The half-turned body moved gracefully around, the hand replicated the sensuality of Krishna writing with cool sandal paste on the chest of Radha, in the background the sound of Kuru Yadu Nandan (from the “Gita Govind”) echoed and the magic of abhinaya in Kathak by Saswati Sen unfolded at a recent event in India International Centre. It was erotic and understated, poised with dignified grace. A surprise since one frequents Sen as the devoted shadow of the giant dance legend Birju Maharaj.
Seldom does one ponder on her work where her forte is abhinaya – an aspect of Kathak which is marginalised in the high-powered glitz of the proscenium, but, ironically, abhinaya in Kathak has gained ground in the virtual world of cinema and other social media platforms.
Abhinaya, the integral aspect of mimetic art of communicating emotion in Indian performing arts has been much written and discussed. The aspect requires comprehension of literature, music, and rhythm. Sen’s art and journey in dance reflect various dimensions of abhinaya in Kathak, the re-positioning of the technique in multiple spatial spaces of performance, and the percolation of the classical dance as popular art where abhinaya regains ground as cameras catch the unsaid details of facial movements.
Contemporary Kathak
The spinning bodies amplified by electric feet movements, couturier lighting, and funambulist content defines the thrilling spectacles of Kathak dance performances today. In contrast, the body of work of Senstands out both for its stillness as much for the delicate beauty that is marginalised in the contemporary electrical display. Saswati’s forte is her investment in abhinaya which she has nurtured from within the tradition of her Guru Pt. Birju Maharaj.
“My alignment to abhinaya seemed natural. I grew up in an environment of poetry whether it was the philosophical tenets of Swami Vivekananda or Tagore. The linguistic mapping of my mother tongue Bangla from childhood nudged me to think, meditate consciously or to unconsciously imbibe the internal aspect of the saar (essential meaning) of the written word. Next was the assimilation of that essence, such that one progresses to relish and experience anand (bliss). Only then comes the rendering as performance.” Sen says, these days, the rendering is reduced to miming word to word the written text selected for performance interspersed with dramatic pieces and an overlay of pure dance pieces. “Not much thought is given to the layered meaning of the selected text.”
Riveting sojourn
Sen’s sojourn is riveting since it recreates the actual complexities of abhinaya technique in Kathak which “unlike Bharatanatyam or even Odissi is defined by subtleties,” says Kamilini Dutt, former director of the National Doordarshan Archives, who has recorded for decades multitude of star performers.
The above process indicated certain concepts seminal to abhinaya – manthan (churn), sahaj (natural character) and saatwik. Srivats Goswami, head of Sri Chaitanya Prem Sansthan and erstwhile faculty of inter-faith studies at Harvard says, “A certain poetry is selected. The performer then memorises, technically learns and in the process naturally aligns herself to the piece (sahaj bhav). Next is manthan, it is like taking out butter from the milk. The butter is the essence, the inner content.”
Sen says, “The manthan or churning is the platform where the dancer leaves the written word and takes flight. She begins to write a new poem of that inner content. The communication of the inner essence is manifested as the saatwik bhav. Numerous images are created to communicate that essence. My guru taught me about image creation where choosing the one word which reflects the core of a poem can be interpreted in a number of ways. All it requires is a vocabulary of exquisite, understated ways such as the tilt of neck, an angle of the body, a jerk of the wrist, the widening or narrowing of the eyes captured in word – harkat , a reflex action similar to closing of the leaves of a touch-me-not on a tender touch.”
The role of rhythm
Sen often refers to a concept called “bhav tihai”, a rhythmic footwork composition. “Birju Maharaj Ji always believes that there is poetry in mathematical designs, and hence abhinaya is not merely captured in the spoken, sung or the written word. Whenever he creates a rhythmic pattern, he also communicates its poetry.”
Interestingly, Maya Rao, a Kathakali performer and theatre exponent, maintains, “For me, the basic principle that underlines both theatre and dance that allows flight towards image creation is the movement of the eye or a mudra (hand position). Nevertheless, these actions that evolve as expressive modality rest on the base of taalam or rhythm. The word ‘I’ is subsumed in the taalam. The mathematics of abhinaya is painted on a canvas of time and space on the frame of rhythm as much it is on the modality of musical notes.”
Saswati has for decades performed as principal characters in the dance dramas of Pt. Birju Maharaj. She has also presented a number of the sub-genre of abhinaya compositions in the dance theatre. “While in a song, the poetry allows the dancer to move in and out of characters and take flight. The dance theatre like any other dramatic format is about a character bound by time, space and situation. For example, I performed ‘Pannadhai’ the story of the 16th Century nursemaid to Udai Singh, founder of the city of Udaipur. She sacrificed the life of her own son to save the royal baby. To build such a character requires creating situations. The more complicated part is fitting the language of Kathak and developing the rhythmic patterns and appropriate music to lift each aspect of the character.”
Spatial shift
The first half of the 20th Century saw Indian classical dance come from the more intimate palaces and temples to the modern stage. For this, the dances re-invented themselves for the prosceniums. Today, the emergence of the virtual performance space once again compels dancers to reinvent. While the stage is where the dancer may or may not be close to the audience, through a video recording on YouTube, Facebook WhatsApp, and Instagram, the audience is right there but the dancer is a mere reflection. Saswati’s abhinaya interestingly has traversed the ‘in-between’ spaces of the real and the virtual space of cinematic depiction. “Shatranj Ke Khiladi”, the Satyajit Ray masterpiece featured Sen performing a thumri “Kanha mein toh se haari” (O Krishna, I accept defeat). “I was only 20 and followed the exact choreography of my guru Pt. Birju Maharaj. In fact, the focus was on the protagonist – Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow (acted by late Amjad Khan), I was merely an extension of his imagination.”
In contrast, for Kamilini Dutt shooting for the Doordarshan exclaimed, “Saswati was lovely and my heroine; I was not merely the director, but a dancer myself. It was a pleasure to capture the nuances the subtleties of Kathak in her beautiful dance.” Reiterates ace photographer Avinash Pasricha while sharing a photograph of a young Sen, “It is one of the best images of a dancer that I have captured.” The interesting aspect of the re-positioning is the marriage with the camera has allowed, especially in the case of Kathak, the re-emergence of abhinaya. Details of subtle emotional nuances that characterise Kathak have regained ground. Its representation is visible on social media as much as it is in the sub-genre of popular Kathak in Bollywood.
There is always a debate about the so-called high, classical art becoming popular art. The choice is subjective. Presently, Sen runs Kalashram, the institute of her guru intended for the transmission of Kathak and associated arts. Further, together with her guru, she is on a mission to popularise Kathak through modalities of workshops, virtual teaching and even taking Kathak to the Bollywood.
The challenge remains the long term impact on the tradition of the language of Kathak itself particularly in terms of conventions and iconography, while also pointing to the ways in which they might offer new ways of thinking and absorbing an art which otherwise requires long, meditative and commitment of years. However, Sen’s principle in her personal journey in abhinaya remains what Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian painter, expressed: “Every serious work is tranquil…it resembles in poise the quiet phrase – “I am here”. Like or dislike for the work evaporates; but the sound of that phrase is eternal.”
Kathak in Bollywood
Lasting appeal: Kamal Haasan in “Vishwaroopam”;
Kathak, more than any other Indian classical dance, was visible in Indian cinema from early times. Legendary Kathak artists and gurus like Lachhu Maharaj, Gopi Krishna, and Sitara Devi were linked to the cinematic world as choreographers, actors and performers. The recent rage of Kathak, marked by Alia Bhatt’s performance in “Kalank”, in Indian cinema appears on the one hand a continuity but on the other hand reasserts the power of virtual reality where the dance is re-positioned.
It seemed but natural for Pandit Birju Maharaj, the legend of Kathak, to venture into Bollywood. Recently, a significant number of heroes and heroines have not only been directed by him, assisted by Saswati Sen, but a number of them have come to acquire training. Says Sen, “It is a challenge to reposition Kathak not only in the emerging complex world of the camera, lights and other aspects of cinematography; but also to communicate the nuances of Kathak to minds and bodies who have not learned the art in the traditional manner.”
For them, the engagement with Madhuri Dixit has been most pleasurable. “While working with her in ‘Devdas’ and ‘Dedh Ishqiya’, it was clear that she had had some training, her mother sings and she is sensitive to lyrics and aspires to explore the language of subtle gestures of Kathak abhinaya.” With Deepika Padukone in the song “Mohe Rang Do Laal” in “Baajirao Mastani”, it was different. “Her repertoire in terms of movement came from sports, it was thus but natural that she was conscious and had to work in a systematic and focused manner to be able to render the song.” The song ultimately went onto win the Filmfare Award for the best choreography. Other actresses with whom they have worked or are working were Rekha, and presently Jahnvi Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
The surprise was working with Kamal Haasan on “Vishwaroopam”. There were several firsts. He is not the only male actor with whom they worked. “Haasan, an extremely talented dancer, worked very hard to incorporate Kathak movements and nuances in the song ‘Unnai Kaanadhu Naan’ which went onto win a National Award.”
The period has changed from the time when Lachhu Maharaj, the uncle of Birju Maharaj was active in the film industry. His best-known choreographies were seen in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and “Pakeezah”. One needs to remember that several early Bollywood actresses did acquire formal, systematic training in Indian classical music and dance. That has changed. The contemporary manner of learning Bollywood dance is best illustrated in the Madame Tussauds Museum in London, where in front of the statue of Aishwarya Rai, for the extra money the Bollywood dance is taught. Instructions for the dance go: “Shake your hands to dry your nails, lift your foot and shake the dust…” The Bollywood genre caught on all over the world, and even in embassies in India.
There are all kinds of negotiations that are evident in taking Kathak to Bollywood to create a genre of popular Kathak. According to a film technician, Aroop Mukherjee, “Youngsters vying for a place in the industry, now find that having Kathak on their resume fetches higher points. They attend one or two of Maharaj Ji's workshops and use his name on their bio-data. I wonder what effect it is having on those aspirants who choose to learn Kathak for many years.”
Taking off from the above comment, one can now see a large number of Instagram accounts like ‘Kathak Dancers’- where all kinds of modelling and experimental costuming is illustrated. There is no doubt that Kathak today is riding a fascinating duality of virtual and real world, of different levels - high Kathak and popular Kathak. It appears to be the only dance form that is visibly a part of the manthan (churning) where social media and virtual reality has challenged all institutions including that of Indian classical arts.
