Kathak, the Soul of Indian Classical Dances

Kathak is a fascinating Indian dance and one of the 8 classical dances of India. The Kathak classical dance originated from the Northern part of the Indian sub-continent. ‘Kathak’ derives its name from a Sanskrit word - ‘Katha’, which means story and ‘Katthaka’ means someone who tells a story. In the modern times, Kathak has taken the first position as the Classical Dance of India.

Origin of Kathak classical dance

The origins of Kathak can be traced back to the ancient north Indian nomadic bards. These nomadic bards used to be popularly known as ‘Kathaks’, which meant ‘storytellers’. These kathaks performed their dances in the temple courtyards and village squares. The Kathak dance form is majorly based on the moral tales and mythological stories inscribed in the ancient Indian scriptures. In the Kathak dance form, the recitals are expressed through facial expressions and hand gestures. To enliven the enigmatic mythological stories, the Kathak dance in the ancient times, used to be accentuated with vocal and instrumental music and stylized gestures.

Influences

The modern Kathak dance carries only traces of the ritualistic and temple dance moves and has a strong influence of the Bhakti movement. During the 16the century, Kathak classical dance absorbed a great deal of Persian dance form alongside the dance form of Central Asia. These dance forms were majorly performed in the royal courts during the Mughal era.

Schools of Kathak dance

The classical dance form of Kathak has three ‘gharanas’ or schools. These three schools of Kathak dance have left their strong influences in shaping the modern Kathak of India. These three gharanas of Kathak dance are –

v  Kathak gharana of Jaipur - born in the royal court of the Rajput kings of Kachawaha

v  Kathak gharana of Lucknow - born in the royal court of the Nawab of Oudh

v  Kathak gharana of Benaras - born in the royal court of the Varanasi

Besides these three prominent Kathak gharanas, there is also a less prominent gharana in Kathak dance form. It is known as the Raigarh gharana of Kathak. This Kathak gharana inherited and amalgamated all three gharanas of Kathak, but, became popular for its own unique compositions.

Types of Kathak Dance

Kathak classical dance can be categorized into two types, which are –

v  Nritta or pure dance

v  Nritya or expressive dance

Music to Kathak

For Kathak dances, music is usually provided by the sitar and tabla players.

Stages in Kathak dance


v  Vandana
v  Thaat  
v  Aamad
v  Salaami
v  Kavit
v  Paran
v  Parmelu /Primalu
v  Gat
v  Ladi
v  Tihai

Costume of Kathak

Ghunghru forms one of the integral most parts of Kathak dance costume. Ghunghru or ghungroo, as they are often spelled, are tiny bells which are wound around the ankles of the Kathak dancer. The Kathak bells are woven along a string and each ankle has around 100 of these bells. Lehenga choli with the combination of odhni (veil) is the traditional costume for Kathak dancers. Sometimes though, the lehenga is replaced by a similar costume called ‘ghaghra’. The mughal costume for women Kathak dancers is the ‘angrakha’ combined with a legging called the ‘churidaar’. The accessories worn with this Kathak costume include a cap called ‘bandi’ and a belt made of precious stones or zari.


picture source: 
voiceofdance.com
nrityagram.org
jhanakdanceacademy.com
asavari.org

North East Motorcycle Thrills for Indian Adventure Freaks

It’s time to hit the dirt tracks and scoot up the hills of North East. The preparations for the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland are in full swing! Zig-zag your way down the muddy tracks of the Kaziranga, shake hands with the feared head hunters of yesteryears and sip a cup of steaming tea with the village folks. Paahun presents this incredible road journey exclusively for the Indian roadies! So, set your vagabond spirit on fire and become one of the six special bikers to join Paahun for a wild bike trip to North East.

Itinerary

Nov 25 – Day 1 – Guwahati - Kaziranga National Park – 280 km

Start early to avoid road traffic. Riding will be mostly on good roads with only a few kilometers of bad stretch owing to road construction. Cross the historical town of Tezpur and enjoy a smooth ride up till Kaziranga National Park. Reach the park in the late afternoon. Stay at a dry riverbed resort, tucked away some distance from the Central Range of the Park. The resort includes bamboo houses standing on stilts, amidst lush and serene vegetable fields, without any other settlement in vicinity. (Note: Power is shut down after10 pm). Enjoy a night bonfire under starlit sky.

Nov 26 – Day 2 – Kaziranga

Embark upon an early morning jeep safari to the central range of the park to join for an hour’s elephant safari into the interiors. Witness endangered great one horned rhino, herds of wild elephants, deers, wild bores, wild buffalo and a diverse fauna.

After the elephant safari, join in for another safari in the jeep of about two and half hours right away or in the afternoon. In the late afternoon, visit a tea estate and learn the complex method of tea manufacturing. Enjoy yet another starlit night bonfire.

Nov 27 – Day 3 – Kaziranga – Mon – 250km

Wake up for an early trip and hit the roads for a relatively smooth ride. Enter the district of Mon in Nagaland, the headquarters of the feared warriors - Konyak Nagas. Upon arrival, enjoy a tented accommodation at a hilltop resort.

Nov 28 – Day 4 – Mon

Traverse 42 kms to reach the tribal Longwa village at the Myanmar border, which, passes right through the middle of the Chief’s (called Angh) house. The chief controls 50 villages inside Myanmar. Meet the headhunters or the Konyak warriors now in their fifties, who, used to be tattooed on bringing home the cut off heads of enemies. Witness the true culture and tradition from close while also, studying their amazing wood, bamboo, bone and copper artefacts and muzzle loading guns. Enjoy firing some old guns as well.

Nov 29 – Day 5 – Mon – MKG – Wokha – 170km

Gear up for the roads of the tour. Ride for 6-7 hours less trafficked roads and reach the small town of Wokha in the evening. Next, check into the hotel.

Nov 30 – Day 6 – Wokha – Kohima - 85km

Do an early morning tour of the village, meet the locals and then ride off to Kohima. After a smooth two hour ride on scenic hilly roads, check into the hotel on arrival. Later, visit the War Cemetery.

Dec 1&2 – Day 7 & 8 – Kohima

Stay in Kohima for 2 days and enjoy the wonderful Hornbill Festival. Witness the tradition and culture of all the tribes of Nagaland and also of some of the neighbouring states and countries.

Dec 3 – Day 9 – Kohima – Dimapur – Kaziranga – 220km

Ride down to Kaziranga and go for a repeat safari (optional).

Dec 4 – Day 10 – Kaziranga - Guwahati – 271km

Gear up for the home run. Ride back to Guwahati and reach by evening. Tour ends.

Price – Rider Rs 25,000/ head, Pillion rider – Rs 17,000 per head

Price includes Bike rental, all petrol, stay, all meals (10 days only), sightseeing, etc.

One group accommodates 6 riders & so 6 pillion riders due to logistics constraint. Those who are interested must ring up (080-42021383) to book your place.

The above itinerary is a fixed date one. However, if you have a group of 5 riders and you are interested for this tour, we have whole October available for you. We will take you to Tawang and Dirang in place of Kohima where this Hornbill festival is going to take place.

You can mail the company at info@paahun.com or manishjha@paahun.com for more details about this tour.

New Light and Sound Show at Tamil Nadu’s UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Brihadeeswara Temple of Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu will soon be hosting light and sound shows. There will be two 45 minute shows every day, one in Tamil and the other in English. This welcome respite has come after a long struggle and hard work by the Tamil Nadu Department of Tourism. This South Indian temple, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, is a dedicated to Lord Shiva. This is an ancient temple that was built by Rajaraja Chola who lived from 985 to 1012.

picture source: ic2.pbase.com

Julia Roberts’ Latest Film - 'Eat, Pray, Love' Inspires Meditation Tours in India

Whether you are a Julia Roberts fan or you are keenly interested in Yoga and meditation, you sure have a new inspiration to do it all in India. Julia Robert’s much hyped forthcoming film with the name of 'Eat, Pray, Love' is inspiring tour operators on a large scale to offer meditation tourism packages in India. The film deals with a long cultural and spiritual trip to India by the protagonist. When merchandises and jewelry products are being launched with the film’s name, why should the Indian tourism industry remain far behind? But, whatever the reason, it’s definitely going to give meditation tourism in India a significant lift, even though it seems to be only a part of the 'Eat, Pray, Love Experience' when there are two other competitive destinations in the list like Italy and Thailand.

picture source: insearchofsimplicitytoday.files.wordpress.com

Odissi - The Oldest Classical Dance of India

India has eight classic dance forms and Odissi is one of them. This beautiful dance form traces its roots to the state of Orissa, which, is located in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. Apart from its amazing dance moves, Odissi is also famous as the oldest Indian dance form which is still surviving in its full form. This dance form was suppressed under the rule of the British, but, after the Indian independence, Odissi was revived again.

The uniquity of Odissi

What distinguishes the Odissi dance form from the other Indian classical dance forms is its emphasis on tribhangi. Tribhangi is a dance form where the body movement is divided into three breaks which include the movement of the chest, the head and the pelvis. The Odissi dance is performed on chauka, which is a square stance.

History of Odissi dance and music

Evidences show that Odissi was initially a court dance. Then this secular dance also began to be performed in religious and spiritual places like temples and Buddhist and Jain monasteries. This Indian classical dance used to be performed regularly in the Jagannath Temple in Puri and Vaishnavite temple, Shaivite temple and Sakta temple in Orissa. Odissi dancers, who, dedicated their performances as offerings to the God in the temples, used to be known as ‘Maharis’. The Konark Sun temple, Buddhist Ratnagiri hills, Bhubaneswar’s Brahmesvar temple and the Tantric temples like Hirapur Shrine contain detailed sculptures of Odissi dancers and musicians.

Tradition of Odissi

The tradition of Odissi dance existed in three different schools, which were – Nartaki, Mahari and Gotipua. Maharis were the temple dancers of Orissa, who, were chosen to dance at the Lord Jagannath temple of Puri. Initially, they mainly performed nritya or pure dance along with abhinaya or poetry interpretation, based on the lyrics of Gita Govinda by Jaydev. The Gotipua tradition emerged towards the 6^th century when the Vaishnavas began to protest against women dancing. Gotipuas were young boys who dressed up as women Maharis and performed dances outside the temples, to the lyrics of Vaishnava poets, which, were usually dedicated to the divine lovers ‘Radha – Krishna’.  Nartaki dance was popular in the royal courts after women were banned to dance in temples by the British. But in a matter of time, Nartaki dance form faded too and only Gotipua school of Odissi dance remained.

Odissi music

Odissi music is the synthesis of four different music classes which are chitrakala, panchal, chitrapada, and dhruvapada. While Chitrakala is the usage of art form in music, Chitrapada is the music form where words are used alliteratively. In Dhruvapada, the first lines of the song are sung repeatedly.

Odissi dance costume and jewelry

The Odissi dance costume comes in the form of a brightly colored saree with shades of green, red, purple and orange. Traditionally, the dancers drape themselves in Sambalpuri saree. The makeup comprises a red bindi on the forehead with a pattern drawn with sandalwood paste. The eyes are done up in a broad and elongated outline with a kajal and liner. Filigree jewelry is worn by the dancers, which comprise the traditionally crafted tikka, allaka, jimkis, necklaces and bangles. A prominent head piece called mahkoot is also worn which is traditionally made of dried reed called sola. The back piece of the mahkoot is decorated with flowers and is called ghoba, adorning around the dancer’s bun. This part represents the head chakra or the centre of energy. A Longer part emerges from the back piece and it is called thiya. This represents either the sacred flute of Lord Krishna or the spire of Jagannath temple.

picture source: wikipedia, picturesindia