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Two for the road!
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Shovana Narayan and Wasifuddin Dagar show that a super fast tempo is no impediment to deep thoughts
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It is too much effort to adjust to another human being, I would be better off putting that effort in my music! Wasif
TALK AND RUN: Wasifuddin Dagar and Shovana Narayan in New Delhi Photo: Alka Raghuvanshi
To say that this meeting of one of Kathak's more senior danseuses and perhaps Dhrupad's youngest Ustad was unusual, would be an understatement. The speed at which this encounter was set up can at best be described as blitzkrieg! At 10.45 p.m. when Alka Raghuvanshi discovered that Shovana Narayan was leaving for Vienna in the next 45 minutes, the immediacy to bring them together became more acute, and she asked her to hang in there. A phone call to Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar found him doing riyaz for his show the next day. He was hauled out of the music room, and 12 minutes later all three had gathered in the lobby of a Central Delhi hotel, on as-is, where-is basis as far as attire went! Photography out of the way, it was time for dance and music in all its dimensions, with adrenalin pumping away and an attempt to compress it all in the precious few minutes!
While she is like an exuberant bag of popcorn, a self-starter in the true sense of the term, with her frequent and infectious laughter, his natural reticence gives way to a charmingly philosophical interaction. Their reference points are musical as is the choice of words. With time ticking away with almost stopwatch speed, it was decided to conduct the rest of the interview en route to the Indira Gandhi International Airport, and minutes later, Shovana was waving us goodbye to proceed towards the check-in counters!
Shovana: That was some speed! The way both of you zipped here!
Wasif: I intend to send the speeding challan to her! (pointing to Alka) But it was still thrilling to do it!
Shovana: You know there is an interesting shared heritage that binds us, apart from the fact that I was very fond of your father and Tauji and loved eating at your parents' (the senior Dagars) place!
Wasif: While you were the one who ate, I was the one who put on weight! But the other day I was reading your book on Kathak and I simply love the way you have traced its antiquity. And of course, Dhrupad's role in it.
Shovana: Dhrupad was in fact the music that was used for dance, and the earliest references are from as far back as the 4th Century B.C. Way before the thumri ang came into being, the sensuous, full-bodied Dhrupad music was used in the Shringar rasa depictions. It is sad that so many of our present-day accompanists are unable to sing Dhrupad, and so this ang has died out. For to harness a particular kind of music, one must know the grammar as the very basis of a language.
Wasif: Exactly! But to sing in slow tempo is just not Dhrupad. It is such a mistaken notion. There are so many compositions that can be sung for Kathak to hark back to its pristine appeal and depth.
Shovana: I am aware of it and also aware of the fact that it requires patience to unfold and mesmerize you with its magic. It is not instant coffee that gives instant gratification. To get the rasanubhuti one must let it envelop you for a few minutes to understand and extract the rasa.
Wasif: So true! Few realise that the pause between the words is also a part of the sentence. Post-independence Dhrupad was not nurtured, and its downfall in terms of audiences and practitioners has been rather rapid. In this drut (fast tempo) world, few have the time to partake of the rasa of vilambit (slow tempo)! For this two-legged creature (man) is God's favourite creation, who is getting destroyed by his own inventions!
Shovana: Inventions which form a web where he loses sight of his own self.
Wasif: A quagmire of his own making!
Shovana: It is a notion among people from outside the khandaani dancers and musicians that the progeny always get preferential treatment. As a person from the foremost family of Dhrupad, was the journey easier?
Wasif: Far from it! I think there is a lot of unsaid pressure on the khandaani artistes for you are the upholders of a parampara (heritage) and tradition.
Shovana: Did you ever get the wrong end of the stick?
Wasif: Only once! My Tauji was teaching me, and for some reason, I couldn't get a particular section right. There were several people in the room and one of them quipped: Ask him to sing it slowly. This incensed Tauji. With elaborate Lucknowi formality he asked me to come to him. Trembling I went. Tarack! He gave me a resounding slap. Needless to say, I got it perfectly right after that!
Shovana: But who will uphold the parampara after you! Let me read your palm to see when you will get married!
Wasif: Please see! But on second thoughts, why bother? It is too much effort to adjust to another human being that I would be better off putting all that effort in my music!
Shovana: Sorry to disappoint you, but you have two-and-a-half marriages in your hand!
Wasif: I am dismayed! Too many made-for-each-other couples are falling apart. I am too scared! Remember Kise waqil karaen kisse munsifi chahein... said Faiz Ahmed Faiz. I think you better take this elaichi and have a safe trip!
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