FACE TO FACE
No barriers in dance
H. BALAKRISHNAN
Evolving process: Rani Karnaa with her students. Photo: P.C. Dhir
Rani Karnaa Nayak was born in Hyderabad (Sind), grew up in Delhi, married in Orissa, lived in many parts of India, danced all over the world and has established her academy for Kathak in Kolkata.
Dancing her way to glory with commitment for 60 years, Rani has learnt Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Kathak and Odissi under masters of each genre, but her métier is Kathak. A recipient of the Order of the Queen of Laos, she plans to establish a chapter of her Academy soon in Orissa. Excerpts from an interview.
FIRST tell us about the "frail girl in a white frock" in Sangeet Bharati who impressed Kapila Vatsyayan with the precision of her movements.
That was long ago. When I was around five years, it seems I used to pester my father to buy me ghungroos. He was not keen but my maternal uncle who sang beautifully encouraged the idea. So the ghungroos were bought and I joined Sangeet Bharati in Delhi to learn Kathak. My first lessons were from Pandit Mohanlalji of the Jaipur gharana.
It continued under several gurus of the Jaipur gharana until Birju Maharaj joined Sangeet Bharati after Acchan Maharaj died young. I gave my first performance when I was seven. That is when Kapila didi saw me first.
You are credited with integrating the Jaipur and Lucknow gharanas and making a confluence of dance, music and literature. Comment?
In my personality, in my thought process and in my existence as a dancer, it is a natural confluence. Experts often ask me whether a particular item belongs to one or the other gharanas.
The line of demarcation is so thin that they merge seamlessly. I was subject to many influences as a student. When I started composing my own work I realised the difference. Jaipur is bold and beautiful while the Lucknow gharana emphasises bhava and grace. It is a matter of emphasis, and not exclusivity.
The theme of Krishna dominates classical dances of the North and East like Odissi, Manipuri and particularly Kathak. Comment.
After 10 years of training in Kathak, when Birju Maharaj was not available, Dr. S.K. Saxena advised me to learn from the Jaipur gharana and I learnt under Pandit Narayanprasadji. He taught me about the poetry on Krishna.
Krishna's entire life is full of dramatic events inviting re-enactment on stage. In 1962, I composed a dance drama "Nava Rasa Maalika" depicting episodes from Krishna's birth to the Raas Leela. I used songs by Girija Devi and others in this. The songs and lyric of Krishna interviewing Radha (Bhanukumari) are by the poet Surdas.
You also have performed several items on Shiva. Tell us about these.
I have learnt Bharatanatyam. In Chidambaram, I performed a "Shiva Vandana" specially composed for that occasion by Dr. S.K. Saxena.
Then I composed "Ardhanareeshwar" and "Shiva Tandav". Since 1986, while I was in Delhi I wanted to compose "Dasa Maha Vidya" on the 10 incarnations of Parvati. I did some research, set it to music in Kolkata and staged it in Chidambaram.
Shiva Tandava calls for a lot of movement and agility. Kathak is normally perceived to be a dance mostly with emphasis on foot movement and facial expressions. How could you combine the two?
Now, that is a misconception! Kathak is a very flexible form with much scope for improvisation. Briefly, if you are well informed about the script and theme, it is possible to interpret the Tandav in Kathak. Nataraja does not belong to South India alone. He belongs to the world at large.
To give one dramatic picture, when Ganga started overflowing, Shiva held the waters in the locks of his hair. Water is not static. It ripples, it roars and is full of life. This can be admirably expressed in Kathak with dexterous use of limbs and fingers.
Though you had your Kathak training in Delhi, you have set up your Academy in Kolkata. You are known to have adopted Tagore's work to Kathak. Why and how?
I was exposed a lot to Gurudev Rabindranath's music in my student days. I was in Delhi University from 1954 to 1958. The Youth Festival was an important annual event.
Gurudev's "Ekla chalo, ekla chalo" would ring in my ears, since many Bengali students used to participate. Since then, I had a deep desire to dance to his music. In 1954, I saw Mrinalini Sarabhai perform Tagore's "Tasher Desh" in Bharatanatyam style.
I was charmed and thought, `Is it possible to have such a theme? In that case, why not in Kathak?" Much later, after I came to Calcutta in 1978,
I composed "Tasher Desh" in Kathak. My first composition in Kolkata was "Ananda Dhara Bohichey Bhuboney", on the concept of the Nirakaar. I have done "Pujarini" about the Buddha, "Hori Khela" based on a folktale from Rajastan. Holi is pronounced `Hori' in Brij bhasha, the language of Kathak.
From Brijbhasha to Urdu, courtesy the Moghul courts, and now Bangla with your efforts, Kathak has come a long way in time and space. How do you see its evolution?
It's just like the way music has grown and evolved. It is no longer confined to the temples, to the Gotipuas and Maharis of Odissi, the devadasis of Bharatanatyam. Dance has moved from temples to durbars and now to the public stage. It is an ever-evolving process. The dance and the dancer's idiom transcend time, space and language.
So, what is the range of your language as a dancer?
Kathak embraces poetry and music from Sanskrit, Brijbhasha, Khariboli, Urdu, Persian and now Bangla. I have danced to Wajid Ali Shah, Ghalib and even Bahadur Shah Zafar's ghazals. I want to design a dance to Guru Nanak's Arati in Sukhmani and hope I'll be allowed to do that.
It is a flowing, rolling delightful experience. As I said, dance recognises no barriers.
E-mail the writer atfabalas02@yahoo.com
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