she comes a,ain to
is still intent on mischief.
Krishna again showe rs coloured waltr on her.
I.. _.....
if Ir

Rendered by Damayanti Joshi.

I. Krishna asks his mother fo r permission 10 go out and play.

2. The ball is thrown up ... and caught.
'3. The ball falls into the river; Krish na is perturbed .
-t. H e finds his way in the water.
S. H e sees the serpent Kaliya, who bites his le g.
6. Krishna pulls at Kaliya.
7. Krishna thrashes Kaliya.
8. Kaliya subdued, Krishna dances a dance of victory on his
hood.
R endered by Gopi Krishna .

37
 i. Ahhisarika Gat
.h. "Krishna kanhaiya nagar natwar panghat par tum gLer
R endered by Rohini Bhate. In this Cat, the
Abhisarika Nayika is presented; she goes out
I. She drops he r pitcher and tries determined to meet her lover, no matter ho~
to escape . many difficulties she may have to encounter
2. H e again catches her by the on th e way.
arm .
3. She gets annoyed.
4. A nd asks him why he teases her.

j. Palta of Gat
T hese two figures show the Palta, by
Kum udini L ak hia, used to link consecutive
sequences of a Cal .

5 . She says: "You obst!~ate lad,

I'Ll teach you a lesson .
6. " I ·/l pul kajal in yottr eyes".
7. " Adorn "our face wit h a nose-
ringu .
fi. " Pu t rings on your fingers.
I. She thinks: " 1 must meet him no matter what
happens"
'l
" I'll go, eve n if it is pit ch dark, or iJ there is rain and
lightning . .. '
3. " Th e snak e may come out to bite me ... "
A Ka vita Tora by R ani Karna. The compoSitIOn is by Ihe lale Narayan Prasad .. The theme is as 102°lw~~ 4. " Or the th orns rna,' en ter my fOOl "
Krishna meets Radha at Ihe village well and begins to tease her. Sh e drop s her pacher, frees herself an her 5. " I'll re mo ve m y bells, so that nobody kno ws when
10 esc ape. Bul ~rishna again ~atches he~ by the arm. At this she get~ a nn~ye d and as ks ~im why he .peslh;~l .. ' I move 011/"
and Ihen tells hIm that she WIll teach hIm a lesson, one day, b" dre sSIn g hIm liP lzke a gnl and leasmg
Se eing Ih is, Nn.rayon ( colII/Jose r ) will beat his drum and cali eve ryo ne to see H is plight. 6. " But I will m ee t 1Ily lover!"

39
38
 Hastas are also brought into play. It must be noted.
though. that Kathak does not have a rigid code of
hastas, nor such a rich one. as is found in the Bharata
Nat yam and Kathakali systems of dance. Kathak
dancers do use a number of 'conventional Hastas, but
they do so without deliberation. for they are generally
not versed in what may be called the science of Hasta-
uiniyoga, as propounded by the early writers of Hindu
dance and dramaturgy.
Though not much in vogue now, Dhrupad and
Keertan were originally the only forms in which nritya
in Kathak was presented. The Dhrupad style of singing
came into being during the time of Raja Man Singh
Toomar of Gwalior (1486-1518 A.D.). This style was
evolved by blending the shastraic music. then prevalent.
with certain elements borrowed from the regional folk
music of the time. Once founded. this school of music
rapidly built up a prodigious following, and for several
centuries, it continued to be the leading form of
shastraic music in North India.
Dhrupads are generally in Braj-bhasha. but there
are also compositions in other regional dialects. such as
Magadhi. Gaurhi and Apabhrans. Each composition
has two to four stanzas and the theme generally pertains
to the pr~ise and glorification of some deity. Vira-rasa
is predominant in these ' songs, and after this come
Karuna, Shant a and Sringara. The singing is done in
a fixed style. with no ornamental Hourishes. and the
puce is dignified and majestic, only sober talas such as
Chautal. Sool and Tiura. being used to provide the
rhythmic framework. Keertans are related in style to
Dhrupads. but they can. unlike the latter. also be sung
In chorus. The Leelas of Krishna. which are staged by
the Rasdharis of Brajbhumi. were formerly performed
to the accompaniment of Keertan music only. Some of
the Keertans deal with dance and some have rhythmic
syllables of Kathak and pakhawaj incorporated in their
text ; this shows that Keertan music was formerly
intimately linked with the religious dance of the time.
Some of the prominent composers of Keertans whose
compositions have been used in dance are Krishnadas.
Govindaswami. Haridas and Surdas.
dalliances with the gopis during the Holi festival. The
songs are mostly in Braj-bhasha but there are also
compositions in certain other regional dialects. such
as Bhojpuri and Auadhi. Th e Dhamar is intended to
be rendered solo, while the Hori can be sung by one
person or by a group of singers. The Dhamar is sung
in Dhamar tala. while the Hori uses the Deepchandi
or Chanchar; these three talas. incidentally. have
fourteen beats each. but they all differ in their structural
pattern.
The other items of Nritya. which were in vogue as
long as Kathak was a religious dance. are the Pad and
Bhajan. Both of these are devotional pieces. These
items are still performed in Kathak. though to a very
limited extent. The songs are rendered in ragas. but
improvised tunes are also freely used. It would be
pertinent to point out here that in Kathak the appella-
tion Ashtapadi is u sed not only in connection with
Jayadeva' s Gita Govinda but also to deSignate any Pad
which has the same scheme of versification. Some of the
prominent composers of Pads and Bhajans. whose
compositions are used in Kathak are Surdas. T ulsidas.
Mira and Kabir.
The next stage in the development of Kathak saw
the addition of a new set of items to the nritya content
of this art. This occurred towards the fag-end of the
Muslim hegemony in Northern India and it was
apparently the result of a revolt against the puritanical
rigidity that had come to characterise the musical forms
then predominant. To suit the temperaments of the
leisurely and sensual Nawabs of the time. w mode
of music and dance-the Thumri......was i d

The Dhrupads and Keertans are in a form of poetry

which is generally chaste and uplifting. The descrip-
tive part of the poetry is generally direct in approach.
but sometimes similes are also employed. The words
or things which are commonly used for drawing
parallels in description. it is claimed. are sixteen. four
1. R U PC ARVITA who is prou d of her charms. of these being flowers. four fruits . four birds and four
k. Nayika-Bhedas 2. ACATA PATIKA who receives the lo ver wit h a warm animals . The Howers are kamala. champa. kumuda and
em brace kCltaki; the fruits. anar. shriphala. bimba and kadamba;
3. KALAHA NTA RITA who J'epents after her lo ver the birds. hansa. kokila. papiya and saras; and the
has gone.
animals, gaja. mriga. sinha and meena. And even as
bashful, she draws the eil over
4. MUCDHA these similes are used to embellish the poetry. they serve was rapidly followed by
her fa ce.
as ornaments to adorn the bhaua of the dancers. and Ghazal.
5 . A BHISA RIKA determine d to meet her lo ver, no
matter what the obstacles thaI
hinder her. Related to the musical form Dhrupad. is the The name. Thumri. it is be d. is derived from
in
6. VASAKASA Jj A fully dressed and adorned Dhamar. which is also known as Hori. The songs of the word thumku. meaning a graceful and balanced
expectatio n of her lover. stamping of the foot. It is evident. therefore. that the
Dhamar and Hori all pertain to Krishna and his

40 41
Thumri was created as a song for use with dance. Wajid
Ali Shah. the last ruler of Oudh. is believed to have
created the Thumri. and Kadar Piya. Sikandar Piya.
Lallan Piya and Akhtar Piya. court musicians of the
Nawab. are said to have perfected it. A Thumri has only
three or four lines of poetry. but each phrase is repeated
again and again. and every time with a new grace. a
new lilt. a new musical nuance. The singing is done
in classical style. but only simple ragas such as Peelu.
Bhairavi. Kafi. ]hinjhoti, Pahari and Khamai are used.
The main melody follows one raga, but the performer
has the license to tinge this with tonal shades of
other allied ragas. The Thumri is essentially a love ditty
and its dominant rasa is Sringara. The language is
Braj-hhasha or Hindi or Urdu or a mixture of all of
these, but there are also compositions in certain regional
dialects, such as Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magadhi. The
words are invariably full of amorous significance, but
sometimes they also lean towards frivolity or even
vulgarity.
When rendering a Thumri in dance a Kathak per-
former generally sits before his audience, covering his
legs and feet with a shawl. He sings a line or a phrase
of the song and at the same time does Bhava for it.
He sings the same piece again and again, modulating
his voice to suit the different Bhavas he wishes to create
and project. His forte is Sanchari Bhava, and with this
he is able to weave many allusions, some of which are
realistic, some allegorical. His face mirrors the hhava
he has in mind. and the eyes, in particular, are signi-
ficantly expressive. The hands and the body are also
brought into play, but their role is only secondary
compared to that of the face and the eyes. Sometimes,
before taking up the Thumri proper, the dancer prefaces
it with what is called the Thumri Andaz. In this the
dancer sings only the first phrase or the first line of
the song and does very subtle Bhava. As he sings his
body opens out, like a bud becoming a Hower, and
gradually, almost imperceptibly. one can see the Bhava
seeping through his form and coming to surface again.
There is a continuous feeling and How of expression,
but it is all done in a very ,subdued manner. Often,
the dancer punctuates his liquid movements with a few
stylised poses, these b~ing adopted to provide tangible
links, as it were, to make. the delineation more effective
and readily compr.~hensible. The Thumri Andaz
partakes of the nature of 'll prelude and it helps consi-
derably to create the mood, in the dancer as well as in
the audience, for the Thumri proper which follows.
The Dadra, like the Thumri, is a love lyric. It is
so called because it is sung only in Dadra tala. The
language is mostly Braj-hhasha or Hindi and the
melody ',is based on a light raga or on some folk tune.
The Gh'azal, -:which is of Persian origin, is also a love
song, but it is only in the Urdu language. The Ghazal
is generally 'sung on ap. i~provised tune, but sometimes
a simple raga is used as the basis of the melody. The
Dadra and Ghazal. both of which originated as musical
forms, entered the realm of Kathak almost as soon as they
were created. Though rarely performed now. they were,
42
like the Thumri, very popular in the courts of the Muslim
Nawabs of the last century.
The Bhava items enumerated so far are those wLtda
use songs and melodies as accompaniment. Apart from
these, Kathak has also items which use recitative poetry.
The simplest of these is the Kavita. In this the dancer
recites a Kavita, or poem, in a rhythmic manner. laylnf
particular stress on the accented syllables. and at the
same time, he shows Bhava to express the meanin, 01
the words. The Kavitas are mostly in Braj-bhaaha and
the majority of these deal with the diversions and
escapades of the deified heroes of Hindu mythololY with
Krishna, the Eternal Lover, providing an oft-recurrln.
theme. In some Kavitas, apart from the text. there are
also Bolas, or rhythmic syllables of dance, and these are
also set in the pattern and the framework of the vene.
Such compositions are known as KavUa TorGI 01'
Bnmaina Parans; they are in Braj-bhasha and the,
generally recount the attributes or tell of certain inddentl
in the life of some god or goddess. The Kavitas and
Kavita T oras are invariably recited in a fast tempo. the
technical name for this recitation being Parhant. Often.
the dancer does Parhant once. showing its rhythmic:
structure by clapping the hands, and then does it alaln.
accompanying it this time with dance, As the ~
tion is generally fast, it is understandable that t
accompanying Bhava is not sustained but jerky. If t:ii
may use that word. The entire item unfolds f
apace, so that the beholder at best catches merIJ
Heeting glimpses of the salient moments of the ren i emo tion al sta tes a nd show ho w h e would ra ise th e flute
ing. Nritya is done only for those portions 0
the recitation where there are words: the other portions.
that is, the Bola sequences, are rendered in nritkl.
Belonging to the same category as the ~
and Kavita T ora are two other items. that ...
Vandana and T andava. The Vandana is an invO:::
piece and it is intended to be performed at the ~thaIr
of a recital. This item was much in vogue when
was m arkedl y rel igio us in form a nd pi rH. but nowa d ays
thi d a nce is sel do m. if ever, see n. Th e compositi on
i in th e for m o f a Kavita or a Kauil.a T ora a nd it is
in pra ise o f some d eity, s uch as Ga n es h. ara sw al'i,
D u rga or Ma hes h. orn e V and anas, a fter th e ma nn er
of Kau ita T oras , a l 0 in corpora te rh ythmi c Bolas of th e
pak hawaj or d a n e in th eir com po iti on ; such com po -
si li ons a re kno w n as Parans, th e Ganesh Paran b ein g
a n oul ta ndin g exampl e of thi s vari ety. Th e T andaucl
co m position s, too , have th e same s tructure a nd th e sam e
ma n ner of ren d ering as th e Kav itcls a nd Kauita T oras.
T he th eme of th e T andavas. h owever, i limited . for these
compositi ons perla in on ly to the tTiumph a n t d a nce of
so me d eity. T here are three types of T andauas gen era ll y
used in K ath a k. n am ely, Krishna Tandclua, S hiua
T anciaua a n d R auana T anclcLVcl, but som etim es a fourlh
\ ar iety..-Kalika T andaua, is a lso recog nised .
T he nritya aspect o f K a th ak, as r em a rked a t th e
oulse t. a lso em b races items w hi ch ha ve n o on g or
rec ila ti on but onl y expression a l d a nce. S uch items
belo ng to the rea lm of mim e and it would b e pertin ent
to ilera te h ere th a t mi me is a v ery importa nt a nd
d isting ui shin g fea tu re of K a th ak da n ce. Th e item in
r a lh ak in w hi h mi.me finds its full es t exp ress ion is th e
G a l. a nd o f thi th ere are a few va ri eties.
]n th e Gat, th e d a n er takes a n idea or a th eme a nd
pre ent il s m ea ni.n g throug h s uggestive a nd allusive
faci al exp ress ions an d styli sed movements a nd sta n ces .
T he sim ples t form of Gat is th e Gat-nikas; in thi s th e
per fo rmer takes a few steps fo rwards, th e m a nn er of
doi ng this b ein g rela ted to th e them e of th e in te r-
preta tio n, a nd t hen a dopts a signi fi ca nt pose. Fuln e
of expr ss ion , how ever, finds its pl ace in items of
G at-bhava. In G at-bhava th e d a ncer takes a n action or
a theme, story or e pisode a nd interprets it throu gh mim e.
ometim es th e subj e' t of th e interpretation is very
simp le, but its b eauty li es in th e w ay. ra th er, in th e
va riety of ways in w hi ch it is rendered in Gat-bhava.
T hus, for example, in th e Ghunghat G at, th e d a n cer h a s
to show the action ' of pullin g the veil over th e
face. w h ich h e p resents in so m a ny different wa ys :
the ma nner in whi ch each type of ayaki would do thi
can, in fact, b e Faithfully p ortrayed onl y b y a n
accompli sh ed K a th a k d a n er. Or. ta ke a no th er simpl e
theme: th a t of Kri sh na p layin g th e flute. Th ere a re
nu merous representa tion s o f thi s in tra dition al Indi a n
pa in ting and sculpture, a nd , if one studi es th ese closely.
they w ill all b e found to b e more or less alike. However.
a Kathak d a n cer ca n po rtra y this very th eme in scores
of d ifferent ways: he ca n present Kri shn a in different
to h is lips and p lay it in each situa tion . Th e exlent to
wh ich a n y sim ple theme ca n b e develo ped a nd
elab ora ted in K a th nki s trul y rema rka bl e.
T he renderin g of G ats is a lways accompa ni ed b y
mUs ic : thi s musi i in th fo rm of a refra in whi ch j
played on orn e 'in slrum ent, such as th e Saran gi. a nd th e
rhy thmic elem ent is provided b y th e labla . \ I\1 hen
p r formin g Gats, th e ,abla a nd th e lehra , or musica l
refr a in , kee p fun ti onin g in a fas t tempo. but th e d a n ce
it elf is rendered in a much slow er s peed . In Gats whicl,
ha ve a n ela bora te th eme. or in w hi ch th ere is more th a n
on e characl er to b e portra yed. t-he d a ncer inva ri a bly
executes Pall.a to link the consecuti ve s q uences. The
Pall.a is a m ovemen t in w hich th e d a ncer te ps to on e
. ide a nd a l' th e sam e lim e a ll ow hi s bod y 10 compl ete
a revo luti on .
Wh en performin g GaLs, th e d a n er in va ri a bly
p rese nts a n u mber of th em to geth er. However. it is to b e
noted th a t it i not bindin g on th e d a ncer 1'0 have a n y
s peCia l seq uen ce w hile doin g G ats con secuti vely. On e
Gat ma y lell o f som elhin g a nd imm edi a te ly a fter Ih a l
th e d a n cer m ay s how a noth er G at whi c h may have no
li n k w ha tsoever with th e precedin g Gat. B efore d oin g
a n y G at il' is customa ry for th e p erform er to a cq ua int
th e a udi enc w ith its th em e. T he th emes of Gats can b e
broa dly di vided into three types : Gats w hi ch d ea l with
sim p le action s. GaLs p erta inin g to K rishn a a nd Gal s
b a sed on oth er mythol og ica l ch a racter or episodes .
T here a re num erous Ga.!s of each type in vogue. som e
o f th e common on es b ein g those p erta in in g to Hori ,
Pang flar. G ag ri, / amuna Tat , Panihari, Bansuri, Mukul.
Ch erh-Char/l , Govardhan, Kaliya-Marclana, aD,
B aan, Ghunghat, A nchal, Ram V anauas, Draupadi
C heer-Harana, M aricha-V adha, A lwlya U ddhara ,
Samudra Manthan, ita Harana , MahahharaLa, Laua-
Kusha and Shankar-Parvati.
noth er type of mime th at is p resented in K a th ak
is w h en s how in g th e different Galis. GaLi mea ns ga it,
a nd it is a p art of the N ritya asp ect of K a thak to present
th e ga its of ce rta in a nim a ls a nd bird a nd typ es of
wo men. The Galis a re don in the form of lyri cal
m ovements a nd simple ste ps a nd there is not much b y
wa y of fa cial express ion. Exa mpl es of Gatis b a sed on
the movemen ts o f a nim a ls a nd birds are Gaja-gaU ,
S in ha-gaLi, Han sa-gali and Mayur-gati. Galis are a lso
p resen ted to sh ow th e ch a racter of differen t types of
w omen , exa mples of su ch Galis b ein g th e Hansa -
gamani, Gaja-gamani, Sankani, Danka ' Chaturni.
There is yet anoth er way in w hich K a t e
mim e a nd th a t is in presentin g the Nayika-
t'ri tl y s pea kin g, thi p a rt of K a th ak ca
in Gat-bhava. To s ho w th e cha racter a n
teri ti cs of a N ayika, the Kath a k d a n ce r (jllJ~itii
action s a nd mo vemen ts w hich are a socVffL _ _
"--~
particul a r type of wom a n and a t the sam
care to fl avour hi interpreta tion with the
, hi ch is re presenta tive of th e Nay ika in u
p rese nt a tion of Nayika-blw clas in th e for
not do ne b y m a n y K a th ak d a ncers..-a t I
po iUon n ow, w h a tever m ay h ave b een tr
However, thi should not b e v iew ed too s
must b e con ced ed that practica ll y every
d a nce r p erform s a nritya item , wheth er t
a Thllmri or a nythin g else in hi s Ie er
rea te a nd proj ects. w het her h e is ar
th e pi ture of a pa rticular Nayika, h eroin e, or
h ero , or of va rious combin a tion s o f the e
( Ph ot os by cou rt esy, Sh ri M ohall Kho kar )
43

2 w hich is in th e form of condensed story telling, short
3. The Hastas in Kathak
by Maya Rao
I . Radha applying Surma.
2. Plu cking flowers (Samdamsa Hasta).
3. H ands showing a variet y of GhunHghat k)i Gat
( K atakamukha and Ardhapataka as t a .
4. K rishna playing 011 the flut e.
5. K rishna picking up a stone.
6. Radha embracing Krishna (Mrigasirsa
Katakamukha Hast as) .
44
6
K a lh a k emplo ys a seri es of des tures to interpret th e
va ried ri chn ess of crea tion. Yet it does not follow th e
ys tem of m emori sin g the hastas as a code under th eir
prescribed na m es. as w e find in Bhara ta Na tya m or
Ka thakali. In K a th a k the body as a whole is visualised
as th e prim e medium of express ion. H ence its gestura l
la ng ua ge is not class ifi ed separately.
For insta nce. if th e dan cer intends to re prese nt the
moon . not only will hi s ha nd s how th e Arcl1w-c!lClnclrct
[-[asta, but his body will also b end in an a rc h to suggest
the idea of th e crescent moon.
In place of th e codified gestures, Kathak has
evolved a system of its own in imparting tTa inin g in the
la nguage of ges tures-through gal , gClt-nikas and
ga L-bhava.
In gal., th e d a ncer ta kes th e stance a ppropriate to
the 11.asl,a symbolising a certain idea: while in gat -nikas
he moves forw a rd formin g a posture with a gait,
ap propriate to th e charader portrayed . In gat -bhaua
p ieces d e piding seasonal themes and episodes from
epics or legends, of th e favourite d eiti es, are re-told
th rough a varied use of hastas, embellish ed with suitable
ex pressions a nd stan ces.
Thus we see that there is a d efinite sys tem of
re presenting obj eds and ideas through th e hastas, whi ch
co nforms to the rules laid down in the ancient texts on
da nce and dramaturgy. U nfortunately these hastas are
no t known to th e Kathak dancers by th eir textual names .
However, w e can infer that in the history of Kathak,
the re must have b een a stage when th e gestures w ere
studi ed in strict accordance with the shastras. But later
on, the tea ch ers must h ave drifted away from the texts
reta ining only th e usages of the gestures whi ch th ey
ha nded down to their di sci pl es.
In support o( rpy contention , I shall illustTate th e
o penin g item of Kath a k. p erformed as a n invocation to
the stage and presi din g d eity, as taught b y Shri
S hambhu Maharaj. This is known as th e Rang-Manch
ka Tukra. It is p erformed in the order given b elow:
A fte r taking h er pos ition on th e stage, th e dancer
comes forward , proceeding first to th e right, with the
rig ht h a nd stretch ed towa rds that direction and left h a nd
res ting on the bosom : th e palms of both h a nds face
downwards. Thi s is repea ted to the left, with a
res pective ch ange in th e hands. After this the dancer
ta kes a turn with th e symbol of holdin g Rowers above
the h ead , a nd th e n bring down th e ha nds offerin g
pus hpanjali to the left. Th e sam e order of movem ents
is re peated for th e se ond tim e with hands fold ed in
a namaskar in p lace of th e h an d s holding Rowers. Th en
and the tempo is raised from tha, dun to c1lClugun, revealing
a few b eautiful movem e nts a nd th e final e i marked by
a namaskar. After this th e dancer takes h er pos ition to
the left of th e stage.
On an a nal ysis thi s p iece stra ngely reveals a striking
imilarity to th e push.pcmjali d escribed in 'Sangee ta
D arpancl', a trea ti se written in the 17 th ce ntury b y
C hatura Damodara. who was patroni ed by Emperor
J eh ang ir. Acco rding to thi book which gives d eta il ed
d escription s of th e dan ce sequences preval ent at that
tim e. th e d a ncer ope ned her recital invoking the blessings
of Parvati, originator of th e lasya variety of dan ce b y
r eciting a verse :
Bhav cLtam Bhutaye Bhuyat Bhavani ...... "R"·uvu~-..
Angikrtcl Susangeeta Bhangi Mudi!
rendering this invoca tion.
s hown by moving forward ,
' Bh.LL/aye' with alapallava
'Bhuyat' with an enCircling
hasl.a, ' Bhav ani' with aniali
a nd so on. Furth er, the wei
to b e rendered in all the
Employing th e ango, upanga
d ancer should move firs t to the
a nd then turn round Signifying
direction s, after which she bows
pushpanjali in pushpaputa hasla. She tou
with anjali hasta.
Th e close resemblance between these
mentioned , s hows that the Kathak
forw a rd the fram e-work of gestures and P"~rfis
cribed for pushpanjali in an empirical ma
th e literature connected with it.
Swabhavika Hastas : Similarly a
can eas ily find the various hastas used
d a ncers. in the supple and Howing movements of their gat
and gat-bhaua. Hastas like pataka, In-pataka, shikhara,
kapiLtha, kataka-mukha, chatura, hamsasya etc. are u sed
s ingly as well as in their various combinations, to d enote
obj ects and characters identi cal with those m ention ed
in the texts . But to a Kathak dancer . who is oblivious
of their technica l names. th ese hastas have no separate
entity of th eir own. H e m erely uses them as swabhauika
ltastas , in other words, gestures which are employed
in tinctively. For in stan ce. he may use a combination
of hastas like kapiUha and shikhara to represent Rama,
but h e will refer to it only as Rama ki gat.
Hastas Vibrant with Life : Further, it may b e
m ention ed that in Kathak th e gestural language is
n eith er conFin ed to codifi ed hastas nor is it m echanically
d ecora tive. In thi s system. ea ch fing er throbs with life,
modu la ting th e ha nd movem ents to echo the ch anging
moods of th e th em .
For insta nce, take the pal,aka hastas whi c h are u sed
to indi ca te th e blowing of winds or movem ent of waves .
If the d a ncer intends showing the waves i n a fury, the
mood is ca ptured b y violent, broad movem ents of the
pataka hasta. On the other hand, if he intends showing
the tra nquil waves, a rare supplen ess is shown in th e
undulatin g move ments of th e Fingers in the same ha.sta.
ga in while th e balmy breeze of Vasant (Spring) is
re pre ented by a languorous wave of pataka hasta, the
fro st-bitten wind (of Winter} is shown with a stiffe ning
of th e Fingers in ~h e sam e hasla.
imil a rl y va rious hastas are u sed to d e pict subtle
sh a d es in th e mood of a c haracter. For instan ce , in th e
45

ca e of a nayika waiting anxiously for the a rri va l of
h er lover, the ends of her veil are gentl y dra wn over
th e face with kataka-mukha hastas a nd removed as
s lowly with tri-pataka hastas. to revea l the yea rnin g
desire in her eyes. In the case of a nayika who is sure
lover's fid elity. the veil is drawn over th e fa ce
the right hand holding the kataka-mukha
as swiftly by th e left hand in ardha,-
to reveal the triumphant sm il e playing on
a nayika in her varying emotion a l a ttitudes
in at least ten vari eties of hastas. But to
dancer all these are known as vari eti es of
nnl,JDjD n(u! Hastas representing Ram a. Arjuna or any
legendary heroes. change according to the itua tion
ic h they are placed. For instan ce, R a ma, as a
n Ayodhya. is represented by hastas d escribin g
and other distinctive symbols of the court.
case of Rama, as an Exile in th e fores t, th e
Nlrlrp"pnt-ing him will c ha nge a ccordin gly.
es tiue gestures: B es ides th ese hastas govern-
and experience. K a thak has adopted with
s the suggestiue type of gestures . in whi ch
'~liir"'''',hII_ is portrayed through the association of ideas.
instance. the idea of a river is conveyed by
the rowing of a boat or with gestures of
A deer is picturised by showing the prancing
with an alacrity in the u se of the mukul
'Lu-- "ur~u hastas. The agility of the animal is
m VPv"(l by the darting glances whi I, acco mpa n y
Srawan or the Rainy season is brought to the
spectators. by showing all the fa vourite p as tim es asso-
ciated with the ,;eason. The d escription is furth er
e laborated by shOWing the impact of the sea on of
romance on parted lovers. To quote anoth er in sta n ce
of suggesti,ve gestures. a peacock is introduced by first
s howing the clouds and rain. two objects which in spire
t he b eautiful bird to sing and dance.
Again. the pangs of separation in a nayika are
conveyed most poignantly by d epicting th e restle s
Right of the chakor to the distant moon . Thi s is shown
with a dexterous manipulation of the fingers in th e
kartari-mukha hasta. supplemented by the movem ents
of eye-brows which rise alternately. suggestive of the
flapping of wings.
With the synthesis of the Hindu a nd M.uslim
c ultures. a set of decoratiue gestures w ere introduced in
K a thak which became an integral part of 'g ats' carryin g
the aroma of the court. Descriptions of these gats are
found in various books written during th e last century.
Each of these gats symbolises not only a concrete obj ect
but also a n abstract quality. These gats whi ch a re in th e
nature of 'Angaharas' mentioned in Bharatarnaua and
Natya Shastra Sangraha, give graphic d etails of
compositions a long with the position of the hands. A
careful study of these will b ear testimony to th e fact
that tlwy have been composed a ccordin g to a certain
system of aesthetics. The scholars who wrote about them
46
were so parti cular about maintaining th e authenticity
a nd aes th eti c quality of th e e gats , that they deemed it
n eces ary to illustrate th em l es t they should be mis-
re presented. According to the author of 'Naghmat-ul_
HineZ', written in the last century. d escriptions of three
hundred and sixty such gats were given in a book written
b y Prakash Kathak. (th e great grandfather of Shri
hambhu Maharaj). nfortunately we do not have a
full acco unt of all th ese gats. which . if obtained. would
revea l th e whole gamut of gestures. However. book
written during th e fast century give d etailed accounts
of a few gats prevalent at that tim e. 'Ghunchae -Raag';
'Saut -uZ-Mubarak-' (written b y Wajid Ali Shah) and
, Clghmal -ul-Hind' mention 14 gats, while 'Madan-ul-
Musiqui' d escribes 2l.
hort d e cription of th ese gats will serve as an
illustTa tion to th e new set of gestures . which were
introduced over a hundred yea rs ago.
Pari : VVith her hands stretch ed out to resemble
th e wings of a fa iry, th e dan cer moves forward
an d backwa rd without turning her back to the
a udi e nce. H er expression su ggests that she is submerged
i n th e ocean of love. (T he pos ition of the hands is
identical wit h pataka hasta) .
Salaami: Placing her right hand on the forehead
with the palm hollowed and fingers slightly bent.
the d a ncer moves forward and backward as in
the previou [tat. H er gaze rests on the left hand
whic h is dropped in its normal position. (The position
of right hand is identical with sarpa-sirsha hasla
inverted whil e th e left i identical hasta).
Fariyad: Raising th e right
with its fingers b ent into the
thumb placed on th e index
proceed s forwa rd. with left hand d[(>PI>eCIA111!:!
position. H er pleading eyes are fixed on
(Th e form a tion of th e right hand idt~tilca
mushti hasta).
Mukut: With both th e
head to d e cribe the crown,
interlocked . the dancer moves
linger of the rai sed hands. (Th e ha
with uaishnaua hasta).
Anchal: With the right hand
h ead as if to hold th e veil. and l eft
in its normal position . the dancer
h er gaze on th e le ft hand.
Muskurati: With the right h
lowe r lip , es pecially th e middl e
lip ; a nd [eft h a nd placed
dosed a nd thumb jutting
h e looks over the
p a tron alternately.
identica l with pataka.
Muaddab: With
placed on that of th e left and h so that a stan d a rdi sed form of th em can b e made a n
· 'fi d g ' t keeping er
d
d ancer wa lk s wit I1 a 19nf e al . 'd real
on the navel. (Th e formation of the hands IS I en I
, ith the sampula 'Jasta) .
Husn : \ Vi th he r right ha nd p laced on th e bosom ng th e ed ge of th e pesh wa:; wit h
a nd [eft hand dro pped in its normal position . th e dancer her placing it on her wai st. th e d a ncer
wa lks grace full y lookin g at h r bosom and th en a t th e ri g ht and re turn s to th e left.
le ft hand a lt·ernate ly. Th e fing ers o f t he ri g ht ha nd are rds th e right. her ste ps a re in
d raw n togeth er. hile returning. they b ecom e soft
Ghunghat : With th e right ha nd placed on th e
hea d to hold th e ed ge of th e ve il firml y a nd th e oth er Apart from th e w ealth of ge ' tur s
ha nd ra isin g th e vei l from th e face. th e d ancer pro eed s bhaua as seen hilh(·rlo , there a re
fo rwa rd with th e ga ze res ting on th e bo om . used in nrirta whi ch conform to
hinaya Darpana, Bharatamaua a nd
Mehboob: With th e e il dra~ n over h er face
of th em are employed in rendering
a nd ha nds dropped in th e ir normal pos ition . the
a n opening item in th e re pertoire.
d a ncer goe forward . with h es itan t ste p ' to s uggest that
. h e is on a tryst. has lOB in re ndering rh ythmi c
pa Hems like ParalnBlllQ _ and Paran wh ere th e
HU",".,U
Naaz: With th e right han d placed in th e middle
moveme nts of pI illQ pakhawaj, manjira
of th e c hes t like a pillar, with its elbow restin g on
an4 other instrume out in the gestures of
th e p a lm of t-he left hand . which is placed across the
the h \,nds. In fact in old book on music in
, a ist. th e dan cer proceed s forw a rd. H er chin res ts on
N or th India a 'Haslak' is as the gesture of th e
t he Fingers of th e right ha nd.
h and w hich echoes the e feet marking tim e
Gamza : With th e right han d placed on th e h ead tq the paramelu.
a nd left hand dropped in the normal position. th e
er variety of
da ncer walk with a swaying ga it. Th e fing ers of the
ces of th e
r ig ht h a nd a re b ent. H er eyes res t on th e bosom .
rh ythmi c
Ada : With both her hands placed on th e sides
a nd gaze lifted towa rds th e sky. th e dancer walks
s hown u s th e close
forwa rd modes t/ yo
b etween hastas used in Kathak a nd those
Th ese gats whic h seem to h ave won universa l found in th e tex ts. I s ha ll e num erate th e hastas whi ch
acclaim . a re common to a ll th e books m en tion ed above. ca n b e identified with those from Abhinaya Darpal1a,
T he seven gats in addition to this . found in 'Madan-ul Bharatarnaua a nd Natya Shastra Sangraha:
lusiqui' are:
Asamyukta l-lastas..-(Single ha nd ges tures ) :
Krishna or KanhaiyyCl Gat: With h er han d s Pataka. Tri -pataka. Ardha-pataka. K a rtari-mukh a.
ugges ting th e holdin g of the Rute to th e [i1>s. the rdha-c ha ndra , Arala. Mushti. Shikhara. K a pitth a.
da n ce r proceed s forw a rd a nd d escribes a c ircle going K a ta ka-mu kh a. uchi , Padma -kosa. Sarpa-shirsh a.
down on her kn ees. (Th e position of th hands is Mriga- hirsh a, imh a-m ukha. Kangula . Alapa lJ ava.
ide ntical with chatum hastas). Chatura. Bhram a ra, H am sasya. Samdamsa. Mukula.
Sayaka: With h er hand stre tc hed towa rds th e amyukta /-fastas..- (Combin ed ha nd gestu re):
~ ky. th e d a ncer walks w ith a hes it a nt ga it . her qui ck Pus hpa-pu ta. An ja li, Chatllrasra, Dol a. Avahitta.
frig htened gla nces s u ggesti n g th e impact of li g htnin g.
Pata ka-swastika. K a lasa. V a is hnava. Ham a -pak ha.
Karkata. wastika . tsanga. Chakra. P asa. Kilaka.
Karishma : Placin g th e right ha nd oblique ly on
Sa mputa. Matsya . S hankha. N a ga-b a ndha . Kh a tva .
t he ri g ht s'i de of the h ead with fing ers in level with
ra ruda . K ata ka Vardhmana. Tilaka.
I he eye . a nd left han d on th e chin. th e dan cer moves
fo rwa rd with a res tra int. H er eyes a re directed towards NriUa /-fas tas..-according 10 BharaLarnava and
II, bosom.
Natya hastra Sangraha:..-Udvritta. Talavakrta .
Aviddh a vaktra. C ha turasra. Swastika, Vipra kirn a.
Do Dasti : With her right ha nd pl aced n ear th e
left s houlder an d le ft ha nd he ld tra ig ht. th e d ance r ·u c hi -mukh a . R echita . Pallava. K esabandh . Lata. K ari-
moves First to th e right a nd th en to th e Icrt, looking in has ta. Dandapaks ha, Pak avanchita. Paks hapra d yotab.
t he direction in whi h her ha nds a re he ld . rdhwa ma nda li. P a rsva mandali . Alapadma . Jn ana.
La lit a . Mudra. a linipadmakosa.
Jaclu : Holdin g th e peshwaz w ith t-he two Fingers
nd a ccordin g to Abhinaya Darpana: Pataka .
of her ri g ht hand an d placing it on her head . the d a ncer
wastika. Dola, Aniali . K a taka-vardhana . Sakata. Pasa.
m oves forward . Th e le ft hand rema in s in it s norm a l
po ition . (Th e positi on of he r ri g ht han d ;s identi cal Kil a ka . Kapittha. ikhara . Kurma, Hum sasya and
w ith th e hamsasya has/a of atya SI1astra). A lapadm a .
Mehbooba: Holdin g th e ends of th e peshwaz In co nclusion, w e may say t·hat. as th ese gestures
a re a lread y in vogue. th ey may be studied and class ifi ed .
o n eith er side. th e d a ncer walks forwa rd with her gaze
d irected towards the patron. (Th e pos ition of th e ha nds
essenti a l part of th e training of a Kathak dan er.
i' identica l with th e lw m sasya hastas of Abhinaya
D arpana) . ( Photo s by courtesy, M aya Rao )
47

III. Music, TheIne and
1. The Role of Rhythm
by S. K. Saxena
a ssume that the reader has a fair knowled ge of
dance and rhythm. M y attempt h ere is only to
in analysing this knowledge. I propose to adopt
point of view_grammatical. psychologica l
The object of my analysis is Rhythm a a
of Kathak dance.
remarks appear necessary with regard
the field of 'taal'. I h ave to make
crudely, due to limita tion s of space .
iere movement of things in space or of ideas in mind,
is just a fact, not value. It b ecomes laya on gettin g
in volved with the mind flowing along with it. D efinite
understanding necessitates measurement of laya in term
of ex tent, speed and ma nner of movement. This
gives us taal!
crr~: CfiT~f<ti!fT m<flf, (~lTRr ~c;n<.fi?:)
lATRA-lTS SIGNIFICANCE :
That which makes tbis measurement pos ibl e is the
unita ry being of the "matra'. But its b ein g 1 / 16 th of
'tritaal' is only the grammatical. not the entire, signi -
fi cance of the matra in this timing-cycle. A s experienced ,
the matra has a distinct psycho-a esthetic settin g, which
gives it th e value it has. First, it signifies a di stinction
which thought everywhere need s. To think of somethin g
is at once to hold onto, or to interj ect, a distinction
therein. A ' matra' is the recognition of this prim a l
affirmation of thougbt, wben it hu to d eal with a Ao w.
It gives the mind a foothold , as it w ere, into th e b ein g
of laya. S econdly, the experience of a ' matra' is a t on ce
one of b eauty, of the accents of a Row, a nd not one of
th e mere succession of detached units. A flow th a t
a ffirm s a s it slides, and slides over what it affirms-thi s
is the b as is of our experience or 'layakari', providin g a t
on ce th e grammatical and aesth eti c fundam ents of th e
la lter. The numberless manifestation s of rh ythmic charm
only shuFne and re-shuf1le the constituents of thi s origin a l
ex perience. Discreteness within or against continuity-
I-hi s is to my mind the very breath of ' layakari'. H ence,
in the very basic ' bols' of 'tatkaar' in K a thak d a nce. w e
have a t the outset the contrast of err with q.. matra
a sserting. through an emphatic stroke of the d a ncer'
48
•
In
feet. its (rela ti ve ) independence as a gain st the Row of
the timing-p a ttern ; th e li stener ontinuing the Row of
' laya · im ag inatively. in spite of th e d efiant 'matra'; and
the Row of the pa llern creatin g tin y tufts of such accents,
strokes or bols around th e ' matras a s are not normally
marked on th e tabla' a nd so fall between the 'matras',
thus r ela ting to ' [aya's' own self-oF a ll this vari ed beauty
of rhythm th e raw m a teria l is provided b y the mind's
p erception of di screteness in th e continuity of Row. The
tota l fa ct-th e di screteness or individuality of accents,
not m erely in itself. but a diversifying the Row-is to be
perceived b y th e lis ten er. or else he will remain wholly
in ensiti ve to th e cha rm of ' layakaari'.
THE NAT R E OF LAYAKAARl:
Layakaari is the temporal representation of the
diverse as articulating , vivifying . and variegating and
manifesting. but. IJY no m eans exhausting or disrupting
the original c ontinuum. And . con sidering that the raw
m a teria l of b eauty. h ere. is onl y th e mind as interjecting
di stin ctions into ideall y ap prehended motion. th e more
one m a nipula te rhyt hm in numberless w ay. the more
d eeply is he imbued-often visibly to the point of
with a sense of infinity of ' laya'. It is not without
th a t, when it comes to th e a rti culation of a really
p a ttern . the ' parhanl ' of a veterer Kathak such as
rityacharya N araya n Prasad of Jaipur g
or A charya Sunder Prasad. the con~JT1mTlI"-'
representative of both Lucknow a nd Jaipur
deepens into a ton e of di stinct wo
experi ence of ' layakari'-not the m erely
a rti cul a tion of a pa ttern . for . I repeat. '
m a nn er and ' matms ' reall y m ean s th e
m ent w ith a Ro w-is. in norm al huma n
most obvious experi ence of infinity
a mount of help From the senses.
subjective elem ent. th e m
experi ence of awe a nd -in
dw indles into a m erely
poss ibili ty of the d ee penin g
ex peri ence of th e ever more
K a th ak d a n e). colla pses forthw
Rhythm envelopes the visible aspect of Kathak
dance in a tissue of ideality, rarefying it, as it were, and
tempering the merely visible with the fineness of the
imaginatively apprehended. Specific timing patterns
(all set in tritaal) are to be analysed later in this essay.
but, by way of anticipating for the reader one of my
ultimate conclusions. I may here say that the really
subtle moments of rhythmic appeal speak largely to the
understanding. though certainly they are also perceived,
because heard by the ear. And the understanding which
enjoys 'layakaari ' in Kathak dance knows distinctively
what timing cycle is being employed; Rows uninterrupted
with the otherness, not separateness, of the patterns being
woven across it; and even deviates readily along with
the performer's deliberate ramblings into patterns which
cut and cross. at delightfully varied angles, the 'thekaa's'
own frame, without for a moment forgetting the manner
and speed of the latter-the true aesthetic matrix of the
temporal aspect of the recital. so that the effect of
variety, of contrast, of deliberate slackening and gather-
ing up of speed, is never lost. Such a sustained.
penetrating inclusive and elastic effort of attention is not
easy, and that is why the aesthetic charm of layakaari is
often missed.
ASPECTS O~ KATHAK DANCE FROM
THE VIEWPOINT OF RHYTHM:
(a) THAAT: We may now pass on to consider
the different aspects of Kathak dance from the viewpoint
of rhythm. Generally, a Kathak dance recital begins with
'thaat', which is a beauteous opening posture providing
that initial transmutation of the merely physical into the
aesthetic which is necessary, if dancing is to appear a
creating of beauty. But the statuesque quality of the
posture is not mere stillness ; rather, it is self-possession
.-creative energy held patiently in check and allowed
to manifest itself in the quiet, yet varying Row of
'laya', rather than through the impatient. diversified and
sparkling form of jugglery with 'taal' and footwork. The
graceful movements which the dancer's body here
executes-without really leaving the spot of standing-
are technically called 'kasak', 'masak', 'duran', 'muran',
all of which present the figure as teeming with the
subdued strength of 'Zaya'. Whether executed with the
eyebrows, neck, wrist or waist, these movements are
soft, gliding, continuous. wavy, full, and supple. A
'thaat' brings out the continuity or the Row of 'laya'
rather than the discreteness of 'matras', the latter
appearing rarely except in the 'sum' which. when
attained, must needs be signalled by a sharp, and clearly
defined (not obtrusive) movement or turn of the neck
or the eyes, or a stroke of the feet. If the 'tabla' player
presents a simple 'thekaa' when the 'thaat' is being
struck, the net aesthetic impression produced by the
'wrist' and other movements of the dancer. in the mind
of an understanding onlooker, will be one of the Row
of 'laya' as animating and running through the 'matras'.
(b) AMAD: We now come to the 'amad'. It
is certainly an Urdu word which means advent or
coming. But, coming of what? This is precisely the
question which remains to be clearly answered by the
interpreters of Kathak dance. Some are of the opinion
that the pattern called 'amad' is really to be played
on the tabla and that it heralds the advent of the dancer.
But, this tells us nothing about the aesthetic character
or the temporal design of the' amad'. Our understanding
of the 'aamad' should, on the one hand, mark it oll
dearly from the ' thaat' and other facets of Kathak dance;
and, on the other. give u s a clear idea of the amad's
own nature. To my mind, an 'amad' in Kathak dance.
as probably also in the 'gatkaari' of instrumental music,
is a pattern which emphasizes the manner of gaining
access to the 'sum'. Its net aesthetic effect is that of the
pattern gathering up-in its last sub-section, which,
because of the 'upgathering', moves fast with its inner
accents very closely knit. yet without eclipsing or
blurring one another-its loveliness, as it were, to be
delivered finally at the 'sum'. The orientation of the
approach at once underlines the pivotal quality of the
goal. which appears to determine the movement from
the end-side; and so, the 'amad' also emphasizes the
'sum' as the aesthetically centra\, and that in the very
act of outlining the manner of approach to the 'sum'.
'SUM' AS THE AESTHETICALLY L'EN-
TRAL: Some remarks as to the nature of the 'sum'
or the focal point of the timing cycle here appear
necessary. The thakaa, as the ground of all 'layakaari',
must have a character of its own. It must have some
centralized significance; it must appear -as a structural
unity with a distinctive centre. That centre is the 'sum'.
But, I hasten to add, the aesthetically central is a fount
of value ; it does not merely have a specifk location in
the timing-cycle, but must appear as determining the
beauty of that which encompasses it. Now, if the 'sum'
is to reveal its true character as an aesthetic centre, or its
legitimate place in the economy of the' thekaa', it must
appear distinctive in two ways. First, it must have an
unmistakable sharpness and definiteness about it,
whether this suggestion is conveyed by a stroke of the
feet or through a sharp turn of the neck. Also, let us
not forget that the 'sum' is intended to mark the
{relative} cessation of the Row or 'laya' as marked by
the 'thekaa' or as manifest in a temporal pattern, and
that, therefore. on attaining to the 'sum', the dances
must grow statuesque, if only for a brief instant; or else,
the pattern would appear not completed. but only over-
reaching itself into the subsequent one, and the danein",
as a whole, would seem a bit too Howing. deficient
clearly in definiteness of inner, temporal accents-a
blurring or interfusion, not distinctness. of details.
Secondly, the 'sum' should appear not merely as the
last stroke or 'matra' of the 'thekaa' or the pattern, but
as the logical culmination of a self-evolving movement.
Putting the two together, it might be said that the 'sum'
should not merely come but emerge. The manner in
which the pattern gains access to the 'sum' is the 'amad',
and the exact point at which (or the manner in which?)
this movement originates is 'nikaas'. It is the clearly
identifiable, because distinctly designed, character of
the 'amad' understood as the manner of gaining access
to the 'sum' which makes the old masters say that the
advent of (or approach to) the 'sum' should be visible
from a distance, as it were-from its point of emanation
or 'nikaas', to be precise.
49
 ANALYSIS OF AMAD: A characteristic
'a.mad',1 employing only the basic 'boZs' or textual
symbols. of Kathak dance is as follows:
(ffiT ffiT q"T ~ q.~ ffiT dl ~ ~ ffiT
I 5 8 9 12
aa q"a ~ q"amr)
S 9 13 16
( ffiT ffiT q" T ~~ q~ ffiT m ~ ~ ffiT mr ffiT ~
1 9
q"amr)
iSI6
(ffiT ffiT m ~ q.~ ffiT ajT ~ ~ ffiT ffiT ffiT ~
1 5
ffiTmr aT q.~ q.~ ffiT m ~ q.~ ffiT d1 ~ ~ ffiTT
--8 9 12
m q.~ ~ ffiT q"T q.~ q~ ffiT ffiT ~ aT ~ ~ q"a q"T)
13 15 16
The three main sub-sections of the above pattern
are each put within a brackets: and. when actually
danced or played at the tabla. the third sub-section moves
quicker (in respect of 'laya') than the second. and the
second moves quicker than the tirst. Different exponents
of Kathak dance present widely different patterns as
'amads', and it is very difficult to define this aspect of
a Kathak recital. But. two theoretical considerations
certainly give us some help in this direction. First, in
so far as it comes quite early in a regular performance.
it appears safe to say that an 'amad' should employ
only the basic' boZs' of dance such as the ones quoted in
the pattern above.
Secondly, the How of 'taaC', upgathering iteself
visibly as it were. to gain access to the 'sum'_this indeed
appears to be the main aesthetic character of 'amad',
understood as a distinct aspect of Kathak dancing.
Aesthetically, a true 'amad' always appears as a tribute
to the 'sum'. A 'thaat' is danced in slow speed. The
How of 'laya' here is evenly spread throughout the timing-
cycle: it may. and does. certainly vary in its manner
of movement. but (excluding perhaps the 'sum') it does
not show up any particular 'matra' or sub-section of the
timing-cycle as more important than the rest. Finally.
the stage-space covered in dancing a 'thaat' is very little.
An 'amado presents some features which are quite
different. It may well begin slowly, but. generally in the
second sub-section, it soon quickens itself. the process
rising up to a climax in the tinal sub-section. If it is
properly danced, it shows up the manner of gaining
access to the ·sum·.......and. therefore. also the latter itself-
as aesthetically more important than the other parts of the
pattern and the timing-cycle. Here much more ground
is covered in all directions than in 'thaat·. And.
generally speaking, we may say. that. as contra-
distinguished from the thaat'. an 'amad' emphasizes the
self-activation of 'taaZ' rather than the subdued
processence of 'laya'. the brilliant. inwardly differen-
tiated. successive and diverse aspects. rather than the
self-possession. of dancing.
(c) NIKAS: Quite a popular 'nikaas' is the
following one:
q"Pf~ ~~ ffiT !q"T ~~ a ~ q.~ q" ~ q.~
1 (A) 8 14 (C) I 6 (D)
q"T q-{ ~~mr
(F) 8
10/ late Hanuman Prasadji 0/ Jaipur Gharana.
50
The tirst ~ begins. at the 'sum'. C and D are danced
by employmg a spiral turn of the waist sUlfg tiv 1
a 'meend', because of which the entire pattern ~ caiW
'.meend ka nikaas'; and at the tinal mr a s~ll PGIe
ffiT ffiT q.~
13 IS struck at the 8th mat'ra" leaVing the gap from tLe
9th to the 1st matra or the sum' to be filled up by the
ffiTffiT ~
imagination of the audience.
11 13 Here. the following remarks appear necessary.
First, the truly appreciative enjoyment of a 'ni£aa,'
consists essentially in the ability of the onlooker to
ffiT ffiT ~
6 7
complete ideally the timing-gap between the moment-
m deliberately made distinctive by reinforcing the final ft
,",ith a gentle bu~ distinctive turn of the neck by tLe
dancer. and, what is more. with a very sharp ~ on 'tLe
1 left one' by the tabla player-at which tht:: dancer stopa
short. and the focal point of the timing-cycle or tLe
'sum'. so that. as a matter of concrete experience, cia.
full throb of delight comes only when the latter,. .....
to come or emerge. From the viewpoint of rhythm. It
appears safe to detine 'nikaas' as a pattern. the 'amad'
of which is supplied by the onlooker's imagination, the
gap covered here being distinctly longer than in tLe
case ·of a pattern of 'anaagat' variety.
ELEMENT OF IMAGINATION:_That ima-
gination. which experiences what (or as) tLe
eye and the ear do not. plays a very vital part
in the enjoyment of a Kathak recital. can hardly be over-
stressed. and yet this is precisely what is so o&.
ignored by the interpreters of Kathak dance. The pIa,
of imagination. while enjoying a Kathak recital. I repeat.
consists to a very great extent in appreciatinlf Ib
rhythmic variety and charm. Even the very basic 'bo'..
of dance are required to be taken as what they actuall,
are not if danced, imagination thus being allowed. 01'
rather expected, to play freely from the very outset.
Dancing the basic 'boZs': aT q.~ .rt mr, the feet
can certainly appear to emulate the sharpness of 81'
and ~ but how can they in any way reproduce tLe
measure of continuity which the articulation of ~
essentially involves 7 The feet_not the upper parts 01
the body which may well suggest continuity throuth
Howing movements such as 'kasak' and 'masak'-are
absolutely incapable of reproducing continuity, U
opposed to sharpness, discreteness and succession of
'boZs'. Such 'bois' as ~ are certainly executed.
-with a fair faithfulness of euphonic form, if not or
euphonic content-by the feet or by the toes, to he
precise, but even here the net impression is, one
of quick succession, not one of continuity which
the last letter demands. The conclusion is, therefore.
irreSistible, that the little suggestion of con~nuity anj
inclusiveness which ~ as spoken involves, IS expect
to be supplied to footwork by the onlooker's imalfinatioD
which 'parhant' or the articulation of 'bols' seeica to
help in this respect.
The aesthetic fundaments of the temporal ~
of Kathak dance are prOVided not by the cool int .::
q"~~ . - which calculates or counts the number of rrudras, of
9 14 (E) Iii by our imaginative identification with the diveraitJ
"matras punctuatIng . or d'IverSIlYln..
.t...! d not dtsruptiDl'
ud
the How of 'Zaya', and with the continuity and v OdD
movement of 'laya'.
Secondly, it ;s important to see how. during actual
dancing, the execution of a 'nikaas' is affected by the
'boZs' played by the accompanist on the tabla. In fact.
the latter here provides what the former <:Ioes not-that
is, a close tilling of strokes or 'bols'. Thus, when the
man doing 'parhant' recites only such 'boZs' as:
m q-{ q.~ ffiT, m q-{ ~ ffiT,
and the danseuse is executing only simple, leisurely
'rounds ', the tabla player diversities the vacant inclusive-
ness of the latter by playing a closer array of 'boZs',
such as: eTT Cf~en>rr fen>rr 'lia, aT ~fa;;rr fa;;rr cpij'
or even the more compact succession of the following
strokes:
tn Cf~ fen>rr ~ f~1'fi, q"iTfae f'liG <.i'fi f~ f<f~A q"~T
The aim of aesthetic creativity is here obvious_
illustrating the ever-limited grasp of the 'matras' by
highlighting the unused space of time or ' laya' left by
them. through an interjection of 'bois' into it.
Even like the tabla playing, the bodily movements
of the dancer try to reinforce. by imitating or just
suggesting, the euphonic manner and content of the
articulation of 'boZs' or 'parhant' which accompanies
the dancing. There are many effects which mere
footwork can never accomplish_such as the amplitude,
depth or elongated and tremulous quality of 'boZs'. And
so here we have to fall back upon the suggestive quality
of the movements of the upper part of the body. To
me it appears generally true to say that. whereas the
footwork is intended mainly (not entirely) to mark. or
copy. the intervals of time between the accents of a
pattern recited. the movements of the upper part of the
body try essentially to capture. by just suggesting. the
sound-effects of the 'bols'. To take an instance. the
'boZs' f'Jflf6 and n
in 'parhant' have two main
ellects,_th~ suggesti~n of sound as emanating or
diversifying itself from a common centre. as in the
pronouncing of ~ and ~ and the temporal
closeness of Cf and ~ the former merging itself quickly
into the latter. The one is the euphonic content. and
the other the temporal form, of the 'boZs'. In dancing
them, the footwork imitates the latter. and the 'ang'
or general bodily bearing suggests the former through
a wavy Hourish of the palms crossing each other over
the head.
Again. the 'bol' ~ has a weighty. elongated
quality which footwork cannot suggest. and which is,
therefore. sought to be conveyed through a movement
of the arms which suggests inclusiveness and continuity.
Of course. here the feet too have to be emphatic
in their strokes. The dancing of the following 'paran',
a composition of the late Nrittyacharya Narayana
Prasad of Jaipur 'gharana', illustrates the points
discussed above:
'lfif~ ia f<fe f<fe
r' (A) 4 S (8) 9 (C)
iJf~tA" 'fllT fae
13 (0) 16
~ ~ GRTcrcr, eTCf'a'lm eTd d 'I '$j d 1q'T 'fi~ld'fitfl
r (E) 8 9 (F) 16
(G) " How many 'matras' the el'l:tire pattern. or every
~~ <fa- <f~;;r ~ ~
S (H) i2
f'Jf¢~ <fT'f tf'T aT, ~T f~ <fA <fT
13 (I) 16t It (J) 4 5 (K) 9
f~ f'liCcf'fi' f'Jf~f<ff'liG<fA<fT m, WRfT
St
13 (L) 16 1 (M) 4. (N) 8
f'liG<fRtfr.rerr f~ f'liCcf'fi' f'Jf¢~ <fAtf'T
9 (0) 13 1 (P) 4 S (Q) 8t
q"T, !q"<fdT f'lie<fT'f <fTiI tf'T
9t (R) 12 13 (S)
An analysis of the above pattern should bear out
many of the general remarks made by me earlier with
regard to the aesthetic, grammatical and psychological
nature of 'layakaari' in Kathak dance. The various
pieces above indicate the temporal length of the different
sub-sections of the pattern in terms of 'matras '. Thus,
the tirst sub-section A begins at the tirst 'matra' or the
'sum' and ends at the close of the fourth 'matra'. There
is, however. no pause between the last 'bol' of this
section and the initial •bol' of the following one. that
is. B. Gaps. in the sense of absence of 'boZs', (though
'laya' as lapse of time is obviously present all along)
OCcur only between I & J. K & L. M & N. 0 & p, Q &R.
1£ I now read the pattern according to the indications
given above, the movement is as follows. From A upto
the beginning of I. the How of ' laya' is almost wholly
even. and so easy to follow. If there is anything striking
here. it is only the euphonic charm of the 'boZs', not the
temporal manner in which they move. And yet. even
from the viewpoint of the latter, there are certain details
which deserve notice. and which. though very brief.
contribute substantially to one's enjoyment of 'layakaan'
or the varying movement of 'laya', and which are
absolutely necessary if the 'parhant' is to have its desired
aesthetic effect. Thus, the err which comes at the end of C
slightly overflows the 12th 'matra' as it ends: and in
G. while executing which the dancer too suggests quick
succession with footwork. the ~ is to be pro-
nounced loosely, so that the "!" appears coming
immediately after the q" and not stiffly along with
the latter. in which case the relaxed. dancing character
of 'parhant' would be impaired. Again, the 'boZs'
~ and ~ in F and H respectively, are to be
articulated with their last letters perceptibly elongated:
or else, not only the aesthetic design but the temporal
accuracy of the pattern will be marred. The really subtle
moments of rhythmic manipulation. however. occur only
from T onwards. Thus. the entire bunch of 'boZs'
encompassed in T is reeled off rapidly. in a rolling
manner without a break and also without accentuating
any ·bol'. within the time taken up by about 31 matras,
ending slightly before the 'sum' which obviously comes
at the 1st 'matra'. It is precisely this deliberate ending
of the piece a little before the 'sum'. which here provides
the real charm of 'layakaari'. The effect is further
enhanced by the fact that the following cluster of 'boZs'.
I begins slightly after the 'sum', the central point of the
intervening gap-that is, the 'sum'-being affirmed only
12 by or in. imagination which at no time forgets the How
of 'laya', and not by speech. The ~ (J)
commencing shalply and drawing itself out across 21
'mafras' constitutes another accent of grace.
sub-section of it occupies-this is the grammatical aspect
of the matter. The psycho-aesthetic aspect consists in
51

the mind's imaginative experience of how, across the
background of the continual How of 'Zaya' as marked by
the'thekaa' or the playing of the basic timing-cycle, the
pattern-as recited, played on the tabla or danced-
appears Howing with a variform grace of manner, first,
evenly for some time, occasionally showing a 'boZ' or two
overHowing the '!natra' which seems to contain it. then
quickening itself effortlessly into a closer succession
of unaccentuated boZs (I), withholding itself daintily
fTom an actual contact with the 'sum', resuming again
from a little after the latter, the avoidance of the 'sum'
on both the sides serving as a delightful experience of
what has been called the "wanton heed and giddy
cunning' of musical creativity, and highlighting, in the
very act of excluding it, the 'sum' as a distinct, though
utterance, with hardly any breathing time between
of inner accents. The division of the pattern :::
separate sub-sections, with their length in tenns
matras indicated below each, has been done only ~
facilitate 'parhant'; it does not mean any real lap
anywhere. The opening 'fT begins before the 'auna'
whi~h falls at ."' in the 'fT"~'fr; the ~ •
commg as a tmy spurt after the slightly lengthened
'f~;;;r, and followed immediately by <f~!:fT Provide.
a really delightful ' boZ' or turn; and, proceedin,
electrically, the pattern ends a little before the 'suna',
Analysis reveals that the distinctive effect of the &rat
f.f;~~ is due to the fact that it is sandwiched
between 'f~.;;;r on the side and a very close array 01
'boZs' on the other side : 'f~r!:fT 'fr f~~ so that.
The figure below aims at indicating the varying
How of layu-sometimes relaxed and easy-paced, and
r That the euphonic quality of 'boZs' and the order
sometimes moving very fast. The change in manner is
indicated by the number of 'bols' which the particular
in which they are disposed contribute vitally to the
section of the 'thekaa' embraces, more 'boZs' suggesting
net effect of the total How is borne out clearly by the
a compact filling in leisure time, and more Huent
following pattern in which the first and third
'parhant', and quicker d a ncing. The dotted lines
sub-sections, repeated twice later, present a distinct
represent the quiet How of ' Zayo'-that is, without 'bols',
designing of 'boZs', suggesting 'sawaaZ'-'javaab', as the
The pattern begins a little before the 'sum' with er<f~!:fT,
Kathaks would say:
in which it is really the 'f which falls emphatically at
mOR fif'f~r 'ffOR fif'f fOR m'f'f m~ ~+IT'R' ~f~ the 'sum', Relaxed or closer CUTVes (of continuous lines)
I 4 S 8 suggest respectively similar character of the How of 'boZs',
f~~GCTlfi ~~tif 'ff'f~ ~~tl1 <f?~ ~~ aT ~~ ~T ~ The most stretched-out articulation runs in the case of
I 12 13 IS
~~ q-{ ~T q-{ ~T ~ 'f~ q-{ m ~~ m ~~
or or, 'fT which traverses almost two 'matras' and the
longest spell of quick 'parhant' is demanded by the
16 2 3 S

imaginatively apprehended, accent. The charm of this in the limited time granted to it, it has to assert itself- mOR flf'f!:fT ~rfif'f fif'f flr<f
7 W II
.
~~f~ ~f'f'f 'f11fct;c ~f'f'f
U
closing 'tiyaa'.
varying manner of movement, will be wholly lost on and, as it appears, to keep the two sides apart--witL f~~ ~~tif 'f'fTf~ ~~tlf ~~ ~~ m ~~ ~T q-{
a man who is not able to hold on to the 'thekaa' in the the quickness of a Hash the movement of its 10und IS 2 3 S Theoretically, the important thing to note here is
midst of all this patterning, In 'Zayakaari', as perhap assuming the following manner: "'~~ q-{ m ~ (Ii' q-{ 'f~~ q-{ m ~ m q-{ this, The 'tiyaa' or the division of 'Zaya' into three equal
6 0 9 11 sub-sections-with which the pattern ends, proceeds
nowhere else, bereft of its ground, a pattern is The three 'kittaks' which follow later in this pattern
~ fif., 'fT 'fm'f fif., m'f ~f'f;r m~ 'f~ ~f~ breathlessly 'bedam', and, if correctly articulated, ends
immediately a maze, do not have this effect, because they are not followed 13 16 I '" 4
The last 'boZs' of the pattern coming almost by such a compact filling of 'boZs', As regards 'parhant', ff.J(F'flc::a'fl elffiif ",~1f~ 'fffilf 'f~ ~ m ~ m ~ at the outer edge or the 'sum', as it were, The suggestion
immediateZy before or after the 'sum' (mlf) provides the 'boZs' here differ not only in their euphonic content. 8 9 11 may appear, but is not, fantastic. Being in 'taaZ', like
us, respectively, with two well-known kinds of rhythmic but in the varying accent that they receive, Thaa. 't~~ ~~ aT ~~ m ~~ being in 'svara', does permit of qualitative distinctions,
manipulation,-'anaagat' and 'ateet'. An important whereas the first 'fT is accentuated, the followm, 12 14 IS Two men may both be 'in svara', and yet one may be
question that we have here to face is this: do 'onaagat' f~m is spoken in an evenly relaxed In the end, I may be allowed to cite a pattern which more 'in svara'-more fineZy musical-than the other,
and 'ateef' describe only an individual 'boZ' or 'stroke'? manner, the stress returning slightly again in the ... is to be danced in vilambit 'laya', and which, besides Even so, two strokes on the tabla may both be on the
My answer is an emphatic 'no'. Certainly, it is only the of ~!:fT. illustrating how 'boZs' may be interjected as tiny tufts 'sum' in the settinll of their respective 'thekaas', and yet
last 'boZ' which is 'seen' to fall before or after the 'sum', Accent in speech is 'laya' as determining the Bow of sparkling accents either between the successive one may be more at the centre of the 'sum' itself than the
but the reason of its aesthetic appeal is not confined to of sound and making it significant; and the 'par""" 'matras' or across anyone of them, lends itself to some other. Or else, why is it that the sharp Ifi in
it. rather, it consists in the entire manner of movement of the rhythmic patterns is a remarkably succeulal linear representation-which, as many Kathaks and tabla c1hamaar, appears more deli ghtful as 'sum' that the
of the preceding 'boZs '. In vocal music, things may be attempt to create beauty out of this one element 01 players confirm. constitutes the faint, yet necessary, 'sum' of any other 'thekaa'? The lesser the time which
different from what they are in dance, though certainly speech, leavin g aside the latter's thought-conteat psychological basis of aesthetic creativity, during the utterance of a 'boZ' occupies, the more centrally does
they are not as different as they appear to be. We should altogether, though the contribution made by the sound 01 'parhant' or playing out of patterns-and suggests it pierce the core of the 'matra', In a way, 'layakaari' is
not thinl, that aesthetic effect in the case of the vocalist 'boZs' to the total effect cannot be ignored, But, the a truth of profound theoretical importance with regard the aesthetic demonstration of the infinite divsibility of
who emphatically nods his head, either immediately more important thing to note here is the fact that the to our system of rhythmic manipulation. (Fig. A). time.
before or after the 'sum', while showing 'Zayakaari', pattern in question has a distinct design-it bemt
consists merely in the nodding. Taken by itself, the clearly manifest in its sequence of 'dhaas', first ODe,
nodding is merely a physical act. Its suggestiveness here then two, and finally three; and that its entire &ow
is due essentially!/) the fact that it is seen to come before moves so breathlessly, and with such a coercivenello
or after the 'sum'. The layman does not perceive this that, as the Gestalt psychology of perception would haw
relation, and so remains wholly unaffected-in fact, he is it, the mind Hoats naturally and with relish aaG" the 10 It II i3 \4 lS t
only amused- by the nods. little gap between where the pattern ends and the , CJ coo c::so • -== :J:::;
<.... -'
= ! s C> r'
~
'\:jr'----" &0,4\
~u
A~l\;A4\:SC
V U
0c::'""oIf.
4Qi U
0
e "'d (
But even if he were not thus incapable, the listener closely following 'sum', ~ '-IT ~~~ ffiffi~ffi <IT - - ffi - '1fT ~ tli!~f<t%i1if.~ ~~~~ ~~iI~Mt4I~
can hardly be expected to d erive real aesthetic enjoy- An 'ateet' pattern deviating from the 'sum'_in tLII
ment out of such exhibitions of 'ateet' and 'anaagat' by case, overHowing the latter-in a similarly well desiped Fig, A
the classical vocalist who, forgetting that its aesthetic manner is as follows:
suggestiveness is rooted essentially in the How of 'Zaya' 'if1f~~ J;ffir~
which contains and animates it, fails to preface it with ~ ~<: (I<ti ?ff~ ~ ?ff<: ~~ ?ff<: ~ 'f~ ~~ ~
a systematic movement of 'Zaya', so that the 'matra' I - . .. .. .. '" 8 9 ' ''1l
appears to degenerate into a mere isolated stroke.
Merely stopping this side, or landing that side of the
.
'fll'fcg <1T~fuG
IS 2
'ff~m'f ~~ M~ ~T
3 10

'sum' is only to be able to time the stroke correctly;

'ff'fnr'f 'ffcrf.T'f erferfif''f ~T'fr f'fl1H 'fC'ffOR 'ff~ me
11 2 3
it does not be(;ome an aesthetic act unless it is done ~~ ?ff<: cr~ ¥:Tn: ~~ ¥:ff~ ~~ ¥:ff<: ~ 'f~tlf ~ tif~
according to a design. The Kathak dancer knows this 13 .... .... ..:I ~ ~ .. 4 5 · .. 10
well. I quote the following pattern to serve all 'f+IT'R' ;rTii"fuc: 'ff'ffif'f 'ff~ ~f~fr,;r mtrT
an illustration of the true 'anaagat' variety: i1 14 IS 6 ~.-.
'fll'ffif., ~f'ffOR'ff~fif'f ~T!:fT 'ff~flr., 'ff'fflr;r 'ff'q ." ... a''''
'Sf H1lT~ 'fT<f~1fT f'f~fot;clfT 'f~;;;r f~c~!:fT ~1fT 1fT 'fT ~~ 7 14 's ,
1 5 8 ~~, 'in: ~~... ?ff<: "i"!:.?fn: "!:.~" ¥:Tf~ ~~. . ~~if ~ tf~
(1m ~~ ~~ f'tic ~ m~;r tifT!:fTtifT 9 16 I
11 13 16t 'flffCJ;c <1Tiffuc: 'ff'f11R" 'ff'fm'f 'ff'fflr'f ~f1fr
This is a pattern which requires very rapid l' 10 II 2

53
52

2. Raslila-An Operatic Drama
by S. Awasthi
Raslila of the Brajbhumi is the most ancient and
most developed folk drama. It is also the most represen-
tative of the folk dramatic art. its conventions and
presentational methods. It has a continuous. unbroken
tradition of more than 400 years. Its various components.
the spoken word material. music and dance. as well as
its presentational devices. are so traditionalized and
stylized that. in spite of new inHuences and importation
of new material. in the form of prose dialogues on
contemporary themes. songs composed in new metres
of folk as well as modern variety. this form of operatic
drama has survived in its original character and retains
its thentrical vitality as well as its ritualistic character.
Today. Raslila. even in its decadent form. provides
theatrical enjoyment and religious experience to vast
audiences in whole of Northern India and in many parts
of Southern India as well. The Krishna legends.
presented in these lilas and their spoken word material
drawn from the rich heritage of medieval Vaishnava
poetry. is an integral part of the Indian literary culture.
and these Raslilas awaken histrionic sensibilities. provid-
ing aesthetic enjoyment to the audiences belonging to
different geographical areas and language groups.
ORlGIN
This temple opera seems to have evolved out of the
great tradition of recitation of the lila-kavya much before
the advent of the great religious poets of the medieval
period. who produced a literature of lyrical songs singing
the episodes of the life of Krishna. This tradition of
recitation reaches a culminating point in poet Jayadeva
in the 12th century; and it is manifested later in the
devotional songs of Chandidas and Vidyapati; and it
embraces the whole of Northern India with regional
variations in poetic and musical content.
The tradition of recitation got new impetus in
the hands of the Vaishnava reformers and poets of the
Vaishnava cult in the 16th century. The rise of magni-
ficent temples. during the 16th and 17th centuries helped
the growth and consolidation of this dance-drama by
providing an arena for its performances. It was the
temple culture that enriched the dramatic elements of
the Raslilas and gave them the gaiety of religious
ceremonial. And for the last 400 years. the temple was
the theatre-hall of the Raslilas. imparting theatrical
virtues to it.
The stirring devotional music. the impressive
architectural background. the simplicity and conviction
in delivery. the element of devotion to awaken the
54
sensibilities of the spectators are the unique contribution
of this form of drama. which was born in. and grew
round the temple. And now when. after residing for
several centuries in the temple. it has left its original
home and is wandering about in the streets. it still
preserves those elements cultivated in the temple.
HISTORY
There is complete lack of authentic documentary
evidence to determine the origin of the Raslila. There is,
(\n the one hand. the assertion that the medieval Raslilas
are related by an unbroken tradition with some of the
ancient dramatic forms mentioned in the Natya Shastra
and other dramaturgic works. On the other hand. its
efBorescence in the 16th century makes some believe
that its history should not be carried beyond the 16th
century. The material. however. for a scientific investi-
gation of these two opinions is so meagre and
unauthentic that it is difficult to rebuild its history with
any kind of certainty. This situation is complicated by
the fact that the origin and growth of the lila-natakas
is shrouded by many legendary anecdotes.
The only written document is 'Ras-Sarvasva' by
Shri Radha Krishna. which gives some facts about early
history of Raslila. On the basis of this book and other
secondary material we can say that the present dramatic
and presentational form of the Raslilas was created in
the 16th century; and that the most valuable contri-
bution in the development of this form is that of Swami
Hari Das and Shri Narayan Bhatta. The third important
name in the history of Raslila is that of Shri Ghamand
Dev. who was a great organiser of R aslilas. These
religious reformers and poets accepted the dramatic form
as an effective medium for a deeper religious experience
of their teachings and organised 'RasasthaI' and
'RasmandaI'-arenas for Ras performances-in the whole
of Braj area.
LINKS WITH THE ANCIENT FORMS
Ras. Rasak. Natya Rasak. Hallisak. Charchari,
Sangeetak. Geyarupak. Satak or Sattak are some of
the terms denoting dramatic dances and ballad-operas,
mentioned in the Natya Shastras, Harivansh-purana,
Kavyanushasan, Kamasutra and many other dramaturgic
and literary works. The characteristics of these indicate
that they are all a variant of some kind of musical and
operatic drama; and in their formative character. they
all belong to one c.ommon genre. The three component
parts of all these varieties are Kavya, Sangeet and
Abhinaya; and they seem to be a sort of popular
theatrical entertainment in which singing and dancing
and highly stylised and choreographic acting played a
dominant role. It would be interesting to note that some
of the elements of most of these ancient forms of musical
drama are still found in some form or the other in the
present day RasliIas and other musical dramas of secular
variety.
The Rasak has been included in the secondary
forms (uprupak) in the Natya Shastra and had three
dance varieties-T alrasak Dandrasak and Mandalrasak.
In course of time. Mandal-Rasak became more popular.
as it was discovered to have greater theatrical potentia-
lilies; and it is this dance variety that is predominantly
employed in present day Raslila performances. though
there are elements from all the three varieties. Similarly.
if we compare the Raslilas with the Hallisak Sangeetak
Geyarupak and Natya Rasak we find that the elements
of music. dance and pantomimic acting are common;
Hallisak dance is especially considered the precursor of
the Ras dance. So. in spite of the lack of proper historical
evidence. we can safely conclude that there has been a
tradition. with periodical gaps. of this variety of musical
drama for more than 2000 years.
DANCE CONTENT
The dance content of the Raslilas falls into two
categories: one. the stylised and traditional variety
practised in the 'NUyaras'. the prologue of the Rashla;
and the other. simple mimetic dance borrowed from the
folk tradition and other sources of dance art and
practised in the main Lila. The role of dance in the
dramatic scheme of Raslilas is decorative in the
'Nityaras', and functional in the Lila. While the one is
still technically elaborate and complicated dance. the
other is simple with limited movements and expressive
gesticulation.
The present formalized style of dancing practised in
the NUyaras has an elaborate codified system of com-
positions and movements of the dramatic characters in
the acting area or Rasmandal and of rhythmic patterns
and Gat-bhava. The general rules and practices in
rendering the dance sequences also indicate the
combinations of the drama tis personae. while presenting
a particular sequence. In these dance sequences Krishna.
Radha and Gopis stand in various compositions and
groupings. hand in hand. or with Radha and Krishna
with their hands around each other's neck (Galbahiyan).
and moving in circles and semicircles; standing apart
in striking poses; intermingling; throwing their hands
in the air with tIle beats of their feet; or presenting
whirls (Bhramaries) in lightning speed; or displaying
jumps and slow and magnificent gait. with the move-
ments of the eye-brow and the neck.
Some of the Parmul (bol-patterns) of the dances
of Krishna and Radha as well as the group dancing
of all the characters in the Raslilas. are given below
for a technical understanding of the rhythmic patterns
of the dance:
A 'Parmul' of Krishna's dance:-
Tikat tikat dhilang, dhiktak rodeem dhilang, takto.
Ta dhilang , dhig dhi lang , dhiktak, todeem todeem,
dhetam dhetam.
Dhilang dhilang dhi lang , fuk gadgin thei.
T ata ta ta thei, ta ta ta fa thei, ta ta ta ta thei.
A 'Parmul' of Radha's dance:_
Tat trang, thun thun to, dhiktoo trang, thun thun to.
Ta tllUn thun, dhik thun thun, dhik tak, thung thung tak .
Thung thung tak, thung thung i'h ung tak gadgin thei.
Ta ta ta ta thei, ta ta ta ta thei, ta ta ta ta thei.
A 'ParmuI' of Sakhi's dance:_
T attuk dam, dhirkit tak, tirkU, nagam nag am, too too
tran to.
Ta tring, ta ta tring, tafthugam thug am, tatthugam
thug am, thug am, thugam thug am tak, gadgin t1hei.
T a ta ta thei, ta ta ta ta thei, ta ta ta thei.
A 'Parmul' of Group dance by all the characters:_
Thei thei thei thei thei, tatta theyi thei.
Theyi theyi theyi theyi theyi thei thei tao
RESEMBLANCE WITH THE KATHAK
There is no sufficient historical evidence to deter-
mine a link of artistic relationship between the Raslila
dancing and the Kathak style of dance; and it is all the
more difficult to say which style has borrowed from
which. However. there are some basic facts which prove
and show many points of resemblance between the two
styles of dancing. In the portrayal of emotions and
situations. and in the general mode of story telling by a
vivid pantomimic gesture language. the two styles have
a common charactP\'. Apart from the gestures, in the
movements. turns. I auses and groupings of the characters
in Raslilas during the dance and pantomime for
depiction of the episodes. we find resemblances.
The main reason for these resemblances is obviously
the common thematic material-the Krishna lore. which
demands the portrayal and expression of similar senti-
ments and situations from both these dance styles. So.
the dance-creators. both the Lila type and the Kathak.
conceived similar dance gestures and movements in their
imaginative visualisations of the Krishna legend. Some
of the main 'gats'-the 'murali gat' and the 'pang hat
gat'_are common to both. Similarly, some of the 'Kavitta
bois' and 'Natvari bois' are also common. 'Ta thei thei
tat', the root-words (bi;-akshar) of Kathak dance have
been referred to by the Vaishnava poets in their Kirtan
songs.
The probable reason for the artistic similarities and
resemblances between these two styles of dancing is
that both of them have developed in the accompaniment
of the kirtan, dhrupad and other variaties of dance-
songs. The kirtan songs composed by the Vaishnava
poets abundantly display dance motifs and specific
gestures and movements. Most of these kirtans and padas
were actually dance-songs written by the poets and
music composers. intended to be sung and interpreted
through dance and 'abhinaya' simultaneously. This
becomes clear by the peculiarity of these kirtan songs
that the 'boZs' of mridang and conventional words of
the dance, known as 'tatakar' are inserted in the very
text of the compositions. The joint art activity of singing
and dancing is the special feature of the whole
ritualistic ~eremonies of the Vaishnava cult.
Surdas in one of his padas points out this essential
relationship and the joint art activity of dancing and
singing:
'Nritya karat ughatat sangeet pad'
55
 Some excerpts from the ras-padas are given below
to show the insertion of bols in the padas:
" Ras menrityat ri rasbhine.
thunkat thun thunkat apat jhapat jhat,
jhran jhran jhrakatat jhine."
"Shri Haripriya bhidi bili jhin,
na na na na na na na na kine."
"Lal-sang ras-ras let man rasik ravani,
gragrata, gragrata, tat tat tat theyi thei, gaU line."
"nacTtat Lal gopal ras men sakal braj-badhu sange,
gidigidi tat thug tat thug thei thei bhamini-rati ras
sange. "
If we scrutinize the literature of ras-padas written
by score of Vaishnava poets. we find many technical
terms and expressions in the padas which indicate many
points about the character of the ras dance. The word
'mandaI' which occurs so often indicates the circular
movements in the dance. There are terms like urap,
firap, lag-dat, horha-horhi, hastak-bhed, mandhas,
bhru-vilas, galbahiyan, bahanjori, padpatak, kartari,
phanda---which indicate some of the basic features and
elements of Raslila dance. Some of the lines from
various ras-padas are quoted below to show the technical
import of these terms in their proper context:
'horha horhi nritya karen, rijhi rijhi ank bharen,
ta ta thei thei.'
'bhaunh mor.:lni, nain pherani
hastakni gati chhavi.
'gati sudhang nrityati braj nari,
hav bhav nainani sainani dai, rijhavati girivar
dhari.'
pag-pag pataki bhujani latakavati,
phanda karani anup.'
('phanda' seems to be a popular equivalent for the
classical technical term,'pindi'. This term denotes
a special feature of the ras dance-the formation
or circles and semi-circles by holding one another's
hands. at the end of a "charan" or pad).
'nirtat mandaI maddha Nandlal.
urup tirap tan let nat nagar gandharva guni rasal.'
'taisiya mridu pad-patakani, chatakani kartaran ki.
har har men urajhi, urajhi bahiyan men bahiyan.
'urap lirap lag dat fat-tat-tat thei-tathei-thei.
'let gati man tatathei hastak-bhed
sarigamapadhani ye sapta sur nandini.'
'mandhas. bhruvilas, ras-Ias, sukhnivas.'
DANCE IN LILA PROPER
While the dancing in the 'Nityaras' part of the
[ila-natak has a classical and technical character, the
dancing in the lila proper is very simple-sometimes very
near the ordinary gesticulation of daily life, borrowing
mostly from the foIl, dances of several varieties. specially
the dance accompanying the 'Rasika' songs of the Braj
area. The gat or the gestural scheme takes fragmentary
lines of song and with simple movements of hands and
eyes, conveys the underlying emotions of the words.
There are not many variations of combinations and
patterns of dance. Simple dance sequence; , however,
are punctuated by dramatic sits. rises, jumps and circular
movements in rising tempo.
The prim any 'hastak' or the postures as used in
66
the Kathak dancmg are also prevalent in the Raahl
The most common 'hastak' is the one hand held ova;;
the head, the other extended in front. forming a right
angle, bisecting the line of the head. These ha.ta£.
have a significant dramatic function in the lila-natalc.
as they punctuate the dance sequences and register
a dramatic situation in all pictorically effective
manner. They also provide relief both to the dancer.
as well as the audiences. Together with the practice of
'hastak', the dancers often present the two basic bod,
movements-the whirl (Bhraman) and the sudden halt,
in the manner of the Kathak dance.
The dramatic function of the dances in the hla
proper, is only secondary-supplementing the text_by
interpreting its meaning and intenSifying the mood and
the emotions of the story. There are. however, short
sequences of dancing which have purely decorative
character and are meant to give relief to the chorus,
singing the dramatic text. This pantomimic dandng in
the lila proper is gradually decaying and losing gestural
expressiveness for want of sufficient training and leneral
artistic and aesthetic background of the artists.
DRAMATIC STRUCTURE
The dramatic structure of the Raslila has three
main parts: the 'Nitya-ras' the Sangeet and the lJla
proper. In the first part of the Raslila, Krishna and
Radha are seated on the Singhasan built on a simple
platform; and chorus presents a 'manglacharan.' After
the 'manglacharan' the chorus sings a number of devo-
tional songs drawn from the devotional poetic literature
of all periods. Gopis perform 'arti, , and invite Radha
to come to Ras-mandaI. The Gopis take their place. and
Krishna stands and requests Radha to join him in the
Ras performance. Radha agrees. Krishna and Radha
then come and stand in the main acting area with the
Gopis; the chorus starts singing and the dance berrina.
There is an elaborate procedure of the grouping of
characters and their dance is the prologue of the
Lila-natak.
After the completion of this first part, the "Nilya-
ras', the second part, the 'Sangeet' starts. In this part of
the Lila-nataJ(, Krishna himself or a Gopi stands in the
acting area and gives a discourse in prose as well as vene
compositions on the glory of 'bTlakfi', 'upasana', 'karma'
or any other serious philosophical theme. After the
discourse, the chorus presents devotional sonls, which
are often not directly related with the Lila to be enacted
or even with the Krishna legends. This part of the ul..
natak. however. creates a suitable atmosphere for the
operatic drama and prepares the audience for a deep
theatrical experience.
The third part of the Ras-lila is the Lila proper.
which is based on some episode of the life of KrI.hna.
This part of the Lila is so well structured that ea~
entry and exit of the characters and the deliverY BIlCI
exchange of verse dialogues and short dance sequenh'
are all dramatically significant and contrihute to t e
building of the play-structure.
The allocation of the dramatic dialogues to vartCMD
characters and the narrative portions to the c:honu It
so cleverly planned that there is a continUOU. moYCdterf
in th e story with proper dramatic stresses and pauses.
T here is yet a very interesting point about this propor-
tionate division of the spoken word material among the
c ha racters . that the many verses and songs that do not
seem to belong to any character or the chorus. gradually
assume dramatic specification.
While th e padas and songs composed in' several
me trica l varieties are musically ric h and significant. the
styles and laws of their reci tation and delivery are very
interesting and dramatically m eaningful. Verse dialogues
of the Raslilas are very often repeated by the actor; and
t here are several variations and combinations and styles
of d elivery. Sometimes th e character speaks the lin e of
a pada and th e chorus repeats it ; sometimes a c haracter
renders a line in simple reading in the prose style and
a lso explains th e content in eloquent and verse-like
Brajbhasa prose; sometimes. however. this explanation
is dropped and the lines are only recited or sung.
T hese various styles and patterns of the d elivery of
d ialogues are followed in accordance with the contex t
of the situation and th e character of the pada or song
delivered. Whatever pattern and style of th e d elivery of
verse dialogue may be adopted by the c haracters or th e
c horus of the lila-natak. th ey show great dramati c
po tentialiti es b eca use it is in this c haracter of the d elivery
o f verse dialogue that the operatic character of the Lila -
natak is strengthened and emotionally enriched.
PRESENTATIONAL TECHNIQUES
The stage. which is only a demarcated acting area
on th e same level on which the audience take their seats.
a nd which has simple structure-a platform (Chauki)
with a 's inghasan·. usually built by placing a couple of
c hairs .is always a simple and informal affair. But it is
this theatrelessness of the Raslila that gives rise to some
very simple presentational laws and conventions.
There is no attempt to provide a scenic represen -
tation of the story situations and actions in the acting
area. Thus. there is no attempt at localisation and the
'stage' is left as an uncommitted neutral area which can
serve as 'locale' for any dramatic action; and th e actors
can fre ely move from one stage locality to another. from
th e houses to the bank of Jamuna; from one grove to
another or from Gokul to Mathura; and there is no
break in the story of the play. The characters. while
singing and presenting their dialogues. inform the
audience about the change of the locale as weIl as the
d evelopment in the story of the play. It is because of
this non-sp ecific, informal character of the Raslila stage
that various phases of action or the story units of the
play get related to one another without any damage to
the plot-structure and dramatic illusion.
The use of a simple curtain held by two persons,
in the manner of Kathakali dance-drama. at several
points in the course of the play. has many dramatic
functions . It helps in bringing the new characters to the
acting area without being seen by the audiences; it is
sometimes used for 'setting' a new scene or a 'jhanki',
which is a sort of tableau presented at many points in
these Raslila plays.
SERIES OF TABLEAUX
The series of tableaux presented in the Raslila
performan ces are the most interesting feature. In many
climactic points of the story. these tableaux present the
episode in a pictorially effective manner. and indicate
stages in the development of the story. It is with the
help of these tableaux that the dramatic structure of the
Lila-natak is planned in short scenes and suitable units
of story material. These tableaux in a Raslila divide
and arrange the narrative material of the lila -natak in a
dramatically significant way.
T ableaux are the dominant elem ent in th e visual
pictorial arts of the m edieval period. Painting, theatre,
civic a nd royal pageantries, and religious and fes tive
proces ion s with Roats an d pantomimic scenes. all have
shown a liking for tabl eau pictures and made th em a
basis for artistic treatment of their th emes. Raslila has
followed this m edi eva l art tendency. and has skilfully
based its entire dramati c schem e on this artistic
convention.
Apart from these full -Hedged tableaux. the Ras lila
plays abound in eloquent and expressive 'close-ups' of
single a nd double c haracters. These 'close-ups' of
dramatis personae create exquisite and charming stage
pictures, very much like th e m edieval paintings of th e
Kri s hna legend. This relationship between the theatre
a nd the art is the most fascinating aspect of the study
of this variety of folk drama.
LIAISON WITH THE ART
It was b e tween the 16th and 19th centuries. when
the artists were painting Krishna episodes in different
styles and modes. that the lila-plays were simultaneously
em erging in th e temples out of the temple dancing and
singing of devotional songs with rich musical content.
Th e contemporaneousness of these two artistic torms-
the Krishna-Iilas and Krishna-paintings-made their
mutual exchange easier and more fruitful.
It is. however, difficult to say who borrowed from
whom ; but there is no doubt that there has been a
constant and living exchange b etween the two; and.
probably, the process of borrowing and giving has
alternated during the course of two centuries of their
co-existence. Main points of similarity and mutual
exchange are: costume; locale; scene composition;
pattern of plot-structure and multiplicity of scenes.
The dominant principle of 'vertical projection' in
the m edi eval painting is reRected in the straight and
narrative character of the development of story
in these Raslilas. Conventions of Oriental art aIlow
simultaneity of scenes. depiction of a series of tableaux
or story-incidents within the range of a single painting.
And it is this art convention that has greatly shaped
and d etermined the character of Indian folk theatre of
all regions and of all types and varieties, especiaIly , the
processional and pageantry drama based on the life
of Rama and Krishna.
This survey of the most developed folk drama of
Northern India clearly indicates the composile 'character
of the folk drama. and the various sources from
which it borrows its tehcniques and conventions and
art material. It is so broad-based and deep-rooted that it
presents the entire artistic and cultural life of the people
in horizontal and vertical dimensions simuitaneously.
57
 1. Ruler entertained by Dancing Girls. Nurpu r, c. 1765
2. Raja Balwant ~ingh of Jammu being entertained by a Boy Dancer and Mus 'cians.
Jammu, c. 1750
3. Mian Brij Raj De u of Jam mu with courtiers and Dan cing Girls. Jammu. c. 1775
( Photos by courtesy, Vic toria and Albert Mu seum, London )

3. Kathak Costunle in MughaI Times

by Dr. C. L. Fabri

58

Our amateur and professional ballet dancers are so
fond of " inventing" ancient costumes, especially
pretending to know what "Mug hal court d a ncers" wore,
Ihat any piece of solid evidence, however small. should
be welcome. especially if it is quite unexpected.
ow, the miniature reproduced herewith ought to
be well enough known . for it is a page from Akbar-nama
in the Indian Section, Victoria and Albert Museum.
datable to the period 1600 to 1605 (Akbar's death).
Nevertheless, to my' knowledge, no one has so far drawn
attention to the extraordinary costumes the dan cers are
wearing. When my friend K. de B. Codrington First
gave m e thi s series of photographs, almost fifteen years
ago. I first thought that th e dancers were European:
the resemblance to the French LuLu skirts of th e ballet
dancers is so striki-ng.
However, th ey ca nnot be European women, for th e
luLu was not yet invented ' in 1600: and they are Indian
women on every count. The prima ballerina wears a
muslin turban , th e three members of the corps de ball et
who also wear Lulus have less elaborate head-ornaments.
but again. not European. They wear pyjamas in the
Indian fashion: th ey have anklebells such as were never
worn ·b y western dancers: they are dressed in bodices in
th e Indian fashion ...... the second dancer shows clearly that
th e choli was ti ed down with a cross-string or ribbon .
thus probably leaving a bare back...... and th ey are bare-
footed : another Indian characteristic. Their hairdress.
their personal ornaments . including earrings , armlets
and bracelets. all declare them to b e Indians: and even
the mudra of th e first lady d a ncer, signifying "I salute
you!" is purely Indian. Even the musical instrument is
llS Indian as possible : a mridanga. And all th e women.
dancing and playing music, have dupattas or orhnis .
emi -transparent head-kerchiefs.
The face and attitudes of the spectators are worth
noticing. Akbar looks · down indulgently at this old
spectacle. From his cushioned seat on a verandah: but
all the ladi es of the court are truly shocked: a great deal
of whispering and scandalized turning away goes on:
an attendant in front has to calm th e noisy remarks of
I·h e women: whilst one lady in the lovely C entral Asian
d,ess . vigorously counts her beads , half hiding her face
with her long sleeves. In th e background another
attendant. it appears, discourages a peeping female from
entering. The horror and disgust of th e harem ca nnot
be mistaken.
The skirt that the dancing women are wearing over
the pyjamas reaches not quite to the knees, and consists
of three short and evidently very stiFF skirts, gathered
in plisse folds, and each protruding further than th e
one above. The similarity to the structure of the Lutu
is surprising in the extreme. This is exactly how the
lutu is built up. The material. however, is quite diFFerent
f(\lm the tutu's. It is solid, coloured and patterned with
horizontal stripes, giving the fals e impression that there
60
are more than three skirts, one over the other. (S ee
Fig. 4, on p. 21. Marg, Vol. VII, No.1).
As the original is 100 small. I have made as exact
i'I copy as I could. (See Fig. 2).
Fig. 1 is a carefully made copy from a miniature
published in the Art of India and Pakistan by
Condrington , Irwin Gray (Faber & Faber, 1950) Plate
88. This is a Raj as thani miniature illustrating the Raja
Megha. and Basil Gray dates it b etween 1610 and 1620.
The ma le dan cer wears a skirt. in every respect similar
10 those shown in th e Akbar-nama. Here too the skirl
does not reach down to the knee and consists of three
superimposed pieces, each smaller than the one below,
from som e stiff material in various colours: in brief, the
compl ete LuLu. Th e dancer wears a pair of white
tight pyjamas and he too has ghunghurus or anklebells,
ilS also the Roating scarf thrown across the shoulders.
It is interesting to note that both in the Akbar
miniature and in this Rajashtani picture, the mridanga
player (a girl in both cases ) wears a different dress from
th e rest; a boldly Raring long skirt, almost bell-shaped.
The other personages in this latter miniature are all
dressed in solid three- pi ece outfits: choli. ghagra and
dupatLa. and they play th e Rute, the cymbals and a
sIring instrument.
How is it possible, one may well ask, that this
remarkable tutu-shaped ballet skirt occurs so rarely. and
seems to have disappeared soon after its first occurrence?
Vvh y do we have only a few representations, of which
one is from about 1605 a nd the other from, say, 1610',
The probable answer is that Jehangir's new fashions
gained the upperhand. During this elegant ruler's reign,
fashion s changed rapidly at th e court: and when, early
in his reign, completely transparent skirts were intro-
duced, under which th e boldly coloured pyjamas could
be seen , most of the young people took to it. You can
see th e young J ehangir surrounded by attendants in
Plate 131 in Th e Art of India and Pakistan, most of
Ihe courtiers, male and female, having taken to the novel
mode du jour. However. it did not last long.
That th e dancers would take to the last "craze",
seems likely. In . any case. when the darbaris and the
umara have all adopted, later, once again solid brocade
and happy opaque materi a l, it appears that the dancers
continued to wear transparent skirts and under them bold
red, green pyjamas. Thus , in the seventeenth and
eighteenth century, dancers and performers of ragas are
heavy materials , the dancers sport the light silks an d
often seen in thi s special dress : while all others wea
muslins over their hose.
As late as 1750 we see this dress in Lady
Rothenstein's miniature. reproduced in the Fab;r
Gallery, Rajput Painting (Basil Gray), in Plat~ •
s house. in' a kind of serenade at night, fully supports our
Krishna, Radha . Brahma. hiva . all the earthly kmg
and all the music-making girls. wear solid dresses: only
the two dancers go through th,e ir sreps with. completely
transparent skirts. through which their tights can be seen
in brilliant red and green.
These representations. of course. are well known.
from many ragas and nayika pictures: but the staggered
ballet skirt of Akbar's last years. between 1600 and 1610
perhap~. is worth nothing as an oddity. not entirely
restricted. it seems, to the Mughal court but known in
Rajasthan too.
There is, however, one final and welcome .piece of
evidence, the date of which, I believe, bears out the
suggestion that early in Jehangir's reign the multiple
skirt of the ballet dancer gave way to the more
f&shionable musin Oimsiness and the churidar pyjama.
This comes in a leaf of the Rasikapriya published by
Coomaraswamy in the Metropolitan Museum Studies,
Vol. III, PI. 1 (1930) under the title "Two Leaves from
a Seventeenth-century Manuscript of the Rasikapriya".
Fig. 3. Here, under the caption Lilabhavalakshanam
('The Lover's Dramatic Behaviour' is Coomaraswamy's
translation), Krishna, the Eternal Lover, appears with
his friends in front of the lady's house, and to the
accompaniment of a mridanga drum and cymbals, he,
and a friend of his, perform a ballet act. Krishna is
dressed in an akbari ballet skirt-this time only two of
them, not three-made of gathered, plisse cloth ' and
Oaring out boldly. one farther than the other, reaching
several inches above the knee: underneath, he wears a
light-coloured pair of tights. But his friend, interestingly
enough, has taken to the newer fashion: he wears an
absolutely transparent muslin skirt, under which he
sports brave-coloured churidar pyjamas. Now the point
to observe in this (see Fig. 5, on p. 22, Marg, Vol. VII
No.1) is that the friend is not one of your slightly clad,
happy-go-lucky cowherds. He is as smart as the latest
news from the court at Agra or Delhi, with a fashionable
turban, elegant, longsleeved coat buttoned across the
shoulder, and a sash in the latest mode, with embroidered
edges: in fact, he even has the row of frills on the left
side, under the armpit, that was the dernier cri in the
1610-1620 period.
Coomaraswamy dated, in 1930, this set of leaves "a
little before or after A.D. 1060". I do not think anyone
today would give it so early a date, neither would anyone
consider the Rasikapriya illustrations "simply Mughal".
as he suggested then. As Basil Gray points out in a
brilliant article in Marg VI, 3 pp. 18FF., the question of
the interplay of Mughal and Rajput painting is not an
easy one, and I now feel it is far more difficult to separate
these mutual inOuences than we once fondly thought.
But perhaps it is fair to suggest that Coomaraswamy's
Rasikapriya is Rajput work with a very strong inOuence
from the Mogul Court, and that its date is nearer 1620
than 1610. In that case this charming miniature in which
Krishna and a very fashionable gentleman friend per.form
their antics to excite the curiosity of the ladies of the
con,clusion that the multiple ballet-tutu of Akbar's court
~ent out of fashion soon after Jehangir's accession: it
was then replaced by the diaphanous skirt through which
the tight trousers could clearly be seen.
This brings me to a very tentative suggestion. I
believe one would not be far wrong to say that every time
in the 18th century when we meet a picture of a lady
with diaphanous skirt, quite transparent, and showing
the brightly coloured legging underneath, we have to
deal with a lady who belongs to the class of entertainers:
a dancer. The lovely lady with the hawk the frontispiece
of Mr. W. G. Archer's Indian Painting in the Punjab
Hills, or the boy dancer (PI. 2) both wear such
diaphanous skirts. No one else does in the 18th century.
it seems to me. except dancers.
If this contention. that the staggered tutu-shaped
ballet skirt disappeared between 1605 and 1615, is true,
a new light may be shed on the dating of Archbishop
Laud's miniatures, in the brilliant study by Mr. Stooke
and Mr. Khandalavala (The Laud Ragamala
Miniatures, Oxford 1953) . Mr. Khandalavala demons-
trates with great apparatus that the miniatures are closely
related to Deccani miniatures of the 16th century, and
he concludes, after careful consideration of all the
evidence, that these famous paintings were made
approximately in 1625. The evidence is marshalled so
well that one hesitates to bring in fresh evidence for a
slightly earlier date. I do so fully conscious of the weak-
ness of my novel evidence, but dress is always an
important help in dating, and it is just possible that these
Laud miniatures are ten years older than suggested by
tvlr. Khandalavala.
The point is that there are only two dancers in' the
series, in Plate I, "Malhar Raga" and in Plate XVII.
"Vasanta Ragini"'. Both feature a dancer in a staggered
tutu-skirt. of three pieces (as in Akbar' s time). As the
two are almost entirely identical, I have copied only one,
which is seen in my Fig. 3, p . 20. Marg, Vol. VII, No.1
born the Malhar Raga. Two points emerge clearly that
no one wears this kind of skirt except a dancer: and
that nowwhere in the Laud manuscript is there anyone
wearing the diaphanous skirt of Jehangir's early reign.
Now it is quite possible that far down in the Deccan
fashions arrived somewhat later: and dancers, ~ho are
u wandering tribe of people, must have brought to the
courts of Deccan the staggered skirt, and they may not
have brought the transparent skirt of later days. If I
suggest a date of about 1615, . allowing for some delay
in the adoption of Mogul fashions, I do so with great
hesitation.
Whatever be the date of the Laud miniatures, the
four examples quoted here, prove that such skirts were
restricted to ballet dancers, and that they were wide-
spread enough to be known in Agra and Delhi. in
Rajasthan and in ' the Deccan.
61
4. Some Songs of Binda' Din Maharaj
~lfn:~-f~ Says Binda, "Glory be to thee
o maidens of Braj,
~ ~~ If~'f ~n:T I Dancing with Krishna in ecstacy."
~ "fffif -q' ~T ~ lfn:T II IfT~ II ~~T ;l-f'!f~.
'f~ .~~ 'f~ it ~T~ if IfT<r I 'fiT~ 'fiT ~t '9<: :l;fT~ ~T
f<R:T ~'fT if' ~if ~lf ~n:T II If~ II Sl'TaIf TT -{if ~m ~lf ~r;f
Look how he teases me ;f<fT m<fTt I
The ever alluring Banwari ! tflft if ~ ~ ClfTt II 'fiT~ 'fiT II
He waylays and hurls abuses at me.
The incorrigible mischief maker, '3'<flJiT it '9<: <:~T I Biographies
He pays no heed to my entreaties. iiIlCfT ~T GffflT If,'li~ I
Says Binda, "I know not what to do ?"
f.r;:~ ~;fT ~T ~ ;n;l
~~ :-f'JffiT~. f;;n:rT >ifTt ( mt) 1I'fi~ 'fiT II
mif ~ ~ ~~ 'fn:T I Why have you come to me now, my love
Having spent the night in sport with my rival J ACCHAN MAHARA/ Manipuri, from outstanding experts in the
or'ttT m~ ~1Jf 'fi'~ lf~ IfRir I No-Do not fall at m y feet for forgiveness The eldest son of Kalka Prasad, Jagannath Maharaj, a view to understanding the finer .
techniques. She began her professional cal,eel~
If~ ~TfIf'fT ~T ~ ~~ If(fC'HT I Your eyes tainted red-tell a thousand tales.
Go back to her and make her happy!
popularly known as Acchan M aharaj, was, really speaking, the
only one who received knowledge direct from his father as well in f937, and since then there has been nO _ ....".. /5
~~a f~n:T qlT q-~T lf~ ~ ~n:T I Do not talk to me. as from his uncle, Binda Din Maharaj. And when Kalka Prasad has danced in many parts of the world . She
of two Indian cultural delegations, one to China, in 1953, and
f<R:T ~ ~T ~"~ a-~T f~<m::T I I Says Binda,
"I am burning within
and Binda Din died, it was left to Acchan ,M aharaj to train his
the other to Japan, in 1958. Damayanti Joshi is essentially a
younger brothers, Lacchu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj .
But he does not heed." Acchan Maharaj was a master and .there are numerous stories purist and loathes glamour and dazzle. She is one of the few
Behold the maidens of Braj dancers who have really understood the finer points of Kathak
Coming with swaying gait related about his dance and about how he outwitted his rivals
As though intoxicated!
'li \9"T : in the field. He served for a long time in the State of Raiga.rh and a performance by her is invariably marked by a lucid
'" delineation of the many delicate nuances of this art. Having
Mala adorns their necks, 'li~ U~ ~ f~R II and he also had the occasion to serve as the Court dancer in
been trained by masters of both Gharanas, she is equally at
some other States of North India. His body was unwieldy but
BincIi shines on their foreheads,
And Kundal dangles on their ears. ,.;r~ Iff1Jf ~T:a; ~+<r <:T'G!CT when he danced he virtually transformed himself and became home in nritta as well as nritya and, as far as the latter is con-
cerned; she is one of the very few dancers who can faithfully and
They come in swaying gait, 'liT'fi ~~ 'li'fiR II a model of grace and agility. True to the tradition of his
vividly portray the Nayak-nayaki bhedas through the medium
Revealing their faces Gharana, h e excelled in bhalla, but he was also an exponent of
Like the flashes of lightning. ~<: 'Cfif lf~ <:N OfT~\9" nritta. He died in 1946, and with this the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak.
Having spotted, Behari
They fall at his feet
'Cf'~ '3'~T i
'Cf'if 'Cf'R I truly lost its foremost representative. He is survived by a son,
Birju Maharaj, who has already proved himself to be a very
GAURISHANKAR
Gauri Shankar belongs to Bikaner and he had his early
And put the"ir arms round him ~ lf~ ~li'Cf ~~ worthy successor. training in Kathak from his father, Devi Lal, and his uncle,
Says Binda, "0 Girdhari, Gf<:~ <:~ 'if~ ;q'R I (')li",~) BELA ARNAB Shiv Lal. Late!:, he also studied under Sunder Prasad. His
Be meciful to me".
~a If'fi~ ~T '3'"a 'ifflflJiT She belongs to a family of classical musIcIans in Bengal.
professional dance career began in 1934, when he danced at the
Allahabad Conference. Two years later he joined ,M adame
f~. ~a lfm~ '3'a a<r lfR I She has spent several years in learning Kathak. She h ad Menaka and accompanied her on a dance tour of Europe. Here,
If'fg '<{if ~ af~a ~ her early training under Soh an Lal .and Jai La!. Later, she was when he danced at the International Dance Olympiad at Ber.lin,
~ ~1f'fT <r<:'f <iij- iiIl:a;' m>if I awarded a scholarship by the Ministry of Culture and she had he was awarded one of the highest Prizes. The party returned
If'ifT '9~ Of>ifa ~q- If~lf Gfl<T, ~~ 'fT'ifiI IfR II intensive training under Shambhu Maharaj . At present she is to In~ia in 1938. Gauri Shankar then went to Santiniketan and
olfTlf ~n: lfrfu <:Tf'Cf'fiT a well-known Kathak dancer in Bengal and is teaching the
~~ if~~ it \9"T\9" ~T<:i ~>if IT' :l;fT>if I same art at the Bengal Music College, Calcutta.
worked with Gurudev Tagore for a short time. After this he
toured the country on his own and gave numerous dance
If~ Iff\;f 1f\9" ~T\T >;flj' ~a 'li'fi~T ~m~~oRI performances. In 1942 he again joined Menaka's troupe, but this
~ 'fiT ~T "'IJ;flf f<r":T;;ra BIR/U MAHARA/
;fr~ If<:CiT ~T<i If,~ '<f~ m<:T~~:r I
was disbanded after a year. Gauri Shankar then opened his
Popularly known as Birju, Brijmohan Mahar.ai . is the own school at Bombay, known as "Pracheen Nritya Niketan".
fOf;:~T ~ ~<: f\9",fT m~ :l;fT>if I \9"ilfT IfTfa<r 'fiR I ( 'li",~ ) youngest torch-bearer of the Kalka-Binda Gharana of Lucknow. This school is still functioning and has trained over 200 pupils.
~f~~~T~ As a child he was trained by his father Acchan oMaharaj, but the Gauri Shankar has also composed some ballets in Kathak
How can I go to Jamuna to fetch water? latter died when Birju was only ten and thereafter Birju was technique.
Holi is in full swing! ~ ;;n:r ;;n:r ~R I trained by his uncles, Lacchu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj.
Listen to the tumult and deafening sounds of the Mridang fOf"~T ~T<r ~ 'liq-T lJi<:T ~ He is also an expert in the tabla and pakhawaj and, rhythm GOP! KRISHAN
being in his blood, he is ceaselessly creating new patterns of Gopi Krishan belongs to a family of singers and dancers.
and Dupha.
Look, what that darling of Nanda does. Ift~ ~T lJi<: ~R I (~~\) dance beats. He is a very accomplished 'dancer and he can He is the son of Sukhdev Misra, of Banaras, who was for a long
He paints the faces of Gop'is with colour, Behold the happy sight perform nritta and nritya with equal ease. For the past few time a Court musician in Nepal. He has three sisters, Alakhnanda
He seizes them and gives them a violent shake Radha and Krishna are seated on the /hoola, years, he has also been trying to compose full-scale ballets in and Sitara, who are dancers, Tara, who is a singer, and two
And forcibly kisses them Fastened on bejewelled pillars! Kathak. He has already produced 'Phag Lila', 'Govardhan Lila', brothers, Pandey and Chaubey, the latter of whom is also a
Says Binda, Rocked by the gust of gale . 'Malati-Madhav' and 'Kumara Shambhava' and he himself has Kathak dancer. Gopi Krishan is now 26 years of age. He came
"Thus did Shyam set on Sakhis today!" The /hoola swings back and forth soaring h'igher and luglaer. danced the principal role in all these ballets. He has given to Bombay as a child and studied in a convent. He finished his
Roaring clouds dark and thik numerous dance performances all over the country and, today, schooling in Bombay and then went to Calcutta, where his
~T: Gather above in mighty array it is almost impossible to think of a music and dance conference father gave him intensive training in Kathak. He then returned
And a gentle breeze without Birju M raj taking part in it. At present he is to Bombay and started his career as a professional dancer. He
~~~T it \9"T\9" ~~ ~T~T ~If If"fRT I Floating on its fragrant wings working as a K teacher at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra, directed dances in several films and also danced in a number
Sprinkles the earth with soothing showers! New Delhi. In ry way, Brijmohan Maharaj is a worthy of them. His big break came when he starred and danced in
'ifTm 'if~ mr<: 11' \9"TOf 'fiT 1ff~ 'fiR If'ifRT I Matched in contrast successor to his at father, Acchan Maharaj. Shanta ram's "Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje". This picture rocketed
'3'~ lf~ \9"ffl .;rlfT OfR<: 'if~T :{If 'fir 'liRr, Behold the dark and fair
CHIRAN/I LA
Gopi Krishan to fame. Taking advantage of this opportunity,
ro~T '";rR f~lf ~ if' m If.~ ~T ~Rr I Seated together are they-
The dark-hued and the moon-faced- Chiranji Lal er brother of the late Narayan Prasad
Gopi Krishan toured all over the country and gave hundreds of
dance performances and, through these personal appearances,
~ ;;raif lJi<: ~ ~ ifT~T 'It lJiT<:T ~ lfRT' Like the clouds and the lightning! and son of.jifl1if11l~~ sad of J aipur. He was trained in Kathak added immensely to his popularity. Gopi Krishan also studied
GfJi>fT ~« if';, m~ ~If'f omr ~Rr I m And his Mukut ?
Is it the peacock dancing at the sight of the clouds J
by his fa'rl~M:I.~tudied for some time under Binda
Din Maha ~ some time in the States of Udaipur
Kathak from Shambhu Maharaj and Bharata Natyam from
Govindaraj Pillai. Gopi Krishan is an accomplished Kathak
fOf"~T ~a 'Flf ,,~ ~q'aT ;:rr;:ra 'li~ ~?RT I' Behold the universe on this swing!
Radha, the moon
and Raig
Kathak
t~2 years he is in Delhi and teaching
Mahavidyalaya. After the death of
dancer, but he does not believe in blindly following any tradition.
He has, therefore, introduced certain new features in his Kathak.
Son of Yasoda is engrossed in the riotous play of colour. Shining against the dark sky-Krishna! hi d, he has taken the responsibility of
The lanes are slushy with Chandan and Gulab. And these shimmering pearls o Narayan Prasad's four young sons. HANUMAN PRASAD
The Gulal flying in the atmosphere On their garments? Hanuman Prasad is the son of Gangaram, a Kathak of the
Has painted the sky red Aren' t they the stars? Jaipur style. He was trained in dance by his father as well as
And the patches of clouds above All sing your glory: l1 J"jriIJ ;~r:" dancing very early in life. As a by Dhanalal, a Kathak of merit. He has taught at Delhi and
Appear like bags of colour. Brahma, Shiva and sages alike . _ ........._ IL_ by Sitaram Prasad and Madame Meerut and now, for several years, he has been in Bombay. He
Daubed are the faces of all "0 M ercifu/!" ent on a dance tour of Europe is also a poet and music composer. Though he is a Kathak
With black and white mixed in o'il Pleads Binda Din, with folded hands . went with her. When she dancer following the Jaipur tradition, he excels in bhava and his
In vain do they try to wash off the colour "Bestow the bounty of mercy on me!" ... --~ and more intensive, training thumris, dadras and ghazals are always a treat to behold. A~
And fair faces are dark now. j brothers, Acchan, Lacchu and present he is working as the Kathak teacher in the Hillgrange
Heaven rejoices, Gods beat the drums rma shower flewer, arata Natyam, Kathakali and School, Bombay. '

62 63
HAZARI LAL
A leading exponent of the Jaipur Gharana, Hazari Lal
belongs to Bikaner. . His father, Hanumanta Ram, was a noted
sarangi player and. his brother, Satya Narain, was well known as
a tabla artist. Hazari I4Uearned from both. Later, he became
a pupil of Shiv L3:l,_~ KathaJc qancer of .the J aipur Gharana, .who
is now pver 80 years "{)Lm. ~r this he became a pupil of
Sund\:!,' Prasad and .had inl,n~vN!aining under him. After
startI ng 'his professional career, h~~ gave dance performances all
over North India and was also invited to perform at the darbars
of Raigarh, Gidhor and Paruna. He worked for three years as
a Kathak teacher at the ' Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth,
Lucknow, and now, sirce 1949, he is the chief Kathak instructor
at the Sangeet Samaj . College, Meerut.
. \
JAGANNATH PRASAD,
An outstanding K.it~ak exponent of his time, Jagannath
Prasad was born in Bikaner State and he died in 1946, at the
age of p4. He was a disciple of Nathulal, who was for some
time the Court dancer at Gwalior, but he also learnt from
Chuni Lal and Gopal Das, both of whom followed the Janki
Prasad G~anlDa. Jagannath Prasad spent a long time at Banaras
and afte-r that he served as a Court d ancer in Indore and Nepal.
He was a> man of deep religion and his dance was always an
expression of his devotion to Lord Krishna. He composed some
kavitas and other items of nritya. He is survived by a son, Radha
Knshan, who is now teaching Kathak at Pilani.
JAI KUMARI
Jai Kumari is the only daughter of the great Jai Lal of
the Jaipur Gharana . She was trained by her father and for
many years there was no Kathak dancer who could compete
with her. Her forte was layakari. She performed, _:a~t,t;~ill....~
conferences and won acclaim everywhere. The d
father was a great shock to her and, since then, she Jl"''!A5"nl\~''''
left the dance field. For some years she served
teacher at the Bani Bidya Bithi; Calcutta. Now 35,
she lives at Calcutta, with her mother, and gives private tuition
in Kathak.
JA! LAL
Acknowledged, by common consent, as the doyen
Jaipur Gharana, Jai Lal Misra was born about 1885
died in 1949. He was first attached to the Court of
after that he also served as a Court dancer in
Jodhpur, Sikri, R aigarh and Maihar. He was for
Nepal as well. He stayed for about 8 years at
taught Kartik and Kalyan. Apart from being
dancer, Jai Lal was also an expert on the tabla
and he was also a qualified musician. Jai Lal was U'Ull'~mlt.uy
his father Chuni Lal' Jai Lal spent the last three years
.his life at Calcutta, as a Kathak teacher in the Bani Bidya
Bithi. He married twice and he is survived by two children,
Ram Gopal and Jai Kumari, both of whom arc Kathak dancers
and both of whom, with their respective mothers, still continue
to stay at Calcutta.
M. S .KALYANPURKAR
Mohanrao Kalyanpurkar is one of the very few educated
men who have taken to Kathak as a profession. Originally a
student of science, he left college before graduation, to devote
himself fully to Kathak. He had intensive training under
Sunder Prasad and, side by side, whenever there was an
opportunity, he also took lessons from Acchan Maharaj as well
as Shambhu Maharaj. In 1937 he started a school of Kathak
in Lucknow- the Maharaj Bindadin School of Kathak, but
two years later, he was appointed Head of the D epartment of
Dance at the Morris College of Hindustani Music at Lucknow.
This College is now known as the Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidya-
peeth and Mohanrao still continues to be in charge of the Dance
Department. Apart from being a teacher, Mohanrao is also
an accomplished dancer, and he has given numerous professional
performances. He is also a composer and has composed many
kavitas and toras in Kathak and also directed and presented
a number of Kathak ballets, such as 'Shakuntala', 'Malati
Madhav', 'M egh doot', ' Vikramorvashiyum' and 'War and Peace'.
Today he is the examiner for Kathak at many schools and
institutions throughout India and also a judge for various
awards in dance instituted by the Government of India.
KARTIK RAM AND KALYAN DAS
I These two dancers, who once formed an inseparable pair,
were brought up by the Raja of Raigarh. He arranged for their
training and employed vidwans such as Jai Lal and Acchan
Maharaj for the purpose. When the Raja was living, these two
~ancers were in great form and there were very few dancers,
even among hereditary professionals, who could compete with
them, at least in tayari. These dancers arc nol1 well known today,
64
for after the Raja's death, they have preferred to remain in th
background. This is indeed a great pity, for they are both
a~co~plish~d artistes and brilliant performers. They are both
still m Ralgarh, though they are not connected with Katbak
any more.
KRISHAN KUMAR
. Krish!ln Kumar belongs to t~e Janki Prasad Gharana and
IS one of Its foremost representatives at present. He is the IOn
of Pt. Gopal and the nephew of Hanuman Prasad both
outstanding dancers of their SchooL He was trained by Iili uncle
Hanuman Prasad and, later, by Ashiq Hussain. In 1947 he
started a Kathak school at Bareilly and, apart from running ~
he toured several parts of North India giving KathU
performances. H e came to D elhi in 1958, to ,,'ork in "Malali
Madha v", the ballet produced by the Bharatiya Kala Kendra
Here, he came into close touch with Shambhu Maharaj and
decided to his disciple, in order to learn the Lucknow
style of him in this, the Ministry of Culture
has Krishan Kumar is already an
accompl and and 10,
today, he is learning........... .Iio1II•t
She
her
uncle,
..-UlrsDlP by the
this traini~
~h=b~!lti~;':j. She has also worked With
opposite him in twO Kathak
"Kumara sambhava".
KUNDAN LAL I
Kundan Lal a Kathak exponent of the Jaipur Schoo,
trained by his u'ncle Narayan Prasad, the .nothd ~~N:ayan
t:r
Kathak who is now no more. He went to RaIgar ~I he went to
Prasad when the latter was in service there. After. this f 5 yead
Bihar ~nd Madhya Pradesh and toured these regIJr tb~n came
and gave dance performances at several pl~. d~ce tuitions.
to Bombay and stayed there f01" 15 years, .glvK!thak, indudiDI
He trained a number of film actresses 10 . orking as a
Swarnalata, Paro and Jabeen. Since 1953 he IS tthe Baroda
Kathak instructor in the Dance Departm~nt 0
University.
LACCHU MAHARAJ
Younger to Acchan Maharaj and elder to Shambhu
Maharaj, Lacchu Maharaj is at present the seniormost exponent
of the Lucknow Gharan a. He was trained first by Kalka Prasad
and then by Acchan Maharaj. He started giving professional
performances when he was ten, and today, at the age of 58, he
still continues to do so. For a long time, he has been at Bombay.
Here he runs his own dance school, 'Nntan Nritya Niket'. He
has also composed some ballets in Kathak technique. He trained
his daughter Kausalya in Kathak and about 15 years ago, she
was a very popular artist, though now she has retired from .thes.e
fields. Though he is popularly known as Lacchu Maharaj, hl~
real name is Baijnath Prasad. In 1957 he won the Akademl
Award for Kathak dance.
MOHAN LAL
Mohan Lal is the son of Hanuman Prasad, of Jaipur, and
the elder brother of Chiranji Lal and Narayan Prasad. H~
learnt the Jaipur technique from his father. and t~en went t?
Lucknow and learnt for some time from Bmda Dm Maharaj.
He then toured several States, among them Raigarh, Indor~,
Gidhor and Baroda, and gave Kathak performances: After thiS
he went to Jaipur and worked there for some time as the
Court dancer. After a stay in Bombay, he remained for a long
time at Delhi teaching Kathak to his own disciples. Now, for
a year, he is' at the Sangeet Vidyalaya at Khairagarh, as a
teacher of Kathak.
MAYA RAO
Maya Rao is perhaps the only dancer from South India
who has mastered Kathak. She belongs to Bangalore and she
had her early training in Kathak from Sohanlal of Jaipur, who
was at Bangalore. While still a student, in 1946, she started a
school of dancing in Bans:alore, and ~his ~as p~bably. t~e fir.st
institution in South India to prOVide mtenslve trammg In
Kathak. After qualifying for the Honours Degree i!1 Literll:t~re,
Maya Rao went to Jaipur and for two. years received traIning
in Kathak from the best teachers aVaIlable there. Soon after
that she was awarded a Government of India Cultural
Sch~larship in Kathak, and she began her. further. training
under Shambhu Maharaj. Shambhu Maharaj found In her a
very diligent and promising pupil, and he has on more than
One occasion admitted that he has trained her to an extent to
which he has not trained any other pupil in his whole career.
Maya Rao also has the rare distinction of having danced duets
with her Guru, Shambhu Maharaj. She has composed some
ballets in Kathak and also carried out researches pertinent to
that art. She is now on the staff of the Bharatiya. Kala Kendra, RANI KARNA.
New Delhi but she still continues to be a pupil of Shambhu Rani Karna is today one of the leading dancers of Delhi.
Maharaj a~d since a year, also of Sunder Prasad, thus getting Having taken an Honours Degree in Science at the Delhi
the benefit 01 the best training from the foremost exponents of University, she is now a student of Sanskrit and Russian.
both Gharanas. However, dancing has always attracted her and she has spent
all her spare time learning this art. She had her early training
POOVIAH SISTERS under Birju Maharaj and, after that, under Narayan Prasad.
Pooviah Sisters were pioneer students of Pandit Sunder She is generally accepted as the foremost pupil of the late
Prasad and Pandit Jayalal of Jaipur, whose devotion to Kathak Narayan Prasad. Rani Karna has given a number of Kathak
became an example to many other young women of our country. performances at Delhi and at other places, and she is beginning
Sita Pooviah eldest of the three sisters wrote thesis for a Doctor's to acquire a professional status.
Degree on Kathak, which is hitherto unpublished.
RATA.N SHANKAR
RADHA KRISHAN Ratan Shankar is the young son of Gyan Shankar, who was
Radha Krishan was born in Nepal where his father, for many years in Lahore. Ratan Shankar has been trained in
Jagannath Prasad, a Kathak exponent of the Janki P~asad Kathak by his father, an outstanding master himself. Ratan
Gharana was in service as the Court dancer. Radha Knshan Shankar has made some appearances on the professional stage
had his training in Kathak from his father. After his father's ill Bombay and he has unanimously been proclaimed a brilliant
death he went to Dehra Dun where he worked as a dance performer. His tayari and luyakari in footwork are especially
teacher in "Sangeet Samiti". After 5 years' stay in Dehra Dun, noteworthy. .
he joined the "Sangeet Bharati", Delhi, as a Kathak teacher and
worked there for 3 years. Since 1953 he is working as a Kathak ROHINI BHATE
teacher at the Birla College, Pilani. He is also the author ~f a
book on Kathak, "Nrityakala Manjari", which is in Hindi.
Though she had made some effort to learn dance before, it
was in 1946 that Rohini Bhate started her serious study of
RADHELAL MISRA
Kathak. She had her early training from Sohan Lal, of the
Radhelal Misra is a disciple of J ai Lal. He was with Ram
Jaipur Gharana. After this she had occasional lessons from
Manna Lal of Bombay, and from Mohanrao Kalyanpurkar of
Gopal for some years and he tou~e? Europe .with him. Among Lucknow. In 1952 she went as a member of the Indian Cultural
his disciples the name of Kumudml Lakhla IS we.ll known. He Delegation to China. Rohini Bhate has made an earnest study
is at present teaching Kathak at Sangeet Bharao, a school of of the ancient and authoritative shastras on Indian dance and
music and dance in New Delhi.
RAM GOPAL
dramaturgy and tried to use this knowledge to improve her
technique. For over a decade she has been running a school of
Kathak at Poona. known as "Nritya Bharati". This school has
Ram Gopal is the only son of Jai Lal, the doyen of the trained numerous pupils and has twice won the first prize in
Jaipur Gharana .. He was borrl: at Raigarh, w~en his father Kathak at the Inter-University Youth Festivals at Delhi. Rohini
was in the service of the Raja there. Ram Gopal received Bhate has given numerous performances alI over the country
training in Kathak as well as in tabla and he achieved a very and has also appeared in music and dance conferences.
high degree of proficiency in both. He has danced at several She has worked as an examiner in Kathak, both at Lucknow
music conferences and worked as a teacher at Bombay and and Jaipur. She has composed a number of ballets in Kathak
Madras. He is at present only ~5 years of age. !:Ie now t~a.c~es style and she has written several articles, in Marathi, and also
Kathak at the Bani Bidya Bithl, Calcutta, and IS also a vlSlong two books, one on the technique of Kathak and the other on
instructor attached to the Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack. her own experiencCl as a dancer.
 ROSHAN KUMARI
Roshan Kumari is the daughter of Fakir Mohammed, a
noted tabla player, and Zohra Jan of Ambala, a famous playback
. singer, who worked for a long time in Bombay. Thus, she was
/ brought up in an atmosphere of music and rhythm. She received
, ./, her training in Kathak, first from K. S. Moray and then from
I , Sunder Prasad. She also learnt Bharata Natyam for some time
from Govindaraj Pillai and ·-M.ahalingam Pillai of Bombay, but
she did thi~ only to upderstand, the technique of that art, not
to perform It. She has. presented Kathak at numerous conference!
'.'. in all parts of the country. She has' oetJen been aske4. to dance
for important dignitaries who have, from time to time;'come. to
'- India from v,llrious foreign -countries. She has also danced in a
number of ~ndi and Bengali films, including "Jhansi Ki Ran$."
"Mirza Gliallb", "Waris", "Parineeta", "Basant Bahar" ar.d ' \
"Jalsaghar". She is now in Calcutta, where her parents ha~e
settled down. . ./
I ,'
SHAMBH'u MAHARAJ . /" / SUDERSHAN KUMAR
Shambhu Maharaj is the youngest of the .three f~ous $on( '
of Kalka Prasad and nephews of Binda Din. He was trained in
Kathak, fi~t by his uncle Binda Din and then by his eldest
brother Mchan M~araj. Apart from concentrating on dancing,
Shambht/ Mahara] . also learnt classical H industani music,
especiiY the " thum ri-anga, which he mastered under the
gui?an :«3 0 Rarumuddin Khan who was the younger brother of
MOlZU, 'lin K.han, a prominent thumri exponent of his time.
Shamllhl1 Maharaj is ,equally at home in music and dance, and it
is by/\ri!tue of ~is that he cal) do equal justice to both nritya and
pr~f.esslon~ d.ance perforIllances, and today he enjoys a repu-
tatJ6n which IS the envy of. every Kathak artist. H e has won
numerous awards and titles, among them 'Nritya Samrat' which
was bestowed upon him at a major music and dance conference
held in Dehra Dun, and 'Abhinaya Chakravart i, which was
given to him at .a conference in Madras. He is also the recipient
of two of ~e greatest honours in the field of Indian art: the.
'Padama Shri', which is made by the Rashtrapati and the
Akademi Award; which is made by the Sangeet Natak Akadenp.
True to the ideals of his Gharana, Shambh~ Maharaj excels In
bhava and he has also ~e earnest efforts to revive the )ise
of Ashtapadis and of certain thumris and bhajans and other
!,ritya pieces in Kathak.' ~e has trained hundreds of pupils,
mcluding' most of 'the Oovernment of India scholarship-holders
in Kathak. Shambhu 'Maharaj is convinced that the Kathak
we have today was origi nally the 'Nat wari' dance and he is
striving hard to restore it to its pristine purity. Since 1955 he
is working as the Head of the Dance Department at the Bharatiya
Kala Kendra, New Delhi.
SHIV LAL
Now aged over 80, Shiv Lal is a veteran who has spent his
whole life in the service of Kathak. He belongs to Rajasthan
but, early in his life, after getting some training from th~
G.urus ~ere, he w~nt to Lucknow and became a disciple of
Bmda Dm MaharaJ. He then served as a dancer in the States
of Mysore and Nepal. He also worked for some time as a
teacher of Kathak in the Vishnu Digamber School, Bombay.
Due to old age he is not doing any work now and is spending
his time at his native village, Sujangarh.
SITARA
She is the daughter of Sukhdev Misra who was a Court
musician in Nepal. She was trained in Kathak first by her
father and then by Acchan Maharaj. She also had lessons from
Shambhu Maharaj . About 15 years ago, she was a popular
film actress. She has given numerous Kathak performances all
over the country, and she has also danced outside India. H er
dancing is always brilliant and full of life.
66
SIT ARAM PRASAD
Sitaram Prasad was a disciple of Binda Din and h
This your
IS
~onte~porary of Acchan M aharaj . He sl'. rved as a COurted'WU a
In Ralgarh and also in Nepal. About 1935 he came to ~r Heritage
and settled down there. He had a number of pupils pro' y
among whom were Menaka, Zubeida and Manora:n.. Dl1Dent In a picturesque mountainous drive
from .~ahableshwar to Mahad. you
can VISit the ancient fort of Pratab-
SOHAN LAL
garh. This fortress is 3543 feet above
. Like Jai Lal, So~an L~ .is an outstanding artiat of th se~ l~~el, and was built in 1656 by
J alpur Gharana. He IS a dIscIple of J ai Lal Sunder prasad ShlvaJl, who at this fort defeated the
~~ Devi ~~. H~ spent most of ~s time in Bombay and Calcu
".
glvmg twuons m Kathak. HIS famous pupils are Bel
Jharna, of Calcutta. He also trained Sunalini Devi LedaaDan.
!:I army of Sultan of Bijapur.
From the bastions of Pratabgarh, you
and 1:tam Dhan. who i.s now working as a dan~e teacherea: have a magnificent view of the
Ludhlana. Sohan Lal IS also an expert in the tabla and Western Ghats, an area which depicts
<fCOmplished vocal musician. an the rugged beauty of India. And
j . wherever you motor in this vast
country, your trip wilJ be more
Sudershan Kumar is a sincere and d evoted student of Kathak pleasant, and free from 'car troubles',
who h~ already made a mark in the field of dance. After hia when you drive on Caltex petroleum
academiC career, he began to learn Bharata Natyam Manip .
and Kathak, but eventually decided to stick to only ~ne styl=
products.
the Kathak. He is a pupil of Hazari Lal who teaches Kathak
at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay.'He has already given
some p.e rformances, ,,:hich have bee~. appreciated, and he hu
thus laid the foundatiOn of a prommng professional career.
SUNDER LAL
Sunder Lal belo~gs to Sujangarh, in Ra ja,sthan, and he ia
the son of S~tya ~araln, a noted tabla player of his time. Sunder
Lal was trained m Kathak by a number of outstanding muten
of the Jaipur Gharana, including Shiv Narain Jaganoatb.
Sunder Pra~ad, Hazari Lal and Gauri Shankar. Sunder La! ia
a very pohshed performer and his demonstration is alwaY'
marked by unusual grace, charm and technical perfection. He
has worked as a dance teacher in Bombay, Delhi and MeeruL
He is also an expert in the tablll and has often given recitals foa
AIR. He is also a composer and has a number of Kathak kavit4
and tora..s to his credit. Since 1951 he is working as a Kathal
teacher m the Dance Department of the University of Baroda.
SUNDER PRASAD
Sund.er Prasad is the younger brother of Jai Lal, the doyen
of the Jalpur Gharana. He had his early training in Kathak
from his father Chuni Lal and from his brother Jai Lal. But
he was only a boy when he was taken to Lucknow and put
under the charge of Binda Din Maharaj. In this way, quite
early in life, Sunder Prasad acquired the knowledge of
the Jaipur Gharana as well as the Lucknow Gharana. He has,
therefore, evolved a system of Kathak which utilises the best
elements of each Gharana. Sunder Prasad became a professional
dancer from the age of about 20 and, since then, he has given
many dance recitals in all parts of the country. But more than
a performer, he has been a teacher. He first started a school
of Kathak in Bombay, which he called the Maharaj Binda DiD
School of Kathak. He spent over 30 years in Bombay and
trained numerous disciples, among them Sunalini Devi, Pooviah
sisters, Menaka, Mohanrao Kalyanpurkar, Sohan Lal, Hira Lal
and Roshan Kumari. After Bombay he went to Madras and
trained some pupils. Since 1958 he is in D elhi, as a Kathak
teacher at the Bharatiya Kala K endra. In recognition of his long
service in the field of Kathak, in 1959 the Sangeet Natat
Akademi honoured him with the Award for Kathak dance.
(Th ese sketches are arranged in alphabetical order of thl! lIam.s
of Guru and contemporary artists. )
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