Jailal Academy of Music in its presentation “Kalakar” provided an opportunity to the people of Kolkata to get a brief glimpse into the beauty of the style of Kathak of Yogendraji, whose mantle was carefully passed on to Kathaka Jai Lal. Kathaka Jai Lal was introduced to this form of Kathak by his father Chunilal Misra and his uncle Pt. Durga Prasad. They were well known in this genre, which in popular parlance is known as the Jaipur Gharana Kathak. By a lucky chance of fate, Jai Lal had spent the last three years of his life as a teacher in Bani Vidya Bithi in Calcutta. Trina Roy, his great-grand daughter, is the present generation kathaka of his style. In the memory of his grandfather Nrityacharya Ram Gopal Misra, who made Calcutta his home, she offered an evening of Kathak, presenting nuances of the gharana.
Trina commenced her performance with Shiv Vandana, “Hara Hara Hara Shiva Shankara” in ektaal, with its characteristic pattern of bols or theka. And then moved onto Taal Teental where she performed some unique bols of Jaipur Gharana. She concluded vilambit teental with a very old footwork “Takite takite tigdhadigdig tigdhadigdig taka” by late Pt. Jai Lal and also late Nrityacharya Pt. Ramgopal Misra.
Then she moved on to Taal Dhamaar which is typically played in the pakhawaj. It consists of 14 beats grouped asymmetrically which is quite challenging for a dancer. Trina proved herself as a fit repository of her inherited style. So much about her adeptness at pure dance. In abhinaya she chose from a Kajri. It being the monsoon season, this semi-classical song chosen for abhinaya was significant. “Saawan ki Ritu aayee sajaniya, pritam Ghar nahi aaye” (The rainy season has arrived, but my lover hasn’t). The rainy season in Indian aesthetics has always been the harbinger of romantic emotions; emotions of yearning by poets from the Kalidasa to Rabindranath Tagore. The dancer was expressively emotive in spelling out her feelings of missing her loved one She concluded her performance with Drut Teental followed by Dhadan which is a very old composition of tabla. The tabla accompaniment bore a special significance in this performance. Pandit Rajkumar, a resident of London and a percussionist of the gharana, accompanied Trina in her recital. The bolbanis he played on the tabla were pure and clear and half of Trina’s success was because of Pandit Rajkumar’s playing of the tabla. It was all in the family, because Bidushi Kajal Misra, Trina’s mother, was reciting the bols for her.
Trina, armed with the technique of her gharana, has the power to emote and all the qualities of becoming an excellent ambassador of Kathak. She has a great responsibility to fulfil as the future of her gharana. Only time can tell how best she will perform her great task.
