A few months ago, 22nd February saw the 73rd
death anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi. The only dancer to ever have distilled
the essence of Kasturba into a choreographic work is Guru Shama Bhate through
her work ‘Peed Parayi Jaane Na’, that I had the fortune of watching live on stage. Truly a testament to the fact that Kathak as a
form can be used to tell the story of any person, especially one whose story is
known by very few. The piece had no dialogues or monologues, sets or costumes,
just dancers in the role of kathakaars. The brilliance of Shama ji was the fact
that she got the viewer to focus on Kasturba’s emotional journey through the
depiction of emotion through Nritta and Nritya. A difficult medium to choose when telling
a story, the lack of song , poetry or dialogue was not missed due to the
singular focus on the sthyayi emotion or ‘bhava’ that each choreographic
section entailed. The use of multiple groups of dancers doing the choreography
on different levels of the stage ensured that the view focused not on the
choregraphy itself but allowed himself to experience the emotion behind the
work. In the process the viewer is also unsuspectingly
experiencing complex rhythm patterns, unique to Shama jis style.
It is always wonderful to see the Guru
through the eyes of a dedicated disciple. Shama jis style of teaching and
choregraphy has always drawn young dancers to her work .Following is a sharing by Nikhil Ravi Parmar, who is currently pursuing his MA in
Kathak at Pune University under the tutelage of Guru Shama Bhate. He was earlier a disciple of Guru Maya Rao and worked as a principal dancer of Natya STEM Dance Kampni.
'I would like to do it through a poetry that
I have written for her-
In the eyes of my Guru, I see hope…
In the eyes of my Guru, I see faith...
In the eyes of my Guru, I see light…
In the eyes of my Guru, I see the GURU!'
One often looks and wanders in search of
that one guiding light who will lead you to the end of the tunnel... my constant quest
of search lead me to the beautiful old
city side of Pune. Walking past the busy
streets, getting caught for parking on the wrong side and the fear of meeting
her finally lead to Leela chambers on Tilak road. As I walked in, I heard the
sound of the ghungroos playing a melodious rhythm and finally walking up to the
second floor I entered - Nadroop, a school of kathak and music. Nadroop is one
of the oldest schools of kathak in the city, this space has been graced by the
presence of some of the best Gurus and
legends in the field of dance and music. The walls of the studio give you a
sense of positivity, a sense of belonging and most importantly a space that has
the fragrance of hardwork and sweat!
As I entered the hall, my nervousness was
at its peak and there was a group of girls dancing to perfection, moving at lightning
speed and creating a space of trance -all this under the guidance of this lady
who was seated on the floor . My first impression of her was just DIVINE!
The nervousness in me saw no end- and
suddenly she stopped the rehearsals to have a word with us. After the formal
introduction, she said, "chalo kuch dikhao" and there I was almost
numb! Seeing the dancers there got me thinking if what I was going to show
would be fine but I managed to bring myself back to reality and presented my
first ever solo choreography -Drishti!
She sat there patiently and keenly watched, as I finished she smiled and said -
Acha tha! I liked your ideas but a lot can be worked on. From there I began a journey
that I never thought of, post the short meeting and sharing with her I left the
place amazed by the charisma of Guru Smt Shama Tai Bhate! I knew this wouldn't
be the end but definitely a new chapter that brought with it many questions
that I tried to keep answering!
With these thoughts, I left for Bangalore.
I was confused on a lot of points, and the only the person who answered all my
questions was Shama tai ,who had met me only once! She answered to all my
questions in a way that just made it easier to take decisions and finally I was here, in Pune, in
Nadroop under the guidance of this gracious lady- Guru SHAMA TAI!
The first rendezvous still lingers in my mind as I write about the teacher, guide, Guru
and most inspiring person in my life - Shama Tai. Every day she walks in like a
young little girl all enthusiastic and ready to create something new every
second. Her little mind calculating and multi-tasking of the various things
that she has planned for the day. From one role to the other she moves in
swiftly- housemaker to administrator to taskmaster and my favourite role-that
of the teacher!
All of us eagerly wait for her class, her
classes are not just about learning but they are also about the stories that
make her so vibrant. Her lessons keep your mind pondering and wandering. As she
takes class, she stops to explain the
nuances of the movement and that creates a moment of AH! In the atmosphere.
From being beautiful Radha, to notorious
Krishna she changes roles at a flip of coin - and all so effortlessly! She
creates a world that leaves me thinking...Was Radha really this beautiful? Did
Krishna really trouble his mother? Was
Shiva really fierce ?
Our endless conversations on topics that
vary from dance, music to politics see no end , to her stories of struggle(which inspire), her
ideas on various subjects everything speak of how magnificent she is! Shama tai
works endlessly and effortlessly in making everything work , so that all her
students get opportunities that she missed on. She sits with her students to
share a meal, shares endless time making sure every student from a kid as young
as 7 to as old as 60 leaves the class wanting for more. She stands through all
rehearsals , sometimes dancing herself and creating moments that need to be
witnessed! Shama Tai is a treasure trove of experience that needs to witnessed.
And every time I see her , I know, I will find my way through everything in
life. She leads you through her work that time and again reminds of the hard
work she has done to be able to give her students so abundantly!
Talking about her makes me emotional at a
very level that words fail to express, these words talk very little of the vast ocean that she
is, Shama Tai for me, has lead through example. Like a Leader she takes along
everyone , binding people and creating magic that one can only experience. She
leads silently, one step at a time and all you see is her unabashed youth which
leaves you inspired!!
Video of performance by Nikhil and his Gurubehen Meghna
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