A Kathak performance was presented by a distinguished Kathak exponent Gauri Diwakar on Monday. The performance was organised by Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) under the Virasaat series at Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) and Kendra Vidyalaya.
Gauri is a refined Kathak dancer who, with performing soothing and mild mudras and forms of Kathak leaves a striking impression over the audiences. Gauri with her rhythmic understanding and ability to extemporise with speedy rhythms and preserving pure Kathak classical style are some of her qualities.
The audiences were captivated towards her presentation when she performed matching the footwork with harmonium and Tabla live on stage. She was accompanied by Indu Prakash on vocal and harmonium and Rahul Vishwakarma on Tabla.
She began her performance with Shiv Vandana, dedicated to lord Shiva in Thaat. She then performed Aamad which means Aana in which she represented the coming of bumble bee (bhavra) on a flower. Her performance was followed by 33 chakkar (33 rounds) and 23 chakkar (23 rounds).
The audiences were spell-bounded with her performance in chakkars. She then wonderfully performed Thumri of Bindabin Maharaj Ji on the lyrics ‘Sab ban than aayi shyaam pyaari’. Gauri is also known for her purity which she blends with the dance through her expressions and mild movements. Maintining the purity, she magnificently presented the Jugalbandi.
The Jugalbandi is a beautiful piece, choreographed on the famous poem by a noted author and writer of the country Makhanlal Chaturvedi. Kathak on Makhanlal’s creation ‘Pushpa ki abhilasha’ was presented by Gauri.
later she interacted with the students at MANIT and gave information about Kathak, and the Indian Classical music to the students. She explained that the first beat of taal is called ‘sam’, the various concepts and themes chosen for kathak are mostly devotional that includes various bhavs, rasas, and abstract.
The students enjoyed the show. This event was witnessed by around 1000 students in Kendriya Vidyalaya and around 400 students in MANIT.