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 Sanchit, Debadhara's Guru-Shishya Samman Festival, Words in the Garden - Manjari Sinha e-mail: manjari@sinha.com March 25, 2024 SANCHIT Photos courtesy: Nad-roop Kathak is essentially a solo dance form. The group choreographies in Kathak are a recent trend. With a large number of aspirants inspired to learn Kathak, the teachers may have opted for group presentations. Stalwarts like Kumudini Lakhia and other gurus who prepared solo Kathak dancers have also used group choreography for thematic presentations, but the fact remains that for full justice to 'Upaj', the impromptu improvisations so unique to Kathak, solo Kathak is a must! 'Sanchit', a three-day festival held in Pune, celebrated solo Kathak. Conceived and curated by Guru Shama Bhate, the Founder Director of Nad-roop, Pune, came as a sumptuous treat of solo Kathak, a rarity these days. 'Sanchit' literally means gathered, accumulated, reserved, implying that whatever impression accumulated and gathered during the 38 years-long career of Guru Shama Bhate from the Radha-Krishna Leelas to her contemporary productions, was showcased during the solo presentations by twelve of her senior disciples. The festival offered a plethora of different taals presented by the dancers on all three evenings at the MES Auditorium, Bal Shikshan Mandir, Pune. Taal, the Indian cyclic rhythm, is the strong base of Kathak, to the extent that it is often mentioned that the dancer is dancing a particular taal. Intraforms of nritta segment have to conform to a particular taal. Dancing to a particular taal is so complete in itself that barring the invocation and the abhinaya pieces based on sahitya where a vocalist is required, music is needed just as a lahera or nagma, the musical refrain played on sarangi, sitar, harmonium, to maintain laya, the pace of tempo, in solo Kathak, although Guru Rohini Bhate and her progeny gharana is known for its qualitative music as well, which was obvious in this festival.  Isha Naanal, Shraddha Mukhde and Shreya Kulkarni Isha Naanal, Shraddha Mukhde and Shreya Kulkarni from Nad-roop gave a flying start to the Sanchit festival with a trio to accommodate more of the invited solo dancers. Opening with Krishna Vandana "Vasudevasutam Devam.....Krishnam Vande Jagat Gurum", emerging from the melodious aalap in raga Jog, incorporated the Kavitta "Murali ki dhun sun, Baajat mridang....". Surprisingly the lahera turned to raga Tilang for the nritta segment, instead of continuing the same raga to Tilang alternatively from the very beginning. The trio concluded with a scintillating Tarana in raga Hameer. The accompanying artistes were Shilpa Bhide on padhant, Ishan Paranjape on tabla, Shubham Khandalkar on vocals, Saumitra on harmonium, and Sandeep Kulkarni on flute. The solo sessions opened with Shivani Karmarkar presenting taal Pancham Sawari, a challenging time cycle of fifteen beats with Ameera Patankar on padhant, Charudutt Phadke on tabla, Sandeep Kulkarni on flute, and Yashawant on harmonium. Entering the stage with the melodious aalap of raga Darbari on flute, Shivani offered a strikingly imaginative invocation depicting the Murali of Krishna, his Govardhan leela, Kanduk kreeda, and Kaliya daman improvised with Thaat. The 'Chalan', 'Aamad' and its variants with a gamak laced padhant by Ameera, and the crisp footwork evading the tempo, were all masterly. The famous teen-taal bandish of raga Darbari "Kin bairan kaan bhare" was commendably moulded to fit perfectly in the 15 matras of taal Pancham Sawari. Also the Paran-Aamad 'Thatak thunga' or 'Taak thunga takit thunga' were all skilfully fitted in the 15 beats. The 'Sargam' composition continuing raga Darbari with the 'sam' on the Mandra Dhaivat, had the Sargam taans following the taal patterns. The tabla rounds interspersed with dance were equally remarkable.  Shivani Karmarkar  Muktishri The last presentation of the inaugural evening was by Muktishri accompanied on tabla by Yogesh Shamsi, vocals by Nagesh Adgaonkar, padhant by Avanishri, the charming daughter of Muktishri, and flute by Sandeep Kulkarni. Muktishri, a senior disciple of Shama Bhate and Suresh Talwalkar, has also worked on contemporary music with Trilok Gurtu (son of Shobha Gurtu) in London. Opening with a Rama Stuti, she chose Rupak taal and opened with the traditional Thaat, enjoying the music of lahera sinking in all her 'ang-upang' swinging to its melody. The Aamad, Tode Tukde, Paran and Pramelu et al were danced with utmost grace and agility. She also presented a bandish of Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki "Vishnu maya Jag" interspersed with Gat Nikas and Gat Bhaav. Muktishri concluded with some exquisite compositions she had learned from Shama Bhate in teentaal with lahera in raga Bageshri.  Avani Gadre The next evening opened with Avani Gadre Bhatt presenting taal Ashta Mangal of eleven beat time cycle, preceded with Devi Stuti in raga Bihag where attributes of Devi were depicted with Sargam, heralding "Jaya Devi"! Ashta Mangal went ahead with Thaat, Aamad et al where the Aamad had a bandish of just three words "Ta Thei & Tat"! After the 'Darjedaar' traditional bandish "Tat tat ta drig nandan....," Avani chose Nandanaar Charitam for her abhinaya piece and impressed with her sensitive abhinaya as a low caste devotee of Shiva who was denied darshan of the Shiva idol by the priest. He earnestly urged the Nandi outside the temple to move a little so that he could have darshan of the Lord from outside only, and the Nandishwara obliged. Leena Ketkar took the stage next, and opened with Bal Mukund Stuti "Vatasya patrasya pute shayaanam / Balam Mukundam manasa smarami" and surprised the discerning audience by dancing to an unheard of taal of seven and a quarter matras called Ateet Rupak, where the seven beats were followed with a small 'laghu'! She had Ketaki Phadke for padhant, Charudatt on tabla, Mayur Mahajan on vocals, and flute of course by Sandeep Kulkarni. Her effortless ease was amazing in dancing to such a challenging time cycle with intra-forms like Thaat, Aamad, Tode, Tukde, and even the Farmaishi and Chakkardar Parans. For abhinaya, she presented the heart wrenching story of Karna's death scene from Mahabharat.  Leena Ketkar  Sheetal Kolwalkar Sheetal Kolwalkar was the concluding artist of the second evening. Opening with Ganesh Vandana she danced Dhamaar taal on her own composition "Bajat Taal Dhamaar" set to 14 beats cycle of the Dhamaar taal. Thaat, Uthaan etc were followed with Paran-Jodi Aamad "Dhatak thunga" climaxing to the 'sam' with 20 pirouettes. There were two pakhawaj players Omkar Dalvi and Shubham Ugle to accompany her along with Shivani on padhant, Suranjan Khandalkar on vocals, Abhishek on harmonium, and Sandeep on flute. It was thrilling to see Sheetal responding to both the pakhawaj players by turn. The Kali Paran reached the nritta segment to its climax. The concluding bhajan "Chalo mann Brindavan ki ore" popularized by Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra, was appropriate for abhinaya.  Ameera Patankar  Manasi Deshpande The concluding evening's attractions were Guru Vandana by Ameera Patankar, Shrikala Bedekar Joshi and Sheetal Kapole's Durga Stuti, Tisra-Jaati Teentaal and a Kajri depicting abhisarika nayika, Ketaki Shah's Tridevata Stuti and nritta in Ada Chautal of 14 beats time cycle and a Surdas bhajan composed by Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki. Manasi Deshpande's Shiva Vandana was followed with 'Laya-Sopan,' a ladder of varied tempos through Panchajati teentaal and a Thumri accompanied by Ananya on padhant, Swapnil Bhise on tabla, vocals by Somnath Mishra and by Sandeep Kulkarni, who supported each and every soloist with his melodious flute. The winsome grace and poise, the delicate ang, and the unhurried demeanour of the dancers carried the unmistakable signature of their Guru Shama Bhate's grooming, apart from their own individual talent and hard work. 'Sanchit' proved to be a worthwhile outcome of the 38 years long dedicated tapas of Guru Shama Bhate! DEBADHARA GURU-SHISHYA SAMMAN FESTIVAL Photos courtesy: Debadhara Guru Binayak Panda, the main protégé of Guru Debaprasad Das Shishya Parampara in Delhi, upholds this style of Odissi dance with utmost dedication. Debadhara, his pioneering dance institution that completes two decades of its fruitful existence, organizes many festivals as part of their cultural activities. Guru-Shishya Samman Festival of Debadhara celebrates the Guru-Shishya Parampara through which the heritage and wisdom of our Arts is transmitted from one generation to the next through the Guru (teacher) to the Shishya (student). Guru Binayak Panda's Guru Shishya Samman Festival felicitates both, Gurus and shishyas, who perform on this occasion.  Bagmishree The two-day festival held at the Habitat Centre, Delhi, featured Gurus with their shishyas in classical dance forms like Odissi, Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. Bagmishree, a senior disciple of Guru Gajendra Panda and granddaughter of Late Guru Debaprasad Das, opened the festival with 'Lakshmi Narasimha Dhyan Mangalacharan' inspired by the signature prayer of Prahlad Natak, an offering to the ferocious aspects of Lord Narasimha, composed in raga Mangalgurjari and Lalita, set to taal Ektali and Jati.  Ranjana Gauhar's disciples Odissi Guru Ranjana Gauhar's elaborate solo abhinaya as an abhisarika, was her own choreography with music by Saroj Mohanty. The Pallavi next, composed by Harihar Panda in raga Shankarabharanam and taal Ektali performed by a group of her disciples, was a classic choreography by Guru Mayadhar Raut.  Jayarama Rao and disciples Kuchipudi by Guru Jayarama Rao and his disciples opened with 'Omkaram', the primordial sound that symbolizes cosmic energy in the form of Shiva. The dance underlined the fact that even its chanting gives moksha, the ultimate liberation. 'Durga Tarangam' came next, a composition of Yathi Narayana Thirtha, invoking Durga. It depicted the dramatic episode of Mahishasura Mardini who is Adi Parashakti, an embodiment of the mother goddess ruling the universe. Durga Tarangam was preceded with an invocatory shloka and climaxed with Tarangam, the dance on the edges of the brass plate. Composed in raga Hamsadhwani, Durga Tarangam was choreographed by Guru Jayarama Rao.  Debadhara group The inaugural evening concluded with an Odissi performance by the Kala Shakti and Debadhara group. Pancha Deva Stuti and Ganesh Vandana by Kala Shakti was followed by Debadhara group's "Govindam Gokulanandam" and sthai nritta. Kala Shakti is an initiative of Patil Pranjal Lahensingh, former district magistrate of Shahdara, which creates an inclusive environment for children to empower them through engagement in different art forms. Specially focussed on underprivileged children, this initiative provides exposure to different art forms like music, dance, fine arts, etc with the guidance of Guru Binayak Panda. Debadhara has been associated with this initiative by providing Odissi dance education. The second evening opened with the Kathak recital by Guru Rajendra Gangani, a renowned exponent of Jaipur gharana, who opened with a Guru Vandana "Guru bin aiso kaun kare" interspersed with crisp footwork. His disciples impressed the audience with dancing on taal Dhamaar opening with Ganesh Paran, followed with Thaat, Aamad, Tode-Tukde and Paran, Chakkardaar Tihai et al.  Geeta Chandran and disciples Bharatanatyam came thereafter by Guru Geeta Chandran and her disciples opening with Jatiswaram in raga Poorvi Kalyani, a composition of the Tanjore Quartet. Geeta explored the infinite potential of adavus in interpreting endless possibilities of rhythm in time and space through quicksilver movements in her kaleidoscopic choreography performed by the group with amazing ease. Her solo on "Krishna nee begane baaro" explored three different contexts, the vatsalya rasa in Yashoda calling baby Krishna, shringar in the lovelorn nayika beckoning her beloved Krishna, and bhakti in the devotee crying out to Krishna to help him cross the Bhavasagar of misery. Her moving abhinaya touched the hearts of the audience and got her rounds of applause. Geeta Chandran's Natya Vriksha collective concluded their recital with Shiva Stuti "Shankara Jatadhara", where Shiva was depicted as the culmination of the Pancha Bhuta, the five elements of creation.  Ramli Ibrahim's disciples The festival concluded with the captivating Odissi performance by Guru Ramli Ibrahim and his disciples from Malaysia. Opening with the Mangalacharan Ganga Taranga invoking Shiva, from whose matted locks flows the celestial river Ganga. This dance composition of Guru Gajendra Panda also incorporated 'Shiva Tandava Stotra' by Ravana and Sabha Pranam, a salutation to the audience. Sthai was a classic composition of Guru Debaprasad Das where the pure dance sequences were woven around musical syllables like 'Tham thei tha kititaka tha hum tha hatha tha'. The Sthai was studded with sculptural poses like Veena Dhara (veena player), shy nayika, mardal player etc, found in the Shilpa Sastra, the treatise on temple architecture. Jayadeva's ashtapadi "Lalita lavanga lata" choreographed by Ramli and sung by O.S. Arun, created the beautiful aura of spring season, where soft sandal scented winds caressed quivering vines of clove, bees, and cuckoos made Radha remember Krishna who roams dancing with young women. Indeed a cruel time for deserted lovers! The fascinating group concluded with Suryasthaka, a dance composition of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir. Ramli was also the Sutradhara, who introduced every dance presentation and joined the group off and on leaving the audience spellbound! WORDS IN THE GARDEN Photos courtesy: IILM 'Words in the Garden': a Celebration of Literature, Arts & Ideas' was presented by Sanatan Sangeet Sanskriti, in collaboration with India International Centre and IILM University at the IIC, Delhi. It was the 6th edition of this festival curated by Ashok Vajpeyi to celebrate "the incredible creativity, imagination and ideas that Delhi generates, sustains and embodies." The Words in the Garden had discussions, dialogues, readings, recitals, exhibitions, workshops, and more.  Sudha Raghuraman and group The discussion and dialogues on 'Challenge of Innovation' had panelists Manisha Gera Baswani - Visual Arts, Raza Haidar -Theatre, Sanket Upadhyay - Media, Sangeeta Maini -Academics. The session 'Rasanubhava' had a Carnatic vocal recital by Sudha Raghuraman. 'Asha Prakriti' was a Kathak recital by Navina Jafa and Rudrashtakam was a unique percussion and string ensemble apart from the book discussions and Urdu poetry reading. Sudha Raghuraman and Navina Jafa also received this year's Sanatan Sangeet Sanskriti Award. Listening to Sudha Raghuraman's classical Carnatic recital was truly a 'Rasanubhava'! Accompanied by Raghu on flute and Chandrashekhar on mridangam, she opened with an old Carnatic raga Naagvalli, which sounded exactly like the Hindustani raga Gorakh Kalyan. The detailed alapana reciprocated by Raghu on flute, was followed by a composition on Murugan set to Rupaka talam, where Chandrashekhar also took his turn in thani avarthanam towards the end. The next raga was Lathangi with a composition of Pattanam Subramanya Iyer where the pick-up point of the Uthaan was six beats after the 'sam' offered a sense of wonder. The Desadi sounded like Komal Dhaivat in Yaman, or Carnatic Kalyani. This had a song for Lord Venkatesha, set to adi talam. The second half of the program included tabla Sangati (accompaniment) by Shambhunath also in the orchestra when Sudha sang an ashtapadi of Jayadeva "Priye Charushile" in raga Mukhari with deep involvement. She concluded her mesmerizing vocal recital with the fragrance of Anand Vasant.  Navina Jafa Navina Jafa named her Kathak recital 'Asha Prakriti' meaning hope and nature, implying her hope for climate change speaking through the language of dance. Introducing her presentation she said, "I used the metaphor of Spring in two sets of poetry to convey the wonders of nature, love, hope, rejuvenation, and the surprise of the magnificent canvas by the creator." The first was Maithili poet Vidyapati's Pada "Katan bedan mohi desi Madana" where a mugdha nayika argues with Kamadev, the God of love and desire. "Why are you tormenting me with your arrows?" Offering analogies she asks him, "Have you mistaken me to be Shiva?" The second piece was based on Urdu poetry by Jigar Muradabadi and Sufi Sacchal Sarmast, "Hairaan hua." Unlike the usual Kathak performance, Navina focused on abhinaya interspersed with nritta passages celebrating nature's bounty. The ragas of Spring season like Basant, Bahar, Hindol, Shahana would have been a better choice than Yaman et al.  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. |
