Tuesday 26 November 2013

Sufi Kathak


Dance is the lyrical expression of divinity and spirituality. It takes us beyond the body to the ethereal realms. Dance becomes the medium for merging your soul with the universal soul. One such, young dance form 'Sufi Kathak' brings the Indian concept of 'Nirvana' together with the Sufi contemplation of 'Fana'.

Manjari Chaturvedi, the creator and sole performer of Sufi Kathak is an acclaimed classical Kathak danseur and a performing artist for over a decade. An unquenchable thirst and admiration for Sufi Kathak has encouraged her to seamlessly blend diverse cross cultural music to create exciting collaborations. A danseur representing Lucknow gharana of Kathak, Manjari embodies the Awadhi ethos, bridging the gap between tradition and modernity. Her performances preserve the doctrine of classical temple and darbari forms, yet they are accessible to audiences across the world. It has been 15 years now, into her journey of creating history, innovating a divine establishment with the Almighty.

Exploring the journey and the inception of Sufi Kathak

"She dances in surrender to Him, to His Glory, to His Love and to His world
there is an underlying lilting melody and strong rhythm in her dance,
which depicts separation and union, the fire of the eternal dance of moth...”

"For Sufi Kathak it was not merely Sufism in India but the philosophy of Sufism in the subcontinent, that became the reference points. The language of expression changes according to the place where a particular Sufi saint resided. Hence there are many common trends in terms of music and Dance styles also. I have realized that the dance has not been a part of extensive research by people who have studied the Sufi thought, hence on my own I had to recreate some movements by hearing the stories at the Sufi Shrines."

Sufi Kathak brings out the subtle differences of Sufi music and poetry through the parlance of dance, which conveys the enchanted heights of spiritual ebullience. Being the prime focus and object of one's ecstasy, the abstract presence of the Almighty is given concreteness. The dance thus become a connexion of Self to the Almighty, of the union that is desired between creation and the creator, or soul with spirit.

Sufi saints used the language and music of the region they were in to convey their emotions, making the poetry differ in accordance with the language they spoke. Hence, like the Sufi thought, Sufi Kathak instead of using one dominant language, uses various dialects in which the Sufi saints had written the poetry. The poetry used in Sufi Kathak, has a history of always being sung, but never being danced to. With dancing to this poetry in Sufi Kathak, comes a responsibility of the dancer to portray the poetry in its truest sense. The purpose of the poetry used was never literary. Therefore the dancer first understands the message of the poetry in order to be able to do justice to its presentation through dance. There are implicit messages in the poetry, based on one’s interpretation, which the dancer incorporates in the performance.

The features of dance in Sufi Kathak include movements which seek to address the formless Almighty. The various uses of 'mudra' (hand gestures), and 'abhinaya' (facial expressions) are all used to convey 'formlessness'. It follows that the form of human body, is used as the means to explain and communicate with the formlessness of the Almighty. What results then is a dance that unifies movement, expression, emotion, poetry and music which is for the Almighty, with the Almighty itself as the Beloved. The grammar of Sufi Kathak is akin to that of Classical Indian dance forms. In terms of importance, it can be compared to the necessity of first learning the alphabets in order to compose an essay. Knowledge of the beats (taal), rhythm, melody, mudras and movements is necessary. Sufi Kathak represents the syncretic traditions of the erstwhile 'Ganga-Jamuni' tehzeeb of Awadh, where Qawwals sang in praise of Hazrat Ali as well as Lord Krishna.

Art has always drawn influences from the times in which the artists and performers have lived. Manjari's growing up in the Awadhi milieu in Lucknow does have a strong influence in all her work. For her, Sufi Kathak has been a gradual journey and has not happened overnight. She launched Sufi Kathak in 1998 in Lucknow initially and then eventually in the year 2000 in Delhi, since then a lot of work has gone in this art form and there have been additions of many movements.

"The complete abandon and the surrender in the Sufi poetry written by the great Sufi poets drew me immensely towards Sufi music. The simplicity of writing in the spoken language and the layering of love for the Almighty giving instances from our day to day life, this is something that I found incredible".

"Now I am acclaimed for the efforts to create a new classical dance form considered to be a historical step in the field of performing arts. I am appreciated for making history giving a whole new genre of dance to Indian classical dance that future generations will follow. However, it has not been an easy journey as I was treading a path not travelled earlier in Indian classical art forms and created this completely new art form with a thought about 'Formless Almighty', that was till then not extensively used in dance. And then comes this dance form – Sufi Kathak, that works only on this thought. It is not easy to show formlessness when your medium of expression is dance as body itself is a form and we create formlessness through this medium of the body."

Initially when Manjari launched Sufi Kathak in 1998 the critics were sceptical, though they wrote excellent reviews about the dance form and the completely new work that they were witnessing. Many still thought Sufi Kathak to be a concert which would not sustain. We are witnessing that they were all proven wrong. In 2008 Manjari Chaturvedi celebrated a decade of Sufi Kathak with increasing appreciation and recognition received every passing year. Sufi Kathak conceptualised and created by her, has taken 15 years of intense work in Sufi music and Classical Indian dance. She has travelled extensively in countries like Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and worked with artists from Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Morocco and also artists and scholars in India (Punjab, Lucknow, Kashmir, Rajasthan) and studied the dance and music forms in those regions related with Sufi thought.

Sufi Kathak now after a decade has its own visual entity separate from other Indian classical dance forms. The dominant thought of the formless Almighty, the 'Nirgun Brahma' and poetry is separate, the use of language, the use of movements, the music genre to be used, the costume and the aesthetics are all specific for a Sufi Kathak dancer.

"As I mentioned earlier it has not been an easy journey but my belief in Sufi Kathak is complete and will take it forward".

The Sufi tradition has historically never been a dominant or an important part of the history of Kathak which has developed over centuries. Kathak was structured as stories about Krishna – a God with a definite form, and then darbari kathak that became a medium for entertainment, which is why it is erroneous to suggest that Sufi Kathak is akin to Kathak. Just as the art form Kathakali cannot be called a form of Kathak, although it uses the word Kathak in its title, so is the case for Sufi Kathak. The commonality however between Kathak itself, Kathakali and Sufi Kathak is the word 'kathak' in all three cases is used for its literary implication which means 'storytelling'. Manjari's dance form tells stories about the Sufi saints their lives and their messages.

Sufi Kathak exhibit the great Sufi traditions of our sub continent. Poetry, music and dance has been an important aspect of most Sufi traditions. Hence it accepts all mystical traditions and takes them into the fold of its perspective.

In Sufi traditions, it is considered that the whole universe revolves and dances so it can also be said to be the dance of existence. Manjari has a strong belief that people perceive the energy that the artist wants them to feel. Seeing dance as a prayer, will make the audience feel the same. The recurring theme in these performances is the complete devotion and the ecstatic love for the Almighty. The whole process of Sufi Kathak is remembering God and hence it itself becomes a 'mystical dance of surrender'.

Sufi Kathak has attracted a lot of youngsters as audience. If an art form has to live in future this young generation has to be groomed to appreciate the dance form and be a part of the audiences. They are the people who will carry the cultural traditions in future. The youth find the simplicity and the sheer energy of the dance along with use of spoken language easy to relate to and understand. Hence there is a wide range of audience from the youth who wish to lose themselves in love for the Almighty. Sufi Kathak transcends all religions to become a link bridging God and the devotees. It is synonymous with serenity, tranquillity, calmness and devotion, which is a symbol of truth. It is attracting the new generation at the international level, breaking barriers as an example of unity in diversity. Today we need to connect the heart, the minds have developed so much that they are causing more destruction. Hence the present generation will need to find out ways of connecting hearts. Sufi Kathak amalgamates poetry, music and dance in a quest to lead this process forward.

"In my own way of relating to audiences through dance, I spread the message of the great Sufi saints and poets, of His love and surrender in His love. This is relevant in today's world where we are being broken into fragments, borders, boundaries, castes, religion and classes."

Manjari is the only performer of Sufi Kathak in the world and for last 15 years she has been constantly struggling to improve the dance form and promote it across the globe. As a performer it is a daunting task to do everything singlehandedly and now when Sufi Kathak is an established dance form there is a need for the younger generation to take the form forward in its true sense.

"Anything new and path breaking is always seen with scepticism and there were so many people to deter me from the path that I intended to follow, always telling me that don’t tread on new things just stick to the tried and tested format! But again my stubbornness to do only that my heart wanted me to do, led me to continue working extensively on this new thought. Someone, some force that made me dance."

Friday 15 November 2013

Thumri: Love, rain and devotion


With the rain drops pouring and lush green leaves emerging from beneath the dust being washed away, the season of monsoon, 'saawan', resonates with the language of love, Thumri.

"Jiska piya sang beete saawan,
Us dulhan ki ren suhagan,
Jis saawan mei piya ghar nahi,
Aag lage us saawan ko,
Ab ke saawan,
Ghar aaja"

Weaved with the essence of sensual love of Radha and Krishna, Thumri borrows from the anecdotes surrounding the 'leelas' of Kanha. Based on Shringar rasa, the emotion of romantic love, Thumri also follows the path of love, art beauty and spiritual devotion.

"Deewana kiye shyam,
Kya jaado dala"

Thumri gained prominence in the 19th century Lucknow, amidst the court of Mughal ruler Wajid Shah Ali. He ascended the throne in 1847 and was enormously skilled in several performing arts. Lucknow, known to have a 'Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb', was profusely filled with many of the finest musicians, dancers and other performing artists. Wajid Ali Shah's proficiency in art and it's magnitude was huge enough to bring people from far off lands to become his disciples. He was a learned dancer and a gifted composer. Both Kathak and Thumri attained new heights of popularity and glory during his regime. His composition; babul mora naihar chooto jae has been sung by various singers and is considered a classic even today.

Krishna is celebrated as the lord of love. His stories fascinate us and tells us that he contains the essence of sensuality and passion. Having as many as 1600 lovers his indulgence in love play with other girls often made Radha criticize him.

"Saachi kaho mose batiyan,
Kahan gavaai saari ratiya"

Intimate and profound, divine engagement of the senses, Thumri focuses on love songs dealing with the songs of separation or 'viraha'. Lyrics follow in ornamented enunciation as the singer imagines the' nayika', or the Brij girl calling out for her 'nayak', Krishna.

"Kya maza baar baar milta hai,
Aji tumko humse rooth jane mei,
Roothne mei lagengi do ghadiyan,
Umr kat jayegi manane mei,
Humri atariya pe aaja re saawariya
Dekha dekhi tanik hui jaye re"

Other renowned figures who contributed in the evolution of Thumri were Sadiq Ali Khan, the tutor of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and the Kathak maestro Bindadin Maharaj. He is credited for associating Thumri with 'Abhinaya' or the art of expression. It was the art, 'kala', of 'Bhaav batana' or expressing the sentiments of the song through dance. Etymologized from the word 'thumakna', Thumri thus has a deep connection with the kala of Kathak. Thumri was also performed at par excellence by the courtesans. The 'tawaifs' contributed significantly towards universalizing Thumri.

As the art expanded its wings to other parts of the country so did the diverse influences. The different approaches gave rise to 'bol-banao thumri' which incorporated the folk forms of music 'dadra', 'kajri' and 'jhoola'. The bol-banao thumri moved to Banaras, whereas the 'bol-baant thumri' which marked the influences of Kathak, gazhals and 'tappa' remained intact to Lucknow.

Thumri as a form of music was always confronted by prejudices. Other than being associated with courtesans, it was termed as the semi classical genre, and never got the importance or prestige worth Hindustani classical music. Falling under the social structures of Hindustani Music, such has been the destiny for Thumri. However, it is the only Hindustani musical form with such a multidisciplinary identity of being associated with folk repertoires and dance.

From the courts of Nawabs of Lucknow to the huge musical concerts, Thumri with its affinity for shades of feeling, emotion and mood has transcended over time and space continuously intriguing the feelings of amorousness and sensuality.

Story telling has been an inevitable part of our lives. We have believed in the stories, living and learning through them. Thumri revolves around the stories of love and passion between a man and a woman. It is celebrated and lived through the lyrical enchantment of these stories.

"Sajanwa
Saawan beeta jae
Preet Kari aur Karahun na Jani,
Murakh Leek Lagaye,
Sawan Beeta Jaye"


Copyrights: The Creative Project