National Institute of Kathak Dance
Encyclopedia
National Institute of Kathak Dance, also known as Kathak Kendra, is the premier dance institution for the Indian classical dance form of Kathak
, and a unit of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, situated in New Delhi
. Established in 1964, the institution is primarily dedicated to Kathak, though it also offers courses in Hindustani classical music
(Vocal) and Pakhawaj.
s in post-independence after 1947, brought an end of royal patronage to Kathak exponents as well as gurus. Many started teaching privately. Earlier, under the patronage of Awadh
state, Lachhu Maharaj
moved to Bombay, while his brother, Shambhu Maharaj
, and his nephew moved to Delhi in 1955. Kathak Kendra was originally established as the Kathak wing of the Shriram Bharitya Kala Kendra, in 1955, through the efforts of Nirmala Joshi, the first secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
, under the patronage of Sumitra Charat Ram, wife of industrialist, Lala Charat Ram of Shriram Group. Here Pandit Shambhu Maharaj
, celebrated Guru of the Lucknow
Gharana
(school) of Kathak, was head of the department . In 1964 the institution became a part of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
and in July 1969, the Akademi took over its functioning as well, and moved it to its new location at the nearby former Bahawalpur House, which also houses the National School of Drama
. Shambhu Maharaj was a noted exponent of the bhava
anga (emotive part), and, in the coming years, revived several classical thumri
s and bhajan
s and added them to Kathak repertoire. He trained several students who subsequently made a name for themselves, including Kumudini Lakhia
, Damayanti Joshi
, Bharti Gupta, Gopi Krishna, Maya Rao and Sitara.
Shambhu Maharaj received the highest award of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
in 1967. After the death of Shambhu Maharaj in 1970, his nephew Birju Maharaj
, who was associated with the institution from its inception, and a noted Kathak dancer and guru in his own right, became the Head of Faculty and also remained the Director of the institution for many years. Birju Maharaj started adapting the dance, which was till now staged for small gatherings in temple courtyards or Mehfil
s to one catering to large gatherings in the modern proscenium theatre, and created several noted ballets in his period. Gradually what was essentially a solo-dance, moved towards expression in group performances. Over the years the repertory wing, formerly known as 'Ballet Unit' has created notable production of Kathak ballet, with evolved stage and costume design as well as elaborate music, Taj ki Kahani (1966) was choreographed by Krishna Kumar, and had music by Amjad Ali, Shan-e-audh (1968), Kumara Sambhav and Dalia all choreographed by Birju Maharaj and with music by Dagar Brothers. Several of the productions, like Govardhan Leela, Machan Chori, Phag Bhara employed mythological themes and gave them modern presentation. Birju Maharaj performed these ballet productions all over the world, giving the traditional dance form, worldwide recognition. Many former students of the Kendra, also joined the repertory wing as registered staff.
The Kendra also became a venue for innovation in the form and presentation style of Kathak, merging formats from both the Lucknow
and Jaipur
gharana
in the coming decades. This was also the period of experimental works, which showed a progression away from the canonical motifs and themes of Kathak, like Radha Krishna, Chhed Chhad, Gat Bhav and Tode Tukde. In 1980, when Keshav Kothari was the Director at the Kendra and also Secretary of Sangeet Natak Akademi, a work title, Parikrama was choreographed by Birju Maharaj, in which Kathak was used to depict the natural rhythm that runs through all animate objects. In 1982, Kathak Kendra started organising two national-level Kathak festivals annually, 'Kalka Bindadin Festival' and 'Sharad Chandrika Festival', focussing of group and solo performances respectively. This also provided a common platform of dancers from both Lucknow and Jaipur gharana to allow mingling of ideas and facilitate innovations. After having received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
at the age of 28, Birju Maharaj received India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan
in 1986.
Birju Maharaj retired in 1998, when retirement age was implemented at performing arts institutions as well thereafter he started his own Kathak and Indian fine arts academy, Kalashram in Delhi. A few years later, another noted guru at the Kendra, Munna Shukla
also retired, he now teaches at Bhartiya Kala Kendra and teaches in East Delhi.
In time, Uttar Pradesh Government, established a state Kathak Kendra in Lucknow
in 1973, with Lachhu Maharaj
, brother of Shambu Maharaj as its founding director, and Rajasthan Government established, Jaipur Kathak Kendra
. Both places are known for their respective gharana
s of Kathak.
and South Delhi
:
The Kendra also has a Repertory Wing which performs at many places, and works towards evolving techniques of Kathak dance through experimental work.
Kathak
Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh, India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers...
, and a unit of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, situated in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. Established in 1964, the institution is primarily dedicated to Kathak, though it also offers courses in Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
(Vocal) and Pakhawaj.
History
The end of princely statePrincely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
s in post-independence after 1947, brought an end of royal patronage to Kathak exponents as well as gurus. Many started teaching privately. Earlier, under the patronage of Awadh
Awadh
Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...
state, Lachhu Maharaj
Lachhu Maharaj
Lachhu Maharaj was an Indian dancer. He came from a family of illustrious Kathak exponents in Lucknow.He received extensive training from Pandit Bindadin Maharaj, his uncle and the court dancer of the Nawab of Awadh, for nearly ten years...
moved to Bombay, while his brother, Shambhu Maharaj
Shambhu Maharaj
Pandit Shambhu Maharaj was a celebrated Guru of the Lucknow Gharana of the Indian classical dance form, Kathak. -Early life and training:...
, and his nephew moved to Delhi in 1955. Kathak Kendra was originally established as the Kathak wing of the Shriram Bharitya Kala Kendra, in 1955, through the efforts of Nirmala Joshi, the first secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
, under the patronage of Sumitra Charat Ram, wife of industrialist, Lala Charat Ram of Shriram Group. Here Pandit Shambhu Maharaj
Shambhu Maharaj
Pandit Shambhu Maharaj was a celebrated Guru of the Lucknow Gharana of the Indian classical dance form, Kathak. -Early life and training:...
, celebrated Guru of the Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
Gharana
Gharana
In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one...
(school) of Kathak, was head of the department . In 1964 the institution became a part of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
and in July 1969, the Akademi took over its functioning as well, and moved it to its new location at the nearby former Bahawalpur House, which also houses the National School of Drama
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...
. Shambhu Maharaj was a noted exponent of the bhava
Bhava
The term bhāva is often translated as feeling, emotion, mood, devotional state of mind. In Buddhist thought, bhāva denotes the continuity of life and death, including reincarnation, and the maturation arising therefrom...
anga (emotive part), and, in the coming years, revived several classical thumri
Thumri
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music.The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects of Hindi called Poorbi and Brij Bhasha...
s and bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
s and added them to Kathak repertoire. He trained several students who subsequently made a name for themselves, including Kumudini Lakhia
Kumudini Lakhia
Kumudini Lakhia is an Indian Kathak dancer and choreographer based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where she founded Kadamb School of Dance and Music, an institute of Indian dance and music in 1967....
, Damayanti Joshi
Damayanti Joshi
Damayanti Joshi was a noted Indian classical dancer in the Kathak dance form. Starting as young dancer in the troupe of Madame Menaka in the 1930s, which travelled to many parts of the world...
, Bharti Gupta, Gopi Krishna, Maya Rao and Sitara.
Shambhu Maharaj received the highest award of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
in 1967. After the death of Shambhu Maharaj in 1970, his nephew Birju Maharaj
Birju Maharaj
Brijmo Mishra popularly known as Pandit Birju Maharaj is currently the leading exponent of the Varanasi Kalka-Bindadin gharana of Kathak dance in India.He is a descendant of the legendary Maharaj family of Kathak dancers, including his two uncles, Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj, and his father...
, who was associated with the institution from its inception, and a noted Kathak dancer and guru in his own right, became the Head of Faculty and also remained the Director of the institution for many years. Birju Maharaj started adapting the dance, which was till now staged for small gatherings in temple courtyards or Mehfil
Mehfil
A mehfil is a gathering or evening of courtly entertainment of poetry or concert of Indian classical music and dance, performed for a small audience in an intimate setting....
s to one catering to large gatherings in the modern proscenium theatre, and created several noted ballets in his period. Gradually what was essentially a solo-dance, moved towards expression in group performances. Over the years the repertory wing, formerly known as 'Ballet Unit' has created notable production of Kathak ballet, with evolved stage and costume design as well as elaborate music, Taj ki Kahani (1966) was choreographed by Krishna Kumar, and had music by Amjad Ali, Shan-e-audh (1968), Kumara Sambhav and Dalia all choreographed by Birju Maharaj and with music by Dagar Brothers. Several of the productions, like Govardhan Leela, Machan Chori, Phag Bhara employed mythological themes and gave them modern presentation. Birju Maharaj performed these ballet productions all over the world, giving the traditional dance form, worldwide recognition. Many former students of the Kendra, also joined the repertory wing as registered staff.
The Kendra also became a venue for innovation in the form and presentation style of Kathak, merging formats from both the Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
and Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
gharana
Gharana
In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one...
in the coming decades. This was also the period of experimental works, which showed a progression away from the canonical motifs and themes of Kathak, like Radha Krishna, Chhed Chhad, Gat Bhav and Tode Tukde. In 1980, when Keshav Kothari was the Director at the Kendra and also Secretary of Sangeet Natak Akademi, a work title, Parikrama was choreographed by Birju Maharaj, in which Kathak was used to depict the natural rhythm that runs through all animate objects. In 1982, Kathak Kendra started organising two national-level Kathak festivals annually, 'Kalka Bindadin Festival' and 'Sharad Chandrika Festival', focussing of group and solo performances respectively. This also provided a common platform of dancers from both Lucknow and Jaipur gharana to allow mingling of ideas and facilitate innovations. After having received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
at the age of 28, Birju Maharaj received India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
in 1986.
Birju Maharaj retired in 1998, when retirement age was implemented at performing arts institutions as well thereafter he started his own Kathak and Indian fine arts academy, Kalashram in Delhi. A few years later, another noted guru at the Kendra, Munna Shukla
Munna Shukla
Munna Shukla is a Kathak guru and choreographer of Lucknow Gharana based in New Delhi, India. Born to a family who has been involved in dance for generations, Munna Shukla specializes in Kathak, a classical dance form of North India...
also retired, he now teaches at Bhartiya Kala Kendra and teaches in East Delhi.
In time, Uttar Pradesh Government, established a state Kathak Kendra in Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
in 1973, with Lachhu Maharaj
Lachhu Maharaj
Lachhu Maharaj was an Indian dancer. He came from a family of illustrious Kathak exponents in Lucknow.He received extensive training from Pandit Bindadin Maharaj, his uncle and the court dancer of the Nawab of Awadh, for nearly ten years...
, brother of Shambu Maharaj as its founding director, and Rajasthan Government established, Jaipur Kathak Kendra
Jaipur Kathak Kendra
Jaipur Kathak Kendra is a teaching institution of Kathak. It was established by Government of Rajasthan in 1978 in Jaipur to patronise and develop the Jaipur Gharana of Kathak. The major priority of the Kendra is to develop the research work,education and training and to provide the stage for...
. Both places are known for their respective gharana
Gharana
In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one...
s of Kathak.
Overview
Apart from the main centre at Bahawalpur House, the Kendra also runs two additional centres in the city, one each in North DelhiNorth Delhi
North Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India.North Delhi is bounded by the Yamuna River on the east, and by the districts of North West Delhi to the north and west, West Delhi to the southwest, Central Delhi to the south, and North East Delhi to the...
and South Delhi
South Delhi
South Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India.It is bounded by the Yamuna River to the east, the districts of New Delhi to the north, Faridabad District of Haryana state to the southeast, Gurgaon District of Haryana to the southwest, and South West...
:
- Kathak Centre (North), Kingsway CampKingsway CampKingsway Camp officially known as Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar , since 1970, is a historic area located in North Delhi, near Civil Lines and Delhi University. It starts from Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar Chauraha , and has residential areas like Hudson Lines and Outram Lines. Localities like Dhaka Village,...
- Kathak Centre (South), Qutub Institutional Area
The Kendra also has a Repertory Wing which performs at many places, and works towards evolving techniques of Kathak dance through experimental work.
Courses
- Elementary Courses
- 5-year Foundation Course - (Age Limit: 9 to 14 years)
- 3-year Diploma (Pass) Course - (Age Limit: 12 to 17 years)
- Advanced Courses
- 3-year Diploma (Hons.) Course
- 2-year Post Diploma Course
- 5-year Diploma Courses in TablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
And Pakhawaj playing