Photo: S. R. Raghunathan
Jugalbandi U. Srinivas and Ustad Sultan Khan on the mandolin and sarangi respectively.
Dance, music
Javali: This musical form is an important part of the repertoire of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancers among others. It is also a popular concert item for Carnatic singers. The subject of a javali is usually shringar, or love, between the nayika (ladylove) and the nayak (the hero). This love is often a metaphor for the yearning of the jivatma (soul) for the paramatma (the Supreme). But even if the dancer is addressing a Lord like Krishna or Shiva, a characteristic feature of the lyrics of a javali is that the nayika speaks in a familiar manner, placing herself on an equal footing with the nayak. She may be speaking of the pangs of separation she feels, but she does not pine and place him on a pedestal. In Telugu, she addresses him in the familiar instead of respectful manner, and might say, “Hey, come quickly, I can’t stand being away from you.”
Jugalbandi: A duet performance. It may be between two musicians or two dancers. Of late, it is common to hear of jugalbandis between musicians or dancers from different disciplines, such as Carnatic and Hindustani music, or Indian and
Western music. A popular kind of dance jugalbandi is between dancers of say, Kathak and Bharatanatyam. An Urdu word, the term is originally from Hindustani music.
Sawaal-jawaab: Literally, ‘question and answer’ in Urdu, the sawaal-jawaab is a creative ‘match’ between artistes, in which one performs a musical phrase and the other either replicates the phrase, or performs a complementary pattern. For this reason, it is an important feature of a jugalbandi or duet. A sawaal-jawaab is supposed to spring up spontaneously between artistes, for example, between a Kathak dancer and the accompanying tabla player. Such interactions also add zest to music recitals, say, between an instrumentalist and the accompanying percussionist. While the term is from Hindustani music, the phenomenon is common in Carnatic music concerts too.
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