Kathak Maestro: Pandit Birju Maharaj

Art and Culture

Source: The Indian Express

Context:

Earlier this month, Pandit Birju Maharaj, India's foremost Kathak exponent and recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, passed away.

Pandit Birju Maharaj's Life

Birth:

He was born on February 4, 1938, in the family of Kathak revivalist Ishwari Prasadji, and grew up in the city of New Delhi.

Name in its original form:

His given name was originally 'Dukh Haran,' but it was later altered to 'Brijmohan,' which is a synonym for Krishna.

Brijmohan Nath Misra was later abbreviated to 'Birju' because of his short hair.

Early in one's professional life:

Pt. Birju Maharaj was appointed by the Government of India to represent the country at a number of festivals as early as the beginning of his professional career.

Among other nations, he visited Russia, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

Gharana:

The Kalka-Bindadin gharana of Lucknow style Kathak was carried forward by him as its torchbearer.

Prizes and honours received:

At the age of 28, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, which is the highest honour in Indian music.

Aside from an honorary doctorate from Banaras Hindu University, he has earned other awards, including the Kalidas Samman, Nritya Choodamani, Andhra Ratna, Nritya Vilas, and Adharshila Shikhar Samman. He also got the Soviet Land Nehru Award, Shiromani Samman, and Rajiv Gandhi Peace Award.

The History of Kathak Dance and Its Evolution:

About:

Kathak is one of the most important genres of ancient Indian classical dance, and it is usually believed to have derived from the travelling bards of northern India, known as Kathakars or storytellers, who first performed the dance form.

These Kathakars travelled the streets, telling

legends with music, dance, and songs, much like the early Greeks did with their theatre.

History:

The origins of this dance style may be traced back to a Sanskrit Hindu literature on performing arts known as the 'Natya Shastra,' which was composed by ancient Indian theatrologist and musicologist Bharata Muni and published in the ninth century.

It is assumed that the first complete version of the book was finished between 200 BCE and 200 CE, although some sources state that the text was completed between 500 BCE and 500 CE, which is more accurate.

thousands of verses organised into chapters can be found in the text, which categorises dance into two distinct forms: nrita, which is pure dance that incorporates finesse of hand movements, gestures, and facial expressions, and nritya, which is solo expressive dance that focuses on facial expressions and facial expressions only.

"Nitya Shastra" describes several ideas of Indian classical dances, according to Russian scholar Natalia Lidova, including the Tandava dance of Lord Shiva, acting techniques such as standing postures and gesticulations as well as the "fundamental steps," "bhava," and "rasa."

It is claimed by Mary Snodgrass that the tradition of this dancing style may be traced back to the year 400 BCE.

Bharhut, a hamlet in the Madhya Pradesh state of India's Satna region, is regarded as a representation of early Indian art and architecture.

The panels from the 2nd century BC that were discovered there depict sculptures of dancers in various vertical attitudes with arm positions that mimic Kathak steps, many of which mirror the 'pataka hasta' Mudra, as well as other poses.

When we say Kathak, we are referring to the word kathaka, which comes from the Vedic Sanskrit phrase "Katha," which means "storey," while the term "kathaka," which appears in various Hindu epics and manuscripts, meaning "one who recounts a storey."

Kathak, according to textual research, is an ancient Indian classical dance style that is said to have begun in Banaras or Varanasi and subsequently expanded to Jaipur, Lucknow, and many other cities and towns in north and northwest India.

Instruments and musical compositions:

A Kathak performance may feature as many as a dozen classical instruments, depending on the impact and depth necessary for a given performance, among other factors.

In a Kathak performance, some instruments, like as the tabla, are frequently employed because they harmonise well with the dancer's rhythmic foot movements and often replicate the sound of such footwork motions or vice versa to create an outstanding piece of music known as a jugalbandi.

A manjira, which are hand cymbals, as well as a sarangi or harmonium, are also frequently employed.

Contributions in Support of the Bhakti Movement

The Bhakti movement, a tendency of theistic devotion that emerged in mediaeval Hinduism, was the catalyst for the development of the genre.

The Kathakars use rhythmic foot motions, hand gestures, face expressions, and eye movements to tell stories to the audience.

As a result of its popularity in the courts of North Indian kingdoms, this performance art, which combines narratives from ancient mythology and major Indian epics, particularly from the life of Lord Krishna, became highly famous in North Indian courts.

Most well-known are three unique varieties of this genre, which are three gharanas (schools), which largely differ in the emphasis placed on footwork vs acting: the gharana of Jaipur, the Benaras gharana, as well as the Lucknow gharana (school of music). Gharana of Lucknow

Ishwari Prasad, a follower of the Bhakti movement, established the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak in the city of Lucknow.

Ishwari resided in the hamlet of Handiya, which is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh's southeast region.

In one of his visions, it is said that Lord Krishna appeared and urged him to establish "dancing as a form of worship."

It was he who taught the dance form to his sons Adguji, Khadguji, and Tularamji, who in turn passed it on to their descendants, and the tradition has continued for more than six generations, carrying forward this rich legacy that is well recognised as the Lucknow gharana of Kathak by Indian literature on music, which includes both Hindu and Muslim composers alike.

When the Bhakti movement was in full swing, the growth of Kathak was predicated mostly on the narratives of Lord Krishna and his everlasting love Radhika or Radha, which could be found in scriptures such as the 'Bhagavata Purana' and which were magnificently portrayed by Kathak performers.