Noted Delhi-based Kathak exponent Rani Khanam is known for organising seminars and festivals on thoughtful themes related to culture and society. This Wednesday, her institute Aamad Dance Centre presents another such event: “Jashn — Innovations and Contributions of Hazrat Amir Khusro and Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in North Indian Culture and Performing Arts.”
The various topics are set against a backdrop of “the masterful amalgam of Indian and Persian culture, the so-called Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb”, says Rani. At a time when some question the very concept of the Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb — a worldview that perceives the long term influences of the Mughal dynasty and other rulers as contributing to an amalgamated culture rather than as hostile intrusions — the seminar theme is a topical one.
“The aim behind organising ‘Jashn’ is to create awareness about the living heritage of our culture,” says Rani. “This seminar will showcase research on the history of Indo-Persian synthesis of North Indian art and culture, giving due credit to the achievements of Hazrat Amir Khusro and Awadh Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.”
She feels the event will be of use to young artists, researchers, scholars and students, besides art journalists, teachers and connoisseurs of the arts.
“The enriching influence of Indo-Persian blends can best be seen in the Kathak (Lucknow style) and Hindustani music,” explains the dancer. “Persian dance from Central Asia and Kathak from North India, both have many similarities. There are many overlapping ‘mudras’ (hand gestures) in Kathak which can be seen in the harikat (Central Asian word for gesture) from the neighbouring regional dance styles of East Turkestan (Uyghur style dance), Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Also notable is the similar approach to musical scales in classical Indian and classical Central Asian music as it relates to dance compositions. Central Asian makoms like the Indian ragas are musical scales that have extremely diverse musical structures.”
From the 11th Century onwards, she notes, “the influence of the Arabic, Persian and Turkish cultures started to fortify its position in North India, and resulted in particular in the creation of new genres in Indian dance, music, literature, architecture, etc.” She adds that although there is a lack of authentic historical evidence related to this merger in the specific genres of dance and music, “it is presumed that the two different styles of art came closer to each other during the Delhi Sultanate in the13th Century.”
Notably, the seminar planning emphasises the interwoven relationship between the visual and the performing arts.
Narmada Prasad Upadhyaya of Indore opens with his talk, “Dou Bhaye Ek Rang: Tradition of Indo-Persian Miniature Paintings in the Context of North Indian Dance.” A well awarded scholar of Hindi literature and Indian painting, Upadhyaya has written some 25 books related to Indian arts and aesthetics. Specialised in the paintings of the Central Indian region, he has also worked extensively on Jain visual heritage and, with noted scholar Dr. Vidhya Niwas Mishra, on projects related to the Ramayana and the Geet Govinda.
Delhi-based Mirza M. Arif will speak on “Amir Khusro as an innovator in various fields”. Founder of the NGO Mulaqaat, a literary and cultural society that “provides a platform to artists keeping the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of India alive”, Arif’s area of special interest is “Urdu adab and its branches”.
Another interesting presentation promises to be the one by Latif Bolat, Turkish singer, composer and scholar of Turkish music and folklore. His topic is “The Silk Road: The Cultural Bridge between East and West.”
Bolat hails from the Turkish Mediterranean town of Mersin. A degree holder in folklore and music from Ankara, he has taught traditional music and managed the musical theatre company Ankara Halk Tiyatrosu.
He is currently among the most renowned Turkish musicians of North America. This interaction will be held via webcam.
The second day’s discussions open with Dr. Chetana Jyotishi Beohar, former Director, Kathak Kendra. Now based in Khairagarh, she will give a presentation on “The Contribution of Wajid Ali Shah towards Music and specifically Kathak Dance”.
With her breadth of knowledge and her post doctoral work on “Kathak Nritya ki Aitihasic Avadharana ka Punarmulyankan” and several publications, Dr. Chetana’s is a familiar name to those involved in arts-related research.
The next topic brings us back to the visual heritage. Well known curator Dr. Alka Pande, Consultant Arts Advisor and Curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at New Delhi’s India Habitat Centre, speaks on “The Pleasures of Sartoria: The Dandy Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.”
Dr. Pande’s constant engagement with the contemporary art scene, through assessing the work of young artists and curating exhibitions, can be expected to bring a topical relevance to her presentation.
Another veteran is Ravindra Mishra. Though Mishra’s reviews of classical music and dance recitals in both Hindi and English publications are widely read, it is less well known that he trained in Hindustani vocal music under late Pandit Vishwanath Jaganath Joshi of Kannauj, and that he learnt the sitar at New Delhi’s Bharatiya Kala Kendra. Mishra’s talk is titled “Sufiyat aur Shringar”.
Rani concludes, “I want to create a picture of the amalgamated heritage of art and culture and show how it has travelled through the 11th to the 19th Centuries, so that coming generations could know about it.”
“ Jashn— Innovations and Contributions of Hazrat Amir Khusro and Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in North Indian Culture and Performing Arts”,14 & 15 September, India International Centre, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi,10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
