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 'Arpan' - A tribute to Guru Dharamshi Shah - Manjari Sinha e-mail: manjari@sinha.com Photos: Sangeet Das Banerjee December 28, 2022 Devi Durga Kathak Sansthan, Delhi and the Nartan Academy of Indian Classical Dance, USA, jointly presented 'Arpan', a tribute to Late Guru Dharamshibhai Shah, at the Stein auditorium of Habitat Centre, Delhi. The founder of Kalakshetra Nritya-Sangeet Vidyalaya, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, Guru Dharamshibhai Shah was trained in music and dance at Shanti Niketan and Uday Shankar Cultural Centre, Almora. He later learnt four Indian classical dance forms including Kathak under Guru Sundarlal Gangani, Odissi under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Bharatanatyam under Guru Rajagopalan and Kathakali under Guru Kunjnayak Valankada of Malabar. Purvi Rajyaguru Bhal, the Director of Nartan Academy, DC, and a senior disciple of Guru Dharamshibhai Shah welcomed her 95-year-old Guru Maa Jhaveriben Shah, who had come all the way from Gujarat on this occasion and thanked Geetanjali Lal and her institution for helping her organize 'Arpan' as a heartfelt tribute on the 5th death anniversary of her late Guru. She remembered with gratitude how Guru Dharamshibhai Shah had taken her under his wings at a very young age and guided her all through. Even the name 'Nartanam' to her institution in the US was given by him, she reiterated. Geetanjali Lal also had a warm relationship with the late Guru who had invited her quite often not only for performances but also for conducting workshops at his institution in Bhavnagar. She had very thoughtfully conceived and curated 'Arpan', especially incorporating Gujarati songs for Vidha Lal and her own solo offerings in memory of the late Guru.  Vidha Lal The evening opened with Ganesh Vandana choreographed by Geetanjali Lal, danced by six of her senior disciples on the popular Aarati (prayer) "Jai Deva, Jai Deva, Jai Mangal-Murti...." preceded with a Kavitta on the Vighna-Harta, the destroyer of obstacles set to drut-ektaal that sounded like the chautaal Theka played on pakhawaj with the Dhrupad compositions. This group choreography set the mood for the scintillating solo by Vidha Lal, the senior most disciple of Guru Geetanjali Lal. Vidha entered with chanting of mantras and shlokas invoking Devi as a perfect preface to the popular Devi Stuti written by the Gujarati poet Avinash Vyas, "Mani taro kanku kharule suraj ugyo" (Oh mother, your kumkum glows like the splendour of the early morning sun that awakens the beauty of nature all over.) The music for her solo choreography had the vibrant folk flavour of the Gujarati Garba Raas, danced with gay abandon by Vidha covering the whole stage and climaxing with the drut tatkaar (fast footwork) on the devotional refrain of 'Ambe Bhavani'. Offering her solo performance as a haziri (ode) to the Late Guru, Vidha continued with shuddha nritta of Jaipur Gharana with Uthaan, Thaat, Aamad enhanced with Meend ka kaam, Parans in the Chhand of Khand, Tisra and Misra Jati and then the Gat bhaav of Govardhan Leela and Kaliya-Daman Prasang with Kanduk-Kreeda (game of ball) as perfect preface to the famous bhajan of Krishna devotee poet Narasi Mehta, "Jal kamal chhadi jane bala, Swami amaro jagashe, Jagashe ani marashe..." an interesting dialogue between the serpent queen and the adolescent, innocent looking Krishna. She says, "Oh charming boy, tender as the water lotus, it seems that you have come here by mistake. My husband, the Kaliya Naag is sleeping If he wakes up, he will kill you, and we would unnecessarily suffer the sin of Brahman hatya, please go away!" and Krishna replies, "It's not by mistake, I have come here to take away his head that I owe as a penalty in the game of dice that I lost in Mathura." After a long sequence of interesting repartees when she realises that Krishna is not an innocent little boy but the almighty God, she asks for pardon and begs him the life of her husband.  Geetanjali Lal Geetanjali Lal took the stage thereafter and presented moving abhinaya on a romantic Gujarati ghazal written by Kavi Kalapi, "Jyan jyan nazar mari thare..." that meant, "Wherever I cast a glance, I find you and you only. If I see a flower I remember the flower you put in my hair, even in my mirror I see you only instead of my own reflection." Geetanjali defied her age in that lovely costume where she looked like a miniature painting. She told me later that the music for this ghazal was composed by late Jwala Prasad way back in 1975 when she had performed it in Baroda.  Disciples of Geetanjali Lal The evening concluded with a Tarana composed by Geetanjali in raga Janasammohini set to jhaptaal of 10 beats cycles. It was performed by her well-trained students. The captivating group choreography was also done by her. The secret behind the mesmerizing offering of 'Arpan', was perhaps the heartfelt reverence and the deep emotional involvement of both Guru Geetanjali Lal and Purvi Rajyaguru Bhal for her departed Guru.  Manjari Sinha has an M.A. in Sanskrit and Music, and trained in vocal, tabla, sitar and Kathak dance. She has regular columns in national dailies as a music and dance critic. |
