The Kathak duet by Abhimanyu and Vidha lal and sarod recital by Ayan Ali Khan reflected the legacy of masters. UK Banerjee reports
Post-Independence, two generations of artistes have come and gone in the performative arts arena, as indeed elsewhere. Many of the original gurus, from before the Independence era, have already bid us sad farewell — with our being exceptionally lucky to have still with us the nonagenarian Mrinalini Sarabhai in Bharatanatyam and Yog Sunder Desai in the folk-form and a few octogenarian ones — and nascent gurus are gradually coming up. The latter do fill the empty space and look creatively ahead. In the capital, while Shambhu Maharaj in Kathak is no more, his most illustrious nephew Pt Birju Maharaj and sons Ram Kishan and Ram Mohan Misra, have filled the void with their progeny already making the initial mark.
Speaking succession-wise, In Bharatanatyam, Saroja Vaidyanathan is being followed by Rama and granddaughter Dakshina, making it three generations of proficient dancers. In keeping with the family tradition, Ranjabati follows Bimbabati in Kolkata with Manipuri, Gayatri ( with her daughter) comes after Padma Subrhmanaiam in Chennai with Bharatanatyam, Prateeksha is well in the footsteps of Vaijayanthi Kashi in Hydreabad with Kuchipudi and Mallika (and her talented daughter) are most distinctive in Ahmedabad, following Mrinalini.
In Natya Tarangini’s Parampara, the accent was unmistakably on the youth brigade. On their second evening stepped in Abhimanyu and Vidha lal for a charming Kathak duet, beginning with a Baiju Bawara compositon: Hari-Hara in raga Vairagi. While Hari is Natawara with lakshmi by his side, playing flute and lifting the Govardhana mountain, Hara is Nataraja with consort Gouri, strumming on pinak (bow-shaped instrument) and swallowing poison from the aeons of amrita manthan (churning for nectar). The similes and metaphors came fast and clear. Technical Kathak followed — making the most of two persons on the stage and podium — with thaat, aamad, uthaan and many scintillating padhants of Jaipur gharana. Vidha then presented an expressional dance: More Pakha (peacock’s wings) in raga Megh Malhar with multiple-hued variations but her face needed a little more display of emotions. Abhimanyu followed with professional footwork and the two joined in a jugalbandi in the finale: Interacting with the viewers clapping in unison.
Ayan Ali Khan took the stage with a late-evening raga, Bagesgri. Scion of the sarod legend Amjad Ali Khan, Ayan has already carved out space in his craft with confidence, clarity, consistency and technical prowess. His vision and versatility were apparent in the way he built up his raga, with elaborate alap and jod and a tantalisingly-short jhala, before he launched his two compositions in the same raga in 15-beat and 12-beat rhythm-cycles. It was a short but fulfilling programme.
Excerpts of an interview with the performers:
Kathak duet
What is the contribution of the new generationIJ
Kathak is a difficult art and needs a lot of preparation to leave one’s stamp. There is, however, vast scope for the upcoming generation.
How much has Kathak been amenable to fusionIJ
Yes, our style has been affected by fusion and there are experiments with flamenco and other forms. The main point is that rules can be broken only when you know them well.
How is its popularity todayIJ
Going by YouTube presentations and the number of schools that have sprung up, there is no dearth of enthusiasm. The encouraging feature is that parents are coming forward with their wards, something only of recent origin.
Sarod
What is your view on fusionIJ
Experimentation is nice and welcome but one has to be mentally ready for other cultures. Fusion is nothing but flirtation with other arts. It can be attempted only after one is secure in one’s own skill as well as reach.
What is sarod’s popularity likeIJ
Thanks to the efforts made by my father and a few others stalwarts, both sarod and sitar have reached out far and wide. Youngsters are learning sarod in a large number in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. YouTube is aflutter with sarod.
Does sarod’s demand get affected, relative to sitar, because of sarod’s absence of fretsIJ
Not really, both instruments are difficult to master. But lack of frets in sarod is a point, like the place of holes in a flute. Both these features add to difficulties.