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 Gurave Namah: Ode to Guru Munna Lal Shukla - Manjari Sinha e-mail: manjari@sinha.com January 10, 2024 Disciples of Guru Munna Lal Shukla paid earnest tribute to their late Guru on his 80th birth anniversary at three different venues in Delhi this past December. Presented by three different institutions, Samarpan, Saraswati Sangeet Vidyalay, and AIPA, the dance tributes brought the Guru's disciples together with great enthusiasm. Aniruddha Shukla, the gifted tabla player, son and disciple of Guru Munna Shukla, and his institute 'Samarpan: the Soul of Music' organized 'Gurave Namah: An Offering' at the Triveni Kala Sangam on the 8th of December, where Guru Munna Lal Shukla's disciples Sushmita Ghosh, Alaknanda Dasgupta, Diksha Upreti, Nehi Khar from Delhi, Pallavi Shome and disciples from Mumbai, Rashmi Jangam from Pune, Jyotsna Banerjee and disciples, Mruga Shroff and disciples from Surat, Pankaj Rawat and Bhavna Bisht offered their 'Nrityanjali' to their departed Guru. 'Ahaetuki - The Grace of a Master' was curated and presented by Ruchi Saini as a disciple's tribute to her Master at the Gallary ArtSastra, Saraswati Sangeet Vidyalaya, on 17th of December. The term 'Ahaetuki' for the Kathak Baithak was birthed after the passing away of Guru Munna Shukla in the year 2022, as a reminder of the Kathak maestro's selfless act of sharing love in the form of knowledge with his students without any 'hetu' or vested interest.  Parita & the senior group of Ruchi Saini's Ahaetuki Celebrating the immense contribution of Guru Munna Shukla to the art world in general and Kathak dance in particular, the 'Ahaetuki' Baithak commenced with 'Aakaar Prakaar', a documentary film dedicated to the musicologist/scholar Late Prof. Sushil Kumar Saxena. Directed by Ruchi Saini, the film featured conversations with Dr Saxena delineating the finer nuances of Kathak, juxtaposed with the work of Guru Munna Shukla interspersed with demonstrations by Ruchi Saini. The documentary focused on the subtler aspects of Kathak, like the phonetic differences of the bols produced by different areas of the foot like the sides, toes or ankles, through informal conversations and articulate demonstrations. The film screening was followed with Guru Vandana in raag Kaushik Dhwani set to Dadra Taal by Ruchi Saini, as an ode to her revered Guru, followed with 'Mayur', the dance of the peacock with its strut, the dainty gait or 'chal' through beautiful hand gestures, body and eye movements. The sonorous sarod playing a bandish in raga Miyan Malhar created a romantic aura of the monsoon with the nritta segment. The Mayur dance conveyed the feeling of a Virahini Nayika longing for her lover by looking at the dance of the peacock. The joy in imagining a momentary embrace symbolized the gaze and blessings of the Guru in the context of 'Ahaetuki', despite the Guru's physical absence.  Ruchi Saini This solo dance offering by Ruchi Saini was followed by her junior and senior students dancing the traditional repertoire of Teentaal. The nagma or lehera in raga Jhinjhoti for Teentaal and raga Shankara for Dhamar Taal, or pieces like the concluding 'Nagade ki ladi' were remarkable. The senior group also presented "Sab ban than aayi Shyam pyaari re", a Thumri by Bindadin Maharaj in raag Hamir set to Sitarkhani Theka, where Parita, the sensitive dancer made her mark exploring the feelings of Mugdha, a young innocent nayika, who engulfed by the love and devotion for Krishna, realizes the fragrance of her inner bliss. This abhinaya piece was choreographed by Ruchi Saini who interspersed it with the romantically lilting Gats like the 'Rukhsaar' and 'Mor Mukut ki Gat'. The live orchestra comprising tabla by M. Qadri, vocals by Sanjeev Shukla, and flute by Ganesh Singh enhanced the dance with melodious music. 'Guru Naman', the third tribute to Guru Munna Lal Shukla was offered by the Alaknanda Institute of Performing Arts (AIPA) at the Deshmukh Auditorium of India International Center, as a morning program on the 30th of December 2023. Before the performances, Shovana Narayan shared her memories of Munna Shukla as her Guru bhai, since both she and Munna Lal were the disciples of Pt. Birju Maharaj. She talked about his Guru bhakti and sincerity towards Kathak as a teacher and his creativity as a composer/choreographer of many memorable dance works.  Nehi Khar, Alaknanda & Diksha Upreti The performances on recorded music opened with 'Bahar', depicting nature's bounty in the spring season. Composed in raga Bahar, the Urdu couplet "Bahar aa gayi hai" set to the Chancher Theka of Taal Deepchandi, was danced as a trio by Nehi Khar, Alaknanda Dasgupta and Diksha Upreti. Manju Vazir and group from Mumbai opened with "Guru Charanan par sheesh navaaun" composed by and recorded in the voice of Pt. Birju Maharaj. They went on to dance on Dhamar and concluded with the popular Dadra "Rangi sari gulabi chunariya re". Then came two solo performances by Pallavi Shom and Shruti Sinha respectively. Pallavi opened with "Mohe chhedo na nand ke sunahu chhail", a Bindadin Thumri recorded in the voice of Pt. Birju Maharaj followed with a Rageshri Tarana set to Teentaal, interspersed with Tode, Tukde, Paran, Gatbhaav et al. Shruti Sinha opened with the invocatory "Shri Ramachandra kripalu bhaj mann" and then presented Dhamar on Malkauns Lehera and Sargam before concluding with the 'Ardhanareeshwar Stotra' "Ardhaanga bhasma bhahut sohe / Ardha Mohini roop hai" written, composed and sung by Pt. Birju Maharaj.  Bhavna Bisht  Divya & Diksha Upreti Jyotsna Banerjee presented 'Mayur' based on Miyan-Malhar composition, set to Rupak Taal of seven beats time cycle. Diksha and Divya Upreti's duet attracted the audiences not just by their admirable skill but also with their aesthetic sense visible in their costumes to choreography. Their sensibility was visible right from the Dhrupad style "Nom Thom" aalap in Yaman to the perfectly synchronized performance in Teentaal. Pankaj and Bhavna Bisht concluded the captivating morning of 'Guru Naman' with "Nirtat dhang" written and composed by Bindadin Maharaj in Misra Jati Chhand of seven matras. All these tributes for Guru Munna Lal Shukla organized at different venues in the capital throughout the month of his 80th Anniversary, proved the kind of love and respect the late Guru commanded despite being the most unassuming artiste. His amicable persona defined the Sanskrit Sukti or aphorism "Vidya dadaati vinayam", and his dedication to the art of Kathak and its propagation with utmost sincerity deserved all the reverence that was so evident in each one of these heartfelt tributes.  Manjari Sinha has an M.A. in Sanskrit and Music, and Sangeet Prabhakar in vocal, tabla, sitar and Kathak dance. She has regular columns in national dailies as a music and dance critic. |
