All elements of the legacy of Kathak’s lucknow gharana will now be under one roof for all to see. Kathak Guru pandit Ram Mohan Maharaj, son of Shambhu Maharaj of the lucknow gharana, shared his views with Utsav Mishra on how a Deohri turned into a museum
The house, Bindadeen ki Deohri, home to this heritage, is the birthplace of kathak Samrat Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj, whose ancestors shaped and popularised the nuances of Kathak’s Nawabi style.
Birju Maharaj’s grandfather Maharaj Bindadin and grand uncle Maharaj Kalka Prasad were dancers in Wajid Ali Shah’s court. “It was to them that the house in lucknow was given by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah,” said Pandit Ram Mohan Maharaj.
Kathak evolved from story telling. Tales of God used to be narrated by priestly story tellers (katha vachak). They used gestures, facial expressions and voice modulations to add interest to the story telling, it’s a kind of non verbal communication. They brought to life stories from Puranas such as Srimad Bhagwat, and other equally popular traditional literature, including Ramayana, Braj Sahitya and Geet Govinda. The main characters of these stories — Krishna, Radha, Durga, Shiva, Ganesh, et al. have a historical place in Kathak. This dance remains a fine instrument for story-telling with classical and modern themes. Unlike drama, Kathak is not exactly role play, it has meaning on many levels.
Nawab Wajid Ali Shah recognised the holistic element of Kathak. He became a disciple of Pandit Durga Prasad. He perfected his Kathak, when he ruled lucknow and continued to dance Kathak when in exile at Matiya Burj, Kolkata. He found a natural repository of all arts to rest in the dance form. “The keeper of the keys of lucknow Gharana Kathak, treasure these compositions handed to them by their seniors. Most of them were composed by the great masters Bindadeen and Kalka. Birju Maharaj, hailing from the family of Bindadeen and Kalka, also writes prolifically,” said Pandit Ram Mohan.
Different aspects of Kathak would be displayed in the museum. Personal art facts, clothes, accessories and books belonging to the family would be showcased. One room would be dedicated for display of documents, documentaries and books on this kind of dance. The entire place has been decorated with pictures and the family tree.
“Here visitors can get a feel of the life and times of a legend. People will get the opportunity to know about our Indian classical dance Kathak and will get to know about our family tree and how this form of dance came into existence. Many youngsters even don’t know about the classical dances of india, so I thank to the state culture department for making this museum where youngsters will learn about the base of dance and their Gurus,” says Ram Mohan.