Shovana Narayan pays tribute to Pandit Birju Maharaj

Shovana Narayan was a disciple of the acclaimed Kathak guru for many decades

Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan and her repertory Asavari took the stage in New Delhi on March 14 to perform the ballet AUM.

Dedicated to Kathak legend Late Pandit Birju Maharaj, she brought her deep understanding and scholarship of ancient shastras and classical Sanskrit and Hindi literature to her work.

"For Indians and Indian philosophy, the term AUM (pronounced OM) is significant and revered. It is the cosmic sound of creation and symbolises the ultimate reality, the parabrahman. We thought of exploring the various dimensions that this term connotes through the medium of dance," said Narayan speaking to DH Online. "This exploration features the four stages of the sub-consciousness, namely awakening, realisation, aspiration and the continuum."

"Anything performed and executed well, with sincerity, attracts people's attention, regardless of age. Many young people have come up to me at the end of my programmes to declare how proud they were to be Indians and part of such a deep and rich culture."

Kathak has been refashioned into many modern avatars to catch the public's quicksilver attention and establish a dancer's identity. Many innovations like Bollywood Kathak, Sufi Kathak or even Flamenco Kathak have been introduced, which purists say changes its essence. Narayan scuttles the trend by quoting Birju Maharaj, who said that people are free to express themselves in whichever way they desire, "but please do not call it Kathak."

She points out that the term Sufi is a recent introduction to Indian dance vocabulary.

"In 1942, when my first guru, Sadhona Bose, had performed to the verses of Omar Khayyam and Rumi, no one called it Sufi for it was just like performing to a bhajan or a verse of Tulsidas!"

The passing away of her guru Birju Maharaj is a huge personal loss to Narayan, who started learning from him in 1964.

"I lost a comforting pillar, a friend and a mentor. He stood apart, head and shoulders above even his colleagues. He was the one who brought home the meaning of aesthetics in movement and dance, the precision, technical virtuosity and immense grace and gave it an international stature and recognition."

She remembers many incidents from her relationship of several decades with "Maharjaji" as his disciple.

"He came to my house for eight-10 years every single day to teach me without charging a single penny. He launched me as a young professional in 1968 at a festival in Sapru House. He would even do my makeup before important shows."

Narayan was introduced to Kathak when she was barely three years old. "Even at a very young age, my heart was clear that it was only Kathak where my breath resided. Kathak is like life itself. There are rules and boundaries, but within those, how you create, live, and breathe depends on each individual," she said.

"In terms of speed and tempo, Kathak can traverse through the slowest of slow tempos to the fastest and not be confined to one unvarying beat. Kathak encourages creativity while creating an item before its stage presentation and even while being on stage. The latent message is to be absolutely at one with the dance form."

(Shashi Sunny is a lifestyle, celebrity and travel feature writer who has worked in a senior capacity with leading publishing houses)

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