Imitation and Influence of Nature in Kathak

‘Nature is Dancing, it is from her that we have to learn’

 Pt Birju Maharaj, Varanasi, 1 April 2011

This often repeated line by the legendary kathak guru Pt Birju Maharaj, brings light to the fact that nature is a constant guru for any kathak dancer, to be observed and distilled into a kathakaars body. The umbilical cord kathak shares with nature is apparent right from its inception , comparative description in Abhinay Darpanam and allied treatises  on dance, to the presentation of kathak on stage.

                In mythology, the beginning of Kathak is attributed to the approximately 5500 year old episode when Lord Krishna(Natawar) danced on the hood of the snake Kaaliya. The slapping of the soles of his feet on the hood on the serpent resulted in the emanation of the sounds Tā, Thei and Tata, primary bols of kathak. In the words of Pt Lacchu Maharaj, Tā is symbolic of Shiva(Nataraj) or Purush and Thei is symbolic of Shakti or Prakriti(nature). The union of Tā and Thei gives Tata thereby representing the balance of Purush and Prakriti. This episode is popularly represented in Kathak as the Kaalia Daman Gat Bhaav. Significantly, through his dance, Natawar also brings attention to the fact that his intention behind it was to clean the Yamuna river, made poisonous by the serpents venom. This brings to light, the responsibility towards nature that every kathakaar carries. Natawar Krishna is also referred to as Gopala(protector of cows), and in many representations in painting and sculpture seen standing with a cow or gaumata, who is a symbol of nature. In another episode, instead of worshipping Indra, Krishna told Brajvasis to worship Goverdhan, as the mountain plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of nature. This is another popular gat bhaav presented by all kathak dancers, where the oncoming of dark clouds  followed by cloudburst is emphatically depicted through lively rhythmic phrases.

In literature, the Abhinaya Darpanam written by Nandikeshwar, a treatise dedicated solely to dance and expression, carries references to the gaits of various animals. Described in kathak context in the book Kathak Darpan Deepika by Dr Rohini Bhate, the gaits of the peacock, deer, elephant and horse are depicted through illustrations, keeping in reference the original Sanskrit descriptions given by Nandikeshwar. Pt Birju Maharaj’s mayur(peacock) gat and mahout gat as well as badak (duck) tihai are a favourite with all kathak audiences, who never let him leave the stage without performing one of them. His lifelike imitations through the kathak format are a classic example of art imitating nature. The ghode ki chaal, or footwork depicting the galloping of the horse is part of the repertoire of all gharanas of kathak. In his youth , Pt Birju Maharaj is said to have performed in Jhansi, where the audience just wanted to watch different depictions of the horse gait for more than two hours. Though in its current form considered a Lokdharmi(life oriented) form of classical dance, both textual references in the shastras as well as performances by veteran kathak masters lend support to  interconnection of kathak and nature as seen previously in the mythological origins of kathak.

The interconnection of human emotions and nature is another subject that is explored  in kathak. The ‘Kumar Sambhavam’ produced by Sriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra, Delhi based on the poem by Kālidāsa was the first kathak dance ballet to have toured outside the nation in the 1950s.  A central scene is that of Parvati doing penance through the various seasons. Each season was depicted using various kathak bandishes. The depiction of  Basant or Spring was done in Raag Basant by the bandish ‘Sab Ati Suhavana Ritu Basant’, which is danced even today as a stand alone item to depict the arrival of love in the nāyikas life. In the Sanskrit khand- kāvya ‘Meghadoota’ Kālidāsa describes the various rivers of north India as various nāyikas, a popular subject in kathak bhaav-paksh.  The depiction of a nāyika in Kajri, saawan geet  and jhoola, the popular semi classical folk music of Uttar Pradesh found a permanent place in the bhaav paksh of Kathak in the late 19^th century. These songs are often used to describe the longing of a maiden for her lover, using the imagery of black monsoon clouds as they arrive in the summer skies, while she eagerly awaits the arrival of her paramour. Another often seen character in thumris and dādras is the koel (cuckoo or nightingale) who plays the role of sakhi(friend) as well as messenger to the lovelorn nāyika. The nāyika laments about her separation from the nāyak, shares her jealously upon seeing the love birds mate as well as requests the bird to bring her news of the nāyak. The panghat or riverbank has been often described as a location for the meeting of Radha and Krishna and their ensuing romance(ched-chhad). In the iconic Kavitta written by Bindadeen Maharaj he says ‘Tata Tita Krita Radha, Din Dinata Krita Dhyan’ , where ‘Tata’ is a reference to both the river bank as well as the kathak bol. Thus nature is both a friend as well as a witness to the hero and heroine in Kathak.

Nature becomes a valuable tool in teaching the body language of kathak. Pt Birju Maharaj uses the movement of a snake to describe the movement of the spine in the ‘meend’ and ‘aamad’ movements as well as the serpentine walk in gat nikas (stylized gait in kathak nikas pose). The opening of the wrist in a sama position is very similar to a cat rubbing itself against its master, starting from the nose right upto the tip of the tail. Every muscle from the finger tips to the wrist is sequentially opened in lightening speed, as if the entire hand is caressing air. The Parmelus that are danced in Kathak Nritta use the sounds of nature like Taka Taka (pecking of woodpecker), Jhijhikita (sound of cricket) , Kuku (call of the cuckoo) etc. Intermingled beautifully with dance and pakhawaj bols. Thus every kathakaar can learn from nature and draw upon this wonderful umbilical cord of creativity. 

From Tatkaar to Omkaar

Stretch a Breath and it becomes Meditation

Stretch a Sound and it becomes Music

Stretch a Movement and it becomes Dance

Present moment awareness is a deep form of relaxation to our body and mind. When the mind is not fogged by thoughts of the past or the future, our whole being is 100% involved in the current state and that keeps our inner self fresh. The practice of music and dance is a state of complete awareness yet complete relaxation making it a meditative experience. When we let go of our inhibitions and dance for pure joy, we take our art to a level beyond that imparted by our training. The pure uninhibited joy transcends the boundaries of technical finesse and refined beauty making our art and our dance a divine experience for both ourselves and anyone who is watching us.

Sound or vibration began with the cosmic dance of Nataraja, making spirituality the seed encompassed within the flesh of music and dance.  It is the essence of the poetry and music of Meerabai, Surdas, Amir Khusro, Dyaneshwar, Bindadeen Maharaj and every other great poet of India who ensured that the space between their poetic lines in infused with the soul of bhakti, liberation and moksha. The Gods in the Indian pantheon are associated with various musical instruments- Shiv with the Damru and Rudraveena , Ganesh with the Mridang, Saraswati with the Veena, Sage Narada with the Thambura, Vishnu with the Shankh and Krishna with the Bansuri, symbolizing that the pursuit of music takes us closer to the divine.

Using a purely Newtonian description, when the frame of reference or axis for movement becomes our body and not the Earth, the movement becomes still with respect to the Earth. This is meditation-in-motion, which has been practiced by the swirling dervishes of Turkey, the ghoomars of Rajasthan, dindi folk of Maharashtra and recently part of the popular sufi repertoire of Kathak. There is also great similarity between a number of yogic postures and the poses struck in Indian classical dances, which is the reason why the practice of dance can be transformative.  Using the control of breath while dancing makes riyaaz one of great healing; for example, 20 minutes of kathak tatkaar with breath control is an excellent cardio exercise while also being a meditative experience.  Thus, music and dance is considered a sadhana, one with the capability to transcend barriers of race and religion. The thread of spirituality connects all Indian arts into one unified whole, bringing out the sadhak within...

700 years of poetry...

Kasturi Tilakam Lalata Patale Vakshasthale Kaustubham
Nasagre Varmauktikam Karatale Venum Kare Kankanam
Sarvange Haricandanam Sulalitam Kantheca Muktavali
Gopastree Pariveshtito Vijayate Gopala Cudaamanih

The meaning is:
Salutations to Gopala Who is adorned with the Sacred Marks of Kasturi (Musk) on His Forehead and Kaustubha Jewel on His Chest,
His Nose is decorated with a Shining Pearl, the Palms of His Hands are gently holding a Flute, the Hands themselves are beautifully decorated with Bracelets,
His Whole Body is Smeared with Sandal Paste, as if Playfully anointed, and His Neck is decorated with a Necklace of Pearls,
Surrounded by the Cowherd Women, Gopala is Shining in their middle in Celebration like the centre  Jewel on a crown. Gopala  gave Mukti (salvation) to the Gopis (lady-cowherds) who followed him. The last line shows the contrast that while the lord is supremely ornamented, he is also the supreme ornament. 

This piece of sanskrit poetry is written by  Bilvamangala Thakura or Leelasukha (one who took joy in describing Leelas of Lord Krishna) who is fabled to have lived for 700 years in Vrindavan in he 13th-14th century and is credited with composing the Sri Krishna Karnamrutam, from which this poetry is taken. Originally from Kerala, his journey to Vrindavan is described in the notes below.  It is  possible ha a number of other composers, who may have been his disciples wrote in his name, over this period very similar to how a number of poets used to write under the pen name of Kabir. Kasturi Tilakam is popularly seen in music and dance even today. You can hear the legendary Pt Jasraj sing a celebratory version of this below: 

About LeelaSukha:

"A great Vaisnava sannyasi named Bilvamangala Thakura, who is also known as Lilasuka. He intensely desired to enter into the eternal pastimes of the Lord, and he lived at Vrndavana for seven hundred years in the vicinity of Brahma-kunda, a still-existing bathing tank in Vrndavana. The history of Bilvamangala Thakura is given in a book called Sri Vallabha-digvijaya. He appeared in the eighth century of the Saka Era in the province of Dravida and was the chief disciple of Visnusvami. In a list of temples and monasteries kept in Sankaracarya's monastery in Dvaraka, Bilvamangala is mentioned as the founder of the Dvarakadhisa temple there. He entrusted the service of his Deity to Hari Brahmacari, a disciple of Vallabha Bhatta.

Bilvamangala Thakura actually entered into the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krsna. He has recorded his transcendental experiences and appreciation in the book known as Krsna-karnamrta. In the beginning of that book he has offered his obeisances to his different gurus, and it is to be noted that he has adored them all equally. The first spiritual master mentioned is Cintamani, who was one of his instructing spiritual masters because she first showed him the spiritual path. Cintamani was a prostitute with whom Bilvamangala was intimate earlier in his life. She gave him the inspiration to begin on the path of devotional service, and because she convinced him to give up material existence to try for perfection by loving Krsna, he has first offered his respects to her. Next he offers his respects to his initiating spiritual master, Somagiri, and then to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was also his instructing spiritual master. He explicitly mentions Bhagavan, who has peacock feathers on His crown, because the Lord of Vrndavana, Krsna the cowherd boy, used to come to Bilvamangala to talk with him and supply him with milk. In his adoration of Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, he describes that Jayasri, the goddess of fortune, Srimati Radharani, takes shelter in the shade of His lotus feet to enjoy the transcendental rasa of nuptial love. The complete treatise Krsna-karnamrta is dedicated to the transcendental pastimes of Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani. It is a book to be read and understood by the most elevated devotees of Sri Krsna."

"When Bilvamangala Thakura was going to Vrndavana, he was still attracted to women. One night he stayed at the house of a very rich merchant, and the merchant's wife told her husband that Bilvamangala Thakura was attracted to her. She asked her husband what to do, and the merchant simply said, "Serve him." Finally Bilvamangala Thakura came to his senses, and he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." When the beautiful woman approached him, Bilvamangala Thakura said, "Mother, please give me the pins out of your hair. I am very mad after the beauty of women. So let me pluck out my eyes." In this way, he blinded himself. Although he could not see, in Vrndavana he was supplied milk by Krsna Himself. Thus he personally realized Krsna through bhakti and wrote of his personal experience. He wrote, "Mukti is not a very important thing. She is always at my service with folded hands, saying, 'My dear sir, what can I do for you?' " Thus a devotee is not very anxious for mukti because he is already liberated. If a man has a million dollars, why should he hanker after ten rupees?" (from http://www.harekrsna.com/)

Some More History:

http://gaudiyahistory.com/sri-bilvamangala-thakura/

Some thoughts(Khayal) on Khyal -'ja ja re apne mandirwa'

The Mughal period in India lead to confluences between the prominent culture in the Indian subcontinent at that time and the incoming influence of the persian culture. This is seen in the development of Hindustani Music as well as Kathak, both of which became more detailed and appealing as a result of this confluence. Though it surprised me initially to hear Urdu words in very traditionally sung Khyals,  I understand now that a number of composers seemlessly blended persian, arabic, sanskrit and other langages of the  indo-aryan palate. The hindavi-urdu blend leading to the hindustani language is a beautiful outcome of a beneficial cross-cultural confluence. 

Sharing a new take on one such traditional Khyal in Raag Bhimpalasi 'ja ja re apne mandirwa' (जा जा रे अपने मंदिरवा), rendered by Nirali Kartik, Amit Mishra and Shankar Tucker

About the composer Sadarang :

Niyamat Khan (pen name - Sadarang) and Firoz Khan (pen name - Adarang) are considered the pioneers of Khayal form of Hindustani music. They not only composed hundreds of khayal bandish-es still in use today, they are also credited with formulating the structure of khayal and getting royal patronage for it, establishing it firmly as a form of Hindustani music. They are probably the most famous names in the history of Hindustani music, after Amir Khusro and Tansen.Niyamat Khan (1670-1748) and his nephew Firoz Khan, were originally from Gwalior. They were Dhrupad Beenkars (i.e. played Veena) and vocalists. Their fame took them to the court of music loving Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangile (ruled 1719-1748). When serving in his court they developed leasurely form of Dhrupad that was named Khayal for its leisely, wishful mood. Many of the compositions are in praise of the emperor, Mohammed Shah (like Tu Hai Muhammad Shah - Raag Suha).Sadarang and Adarang, with their disciples and followers established the kawal gharana specializing in khayal form of singing. With the fall of Muhammad Shah Rangile and disintegration of Mughal empire, disciples and discendants of Sadarang and Adarang spread out to royal courts in various parts of India - Agra, Jaiput, Gwalior, Lucknow, Benaras, Rampur etc and evolved the various gharanas of Khayal that we recognize today.Musicologists warn that not all compositions with pen names Sadarang or Adarang can be definitely attributed to these composers. It is possible that many a later composer, used the same pen name to enhance the standing of the composition (from http://www.musicalnirvana.com)

The Cycle of Time...

A Circle Has No Beginning...


The oriental concept of time is cyclical unlike the occidental belief in the linearity of time.In a cultural sense, in the Indian subcontinent,  there is a need for reference to  history in order to understand the current time reference. The modern western mind views time as linear with a beginning and end (Concepts in Time ,Jeff A. Benner). 

The linearity of Time

Our concept of time being cyclical, it means that the beginning is also the end as reflected in the spiritual belief in human reincarnation. Death is but the beginning of the souls return to the next life.  Looking at it from a scientific perspective, both space and time exist as circles. Throughout the universe there are an infinite number of circles, some small and some large. The most obvious of these extremes are the orbits of atoms and solar systems. The repeating intervals of time, whether seconds or billions of years can also be represented by a circle.

Time and space cycles

The spiritual, scientific and social beliefs held by a culture are reflected in the music and the philosophy of music  developed in the culture . In western classical music, there is a beginning and end to musical compositions and the body of the music marks the progression from start to end. In Indian classical music, there is an underlying rhythmic time keeping on which is superimposed the start and end of a composition. This time-cycle is known as the Lehera or the Nagma, which is described by a certain sequence of musical notes.

An example of a 11 beat time cycle called 'Asthamangal' in numbers, tabla bols or rhythmic syllables and accompanying notes

Dhi      Na       |Dhi      Dhi      Na      | Dhi      Dhi      Na        |Tuna      Kata      Tirakita  |    Dhi        

    1       2        |3         4          5          | 6          7          8           |9             10         11           |       1         

    Sa     Ga     |Sa        Re       Ga        | Sa        Re       Ga         |SaRe      ReGa     GaMa     |       Sa        

The most well known taal-cycle or time-cycle is of course the Teentaal or 16 beat time cycle, which you can listen below

Listening to the Lehera is a very mediative experience for me. Just as each wave hits the shore, to recede again, the sam or the first beat of the taal-cycle  makes us feel that we are once more at the beginning. I feel as though the sam is a safe haven, akin to a home where we have safely reached. Listening to the Lehera and doing Tatkaar is an experience that can take us within ourselves and make us one with time and space. For a kathak dancer, becoming one with the Nagma is the first step towards understanding rhythm....

Great Pain leads to Great Art...

"Nothing spurs the creative mind more than a tragedy that breaks the heart..." - Raheel Shah, Writer

It is often said that great pain leads to great beauty in the expression of an artist. Begum Akhtar, The Mallika-e-Ghazal of India is am embodiment of this thought. Though trained in classical music by the greatest exponents, she chose ghazal, thumri, daadra and light classical for her expression, because these forms gave her the opportunity to explore the poetry and the words and convey emotions. Her training and inner empathy elevated her ghazal singing to the level of high art at par with classical concerts. Besides the renowned poets, the lesser known poets became famous when she chose their ghazal to sing. She gave joy to millions of listeners of many generations, including doyens like Mehdi Hasan, Talat Mahmood, Madan Mohan, Pt. Jasraj and Pt. Ravi Shankar, Begum Akhtar’s own life seems to be full of sorrow, pain, abusive relationships, betrayal by people she loved and a deep melancholy. Her voice had an unmatched pathos, and her perfect enunciation of chaste Urdu poetry made her a role model. In fact, even Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj says he decided to become a singer as a six-year-old only after hearing her sing “Deewana banana hai toh” on a gramophone at a tea shop.

The  ghazal "Mere hamnafas mere humnawaan mere dost banke dagaa na de " , which is popular even today, may be reflective of  her marriage in 1945 to a reputed Barrister of Lucknow, Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, Nawab of Kakoli. Though, this transformed her from Akhtaribai to Begum Akhtar,  it came at a great price to her. Whether it was on her own volition to lead a life of quiet domesticity, or demanded by the barrister, or implicitly expected by his aristocratic family, her singing career stopped completely. In five years, she felt stifled and suffered serious bouts of depression. Doctors convinced the family that only music could cure her. When she returned to AIR for a recording she could not hold back her tears.

Music remained in her life till her very end, even when she was in poor health. The lonely Ghazal queen had a third heart attack while in concert in Ahmedabad in Oct 1974 and passed away a few days later.  Born on Oct 7 1914, this is her centennial year. 

Leaving you with my favourite Begum Thumri -"Hamari Atariya Pe ...

Prem Ki Bhiksha Maange Bhikaran, Laaj Hamari Rakhiyo Saajan, Aao Sajan Tum Hamare Dware saara jhagada khatam hui jaave"...a thumri in Raag Bhairavi that takes us into the sufi realm....

Translation, Transliteration...

I am a mixed breed half-telugu half-tamil, second generation south indian born and brought up in Mumbai, making my psyche a bhelpuri of many cultures. As a by product of this lingual confusion-funcusion the language I think in is English mixed with a bunch of other languages, which is what I use to understand many compositions and texts.

The first time I wanted to sing Bhaja Govindam I had to use a transliteration as I had never really learnt sanskrit. At the same time I had to be given a translation to understand exactly what I am singing about. Funnily, I had heard the song so many times, I knew it by rote, just like so many other songs, but didnt really understand fully what it meant. The translation made me fonder of the composition and made me want to learn sanskrit. I realized that while understanding a composition makes it beautiful for you, knowing the language it was composed in takes you to a different level.

This happened again when i was exposed to Ravindranath Tagores compositions. Beautiful sounding lyrics and Music scores, when i understood the meaning I fell in love with the compositions. I felt I should learn Bengali to be able to grasp the soul of these compositions better.

And thus I think is the journey of wanting to learn a language ...in todays times I think translations and transliterations really bring us closer to languages and give us that first taste, which may later make us an addict for the language itself...


I tried to bring these thoughts together is a sculpture of mine , a table book, where i touch upon transliteration..Lost in Transliteration or Lost, in Transliteration ?