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Kathak- The dance that says it all By Prajakta
Ghatikar Kathak is a
North Indian style of classical dance, characterized by rhythmic
footwork and rapid pirouettes, and the dramatic representation of
themes from Persian and Urdu poetry alongside those of Hindu mythology.
The accent is more on the footwork as against the emphasis on 'hasta
mudras' or hand formations in Bharatnatyam. Kathak arose from the
fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures that took place during the Mughal
period (1526-1761). It is the only dance form in India to have a
synthesis of both the Hindu and Muslim cultures. The origins
of the Kathak style lie in the traditional recounting of Hindu myths
by Brahmin priests who used mime and gesture for dramatic effect,
for "Kathak" means to tell a story. Gradually, the storytelling
became more stylized and evolved into a dance form. During the Muslim
rule, the Kathaks were invited to dance in the courts where the
dance was transformed into a stylized art as the focus changed from
a temple ritual to that of a form of entertainment. Kathak continued
to get the support of the Royal courts of Rajasthan, the Muslim
Nawabs and Rajas of what is now known as Uttar Pradesh. Kathak performances
consist of two parts, Nrita and Nritya. The former, the so-called
technical part, is an abstract dance with a tremendous sense of
rhythm and joy of movement. The beauty of this part of Kathak lies
in the exact rendering of the rhythmic patterns, given by the instruments,
through graceful body movements and mastery of the artist's footwork. The second
part of a Kathak performance is called Nritya that means 'abhinaya',
which is the explanation of story or song through facial expressions,
postures of the hands and symbolic postures of the body. The Kathak
style is not totally rigid however; it allows the artist to use
a variety of free movements, thus leaving the interpretation of
a story to the dancer's power of imagination and creativity. Kathak is characterized
by fast rhythmic footwork set to complex time cycles. The footwork
is matched by the accompanying percussion instruments such as tabla
and pakhawaj, and the dancer percussionists often indulge in a virtuoso
display of rhythmic wizardry. The dance movements include numerous
pirouettes executed at lightning speed and ending in statuesque
poses. The interpretative portion, based on tales of Radha and Krishna
and other mythological lore, contains subtle gestures and facial
expressions. The main characteristic
of a Kathak performance is the immediate rapport the dancer establishes
with the audience. He recites the rhythmic syllables, which he later
transforms into dance. Gestures of the hands and movements of the
body to portray the meaning of the song, which are being sung, support
an important aspect of the 'abhinaya' or facial expressions. Modern Kathak
has become an extremely popular art form, and a great many young
dancers from India and beyond have been drawn to it both for its
purely aesthetic qualities and its ability to combine abstract rhythmic
elements (nritta) and expressive and narrative aspects of movement
(nritya). A typical performance of Kathak unfolds gradually through
several stages, each stage establishing a tempo and dynamic quicker
and more intense than the last. Technical virtuosity in the form
of footwork is usually reserved for the very fast tempo, and dancers
often enter into playful rhythmic competition with their tabla accompanists
in the form of a duet (jugalbandi) where one intimates the other,
trying to constantly to outguess one's opponent. Males always dominated Kathak as a solo dance form, until in the 30s, when a few female dancers emerged on the scene. Thereafter the number of dancers, both male and female has been ever increasing. Aditi Mangaldas, who is to perform for the first time in Sri Lanka, has had her training from of the living legends of Kathak, Pundit Birju Maharaj. As with any living tradition, Kathak has always continued to evolve. The modern Kathak dancer is a storyteller. He describes the strut of a peacock, but he neither mimics nor becomes the peacock; he reproduces the essence of the movement of a character or animal, yet he neither mimics nor becomes that character or animal. He takes from each being or situation that which characterizes or symbolizes it, and puts that into dance. Throughout, it is the dancer's intention to suggest rather than to make explicit and there is always room for the active participation of the imagination of the audience. Out of my dreams and into my car By Marisa
de Silva and Ishani Ranasinghe For some reason
the shade of our car really matters. When we dream of cars, the
shade becomes an important aspect of it. Some may like the same
colour car, but for different reasons. So what is the perfect colour
for a car and why is it important? Here's what people have to say.
Colour really does matter to most of us, and for different reasons.
It could be because it is the ideal colour that suits the car, it
could be your favourite colour or the colour we feel will make you
look good when driving the car. Humphrey Van
Sanden (22), Marketing Executive at a leading company says, "The
car for me is dark metallic blue. I've always liked the colour,
cos' I know I'd look really good behind its wheel". Aruni De Silva
- Blue would be the colour cos' that's what I have and that's what
I love. Surein Perera*(28)
An IT specialist at a leading company, "My perfect car colour?
Hmmm. ok this is a bit complicated but it will be the powder blue,
silver. I think that's a pretty cool colour. Swashana Caspersz
(26), Architect, " I like blue, actually anything other than
white cos' it's hard to maintain". Some people
might think 'who cares what colour the car is?' as long as they
have something to get around in. But think about it, when we think
about our dream vehicle don't we pay attention to the colour? Cars come in
all shapes and sizes and... colour. There's red, blue, black, purple,
neon green, yellow. If it's on your mind (realistic colours) it's
on the car. Some car lovers prefer the lighter shades, whereas some
would rather go for a flashy colour that automatically draws attention.
Then there is also the group who would rather have a white car for
safety reasons. It is known that white cars have less nighttime
accidents than the darker colours. Sunela Samamranayake
(19) University Student, My dream car will be purple. Why? Because
I want my car to look really nice and also look girly but not too
girly. Purple will add a soft touch. Roshan Silva*
(35) the perfect colour, if it is a sports car, would be a really
flashy colour. So I guess red, or the kind of cool looking green
would be nice. Mekala - (19)
Red would be the ideal, cos' it's really flashy and looks very hot. Dinesh Perera
*(19) Student- I don't care what colour it is as long as I have
a car. Who cares? But then if I could afford to be choosy on the
colour (I doubt it) it will be green. Dushi Seneviratne
(20) Arts student "It'll definitely be black, cos' I think
it has a certain nice touch to it. Manish Goonetilleke
(22), Transport Executive, "Black is the colour for me cos'
it's cool and real 'gangster' style.” “ I like
a black car cos' it's classy and chic," says Nishan Silva,
Engineering student. Surani Gunaratne (21) Law student, "Black,
because black is black. It has this certain amount of Black. I always
wanted a black car you know a posh black car. At the end of the day, maybe not everybody gets to buy their dream cars in their ideal colour, but there's no stopping people's dreams right? After all sometimes dreams really can come true. |
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