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 A young Kathakar ponders - Madhur Gupta e-mail: madhurgupta04@gmail.com November 26, 2019
With profound inputs from Guru Geetanjali Lal, Varsha went on to commence her recital with a Shiva Stuti. An invocatory benediction to Lord Shiva, the dancer portrayed various adornments of Shiva through her dance and praised the power and vigilance of the deity. Musically composed by Geetanjali Lal and choreographed by Vidha Lal, the piece was set to raga Hamsadhwani, chau-taal, a time cycle of 12 beats. Moving on to pure dance or shuddha nritta in vilambit laya, Varsha showcased the technical aspects of Kathak in teen taal which had an indelible mark of her guru Abhimanyu Lal's style. Varsha concluded her recital with an abhinaya piece Raadha-Kaanu where the dvaita-advaita bhava of Radha-Krishna was dealt with. The non-duality of these eternal lovers was celebrated with great aplomb with the first half of the lyrics taken from several mythological scriptures and some completed by Abhimanyu Lal. "Aadha aadha ang mila le Raadha-Kaanu aadha kapaale shashi, aadha bhaale bhaanu..." composed by Geetanjali Lal in raag Malkauns, roopak taal, the piece had a distinct lilting effect on the audience. The musicians for the evening were Amaan Ali on tabla, Ahsan Ali on sarangi, Salman Khan on pakhawaj, Mohammad Nizam on vocals, and Nikhil Parihar on padhant. It was an opportunity to converse with a young artiste and know her worldview of the contemporary classical arts scene: How did you enter the world of Kathak? I met my Guru Abhimanyu Lal while learning at Kathak Kendra and my life has never been the same ever since. He is a teacher who doesn't even make you realize how through work and play he actually imparts profoundly difficult and several tricky nuances of Kathak. Through him I met my Guru Vidha Lal and Guru Geetanjali Lal. After 3 years I started learning from Guru Vidha Lal under the Guru Shishya Parampara and the learning process has been continuing ever since but it was only during the Festival of India tour to Russia in 2009 when I accompanied my gurus that I took the leap of faith and decided to take up Kathak professionally. Which has been the most valuable learning you have received from your gurus? My gurus have made sure that whatever I learn should be learnt to the core for I have always heard from them that an incomplete learner is the most dangerous thing on earth. Another learning that my gurus have made sure I keep close to my philosophy is the stage is actually a mirror. It literally reflects who you are, how much you love your art, how much you have worked for it. The stage spares no one. This line makes me work harder every bit, for I would never want to be reflected in a negative light ever. Your comment on globalization of gharanas... As far as the yesteryears are concerned, globalization has created homogeneity on the world stage. So is the case with Kathak. Not everywhere, but what I can see is that the walls of the gharanas are slowly shredding away. Everyone appreciates each other's style more now. Minds have opened up. Everyone just looks forward to good and pure Kathak, without dismantling into the movements or syllables belonging to different gharanas, which I think is great. As a young artiste, what challenges do you think you face often and suggestions on how to overcome them for the readers? As a young artist, the biggest problem to be faced is obviously the lack of opportunities. I am not saying that I don't get opportunities to perform. I do for sure. Moreover, slowly but it is happening that I am becoming what I have been dreaming for a long time, a solo artiste. I know that I can perform more than what I am getting. But I still have full faith in my hard work, loyalty and gratitude towards my gurus. All I need to do is hang on, and things will come to me, things will take good shape. Odissi dancer Madhur Gupta is a disciple of Guru Sharon Lowen. He contributes to national dailies like The Hindu, The Times of India, The Asian Age, The Indian Express covering at large the Indian classical dance and music scene of the subcontinent. |
