Drishtikon

The making of an artist means much more than signing up for a run of the mill class and more so for the streams of art forms typically popular amongst the layman seekers. Many feel that enrolling their young one for a dance class, a drawing camp or an acting workshop would make artists out of them. Little does the common man know that there goes a plethora of talent, hard work, mentoring, practice and experience that goes into the craft of making an artist out of a human .

In yester years, Guru Shishya Parampara was predominantly prevalent and probably the only way to take up any kind of learning. This ensured that living in close proximity with the Guru, the disciples imbibed knowledge, lifestyle, discipline and wisdom through observation and maximum interaction and his company. In today’s fast paced life, students spend time with Guides, Teachers, Trainers for not  more than a couple of hours per week and that too in a commercial class set up where batches come in and go out on a session basis or a per hourly meter. This stark reality hits us big time when we consider our growth into this ocean of creative brilliance that performing art rightly is, it is natural to find ourselves struggling to hold a reassuring hand of a Guru. Learning happens, unlearning doesn’t and this per say is one of the most essential prerequisites of being anywhere near creative field. 

Having said that, I have a brilliant proof to support the myth that we all stand to believe, ‘Where is the time?’ This is the time and if we really seek, we’ll be lead to an experience worth reliving again and again for the rest of our lifetime. I am a changed person after I’ve attended the residential Katha Kathak Antardhara workshop organized by LAAYANGIKAM at Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini at Utan under the guidance of the great Kathak Maestro Pt. Rajendra Ganganiji and a team of brilliant scholars, artists and speakers in various fields of Literary, performing and fine arts. This workshop rightly transforms mere dancers performers and students of Kathak into blooming Artists with sensibilities that are gently opened up to absorb experience and exude creativity through various mediums. 

The sheer brilliance of making this concept work, is the presence of one of the greatest gentlest kindest and most humble artist that Panditji is. We lovingly call him ‘Guruji’  A respectful bow to the Master mind Smt. Archana Sunjayji to have taken the pains to execute this dream of recreating a Gurukul experience for all of us through her honest and sincere efforts for the noble cause of the empowerment and unification of Artist community under one roof. When I think about penning down about what I procured from the workshop, I am amazed at the impact it has had on my existence as a human. My outlook at looking at any art form has taken a 180 degree turn and has led me to believe that there is such intricate subcutaneous layering that goes into understanding a work of art or to live as a seeker of  creative repertoire , I am indebted to my destiny and the almighty to have chosen me to experience this first hand. In this article I am trying to compile my understanding and perspective about various seminars talks and presentations that took place during the course of the workshop.

Kathak is seen as a medium of storytelling and the ‘Kathakaars’ took it forward from temples to spread amongst the masses as a link to Godly worship, then it was seen to be performed by courtisians when it procured its ‘Rajashraya’, it then slowly but surely got its due of being amongst the enlisted official classical dances from India to be performed on stage and appreciated by classes. When I say classes, I wouldn’t try and give it a second thought since even till this date classical dancing remains to be a topic of investment of time efforts energy patience and of course money for many years until it starts yielding its so called fruits in terms of commercial profit. There still lies a major confusion amongst many people about the differentiation between Traditional, Contemporary and Modern dance. This can be cleared when one understands that content and presentation are two different things. Similar ideas can be presented by various artists in diametrically different methods. ‘Sahitya, Sangeet, Chitrakala and Shilpakala’ readily contribute and must ideally be contributing to understanding of any dance form. A seeker must read, write, watch, listen, imbibe, soak and absorb all of the above to start his/her journey into transformation from a seeker to an artist… All artists are primarily seekers and chose to remain so…. However, not all seekers turn to become Artists.

Kathak has a language of rich abstraction yet it is never ambiguous , it is strung by ‘Vishay vastu and kram’ i.e. definite rules yet it lends liberal and ample freedom of expression to a performer. This makes it an art form closer to us, hence naturally loved and understood by the audience as well as the performer. ‘Tatkar’ is its inner pulse, ‘Thaat’ is a dynamic fluid image with subtle undercurrents of minimal movements from top to toe, yet what  it exhibits, is phenomenally striking and an epitome of grace. The initial ‘Vilambit laya vistar’ presented by a Kathak performer is rightly called ‘Thaat bandhna’ Performance is described by many as an act of sacred meditation yet to many it seems like a ritual of practice and delivery. Unless the dancer’s body, mind and soul are aligned with syncronicity, there wouldn’t be any so called ‘magic’ happening on stage. There is a difference when a performer dishes out ‘ Waah waaa’ from the public while an ARTIST generates a spontaneous ‘Ahhh ahahaa…’ from the audience. This is called a ‘Daad’.

Kathak is a dance form equivalent to the highest level of Yogic concentration. ‘Bols’ are intraforms and the ‘Padhant’ compliments the rhythm and hence the body, mind and soul trio unify during the recital enveloping the audience into an amalgamation of ethereal ‘Rasanubhava’. Here body is only a means of expression and ART takes people beyond their bodies. Riyaz makes the artist accept and assimilate the language and add on his/her own uniqueness to its translation while performing to reach out to a space beyond the mundane world. An artist must be engrossed in music, poetry, listening, hearing, music, writing and practicing. Programs come by the way and fishing programs must never be the sole purpose of learning. All art that we are doing today is Contemporary because it is a present practice happening in real time. Artform is like an ‘Ittra’ or an essense which translates itself into a fragrance when exposed to air… To every individual it signifies different meaning, for some it’s a smell, for others it becomes a treasured memory which they recreate by whiffing it constantly over their wrists or from the tiny bottle of perfume… Some may hate it  a few may love it…. Whatever the reaction it generates no one can deny its existence. 

All these artforms are closely interlinked with each other where Dance as a medium of articulation has its language in the form of ‘Chalan’, ‘Raag roop’, ‘Sanchari bhaav’ and ‘tatva vistar’ where in right from the posture to stage presence, from gait to aesthetics, from content to style everything comes under a scanner and is magnified to critical opinion as a natural progression. Performance in its physicality might have miniscule ‘Kshanbhangur’ existence on stage but by default has infinite life in the memories of the audience artist and accompanists so much so that every performance becomes etched on to the growth graph of all three components. Having said that, many artists have command over fractions of beats, mastery over ‘anvat taals’ or ‘laaykari prabhutva’ and the nuances in his craft, but very few are able to create the so called ‘Magic’ on stage. Here is one of the reasons : A performer shows bhaav with the help of ‘Ang , pratyang and upang’ over a thumri rendered live on stage, an artist becomes the Thumri. This is the highest point of joy to the seeker. Artist, accompanists as well as audience all become equal seekers in this sacred act of creation. Success  is established when THE dancer disappears and the Dance remains.

The quintessence of Kathak is that one needs to be blissfully engrossed in the sheer joy that the dance exudes. It may be in learning, practicing or watching. The quiddity of being the so called ‘exponent’ lies in the fact that one gets to readily open up and accept everything that one experiences as a ladder towards growth, there is no right or wrong and everything needs to be respected as a perspective. That is why the tenet of not sticking to the tickmarks in a preplanned presentation holds true for any presenter. What happens on stage is in no control of the said components involved, one can do the best by preparing his/her best and then let the artform take over. 

When a Kathakaar chooses to do ‘Swantsukhay Abhyas’, Kathak becomes a Yog stringing together the ‘dekhya, seekhya, rekhya’ into a blissful state of ‘ pariksha, chintan, manan and aakalan’. This is the holistic approach towards Kathak. The Kathak scholar Late Pandita Rohini Bhate rightly mentions ‘padhant’ as chanting of ‘Bols’ where the ‘lay ki karvate’ is observed through its loops and knots in the filigree of composition. One must be a Yogi who is pro-chanting and consider ‘Bols’ as mantras repeating them so much so that you get ready for the next step i.e. Improvisation. ‘Padhant’ is the poetry of ‘taal ang’ where the artist lights a lamp via perfection and ignites thousands of lamps in hearts of the audience through it…

Riyaz is a ‘yagna’ where in there is ‘samarpan’ ‘prarthana’ and ‘aahuti’. ‘Seekh’ and ‘tayyari’ manifest in an experience which is sublime yet definite, defined yet difficult to describe, immaterial yet gross and yet extremely personal and private experience to each and every person. When a dancer explores the ‘Avakasha’ or the space zero, he builds structures, geometry, designs and patterns on and over it and within it and beyond leading to a state of SO-HUM, where everything becomes one and there is one in Everything…. This ‘YAGNA’ is irreplaceable and inevitable. Broadening our minds, emerging out of mediocrity and choosing to refuse to become a victim of influence can lead us to a step closer to embracing our uniqueness as an individual. Knowing where to bow and when to stand up is the marker that will set us forth as dance exponents, seekers of experience and culminating into artists. 

This rightly explains as to why a ‘ Bharatnatyam’ performer must visit a painting exhibition or a Sculptor must attend a classical concert or an ‘Instrumental performer’ must see ceramics being made or a ‘Kathak dancer’ must go to see ancient Temples and caves not merely as a tourist but as a student… We do not need to understand everything we see to enjoy it. Dropping our conditioned beliefs towards a set of likes and dislikes and leaving our prejudice and assumptions aside, we’d be ready to go inside an exhibition or an auditorium as one person and emerge out as a changed person. There has to be more unlearning in order to open up our pores to absorb the wisdom. ‘Kala’ per say is ‘Saarvbhaum’, we do not need to understand its grammar to enjoy it, we just need to be present there at the moment of creation and it will give each one of us what it has to. 

I dedicate this article to Natraj, Gurutatva and to ART that was, is and will be ever created…

- Prajakta Sathe.