Written by: Subboh Jaffery
Posted on: January 10, 2019 | 
| 中文
Ally Adnan's lecture on Kathak
A group of 30 individuals attended the event, ‘Kathak – The Dance of Storytellers’ held at Karachi’s Base Rock Café on Friday, 4th January 2019. South Asian art was celebrated with Ally Adnan’s very informative and interactive lecture about Kathak’s birth, emergence, and evolution.
Ally Adnan is a Pakistani-American journalist, who has dedicated his life and work to South-Asian art. An accomplished cultural critic, his work is held in high regard by artists, enthusiasts and researchers alike. Not only is he very learned, but he is also a collector of art, with pieces from some of the finest South-Asian artists, including Gulgee and Sadequain, in his collection. Adnan also heads the ‘After Hours Group’ in the United States, working on promoting South Asian culture in that part of the world. In his 2-week-long tour of Pakistan, he’s delivering lectures on art, history, culture and Sufism in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
Adnan began with some context about the classical dances of India, which find their roots in the Sanskrit Hindu treatise on performing arts, The Natya Sastra. Dating back to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, the Natya Sastra consists of 36 chapters with a cumulative total of 6000 poetic verses. Kathak is among the classical dance forms, which originates from this treatise. The word ‘Kathak’ literally means ‘Storyteller’ in Sanskrit. The dance form was derived from the tradition of storytelling, and can be traced back to the 400 BCE.
As Adnan emphasized, Kathak has remained an important part of South-Asian history, and has evolved immensely, elaborated by legends like Ishwari Prasad, Chakradhar Singh and, in more recent times, by the likes of Birju Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj. Starting from its roots in Hinduism, Kathak was mythicized by nomads and gypsies before it was adopted by and made a crucial part of the Bhakti movement. As Islam made its way into the Sub-continent from Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, Kathak found its way into the Muslim movement in India. Embraced by the Sufis, it became an integral part of Islamic mysticism, and thus a popular mode of expression for Sufi ideas and literature. It was then that Kathak truly transformed into a secular dance form. To date, it is the only truly secular classical dance form in India and Pakistan.
As Kathak grew in prominence, it was adapted to suit the Mughal aristocratic entertainment. During the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, Kathak is said to have enjoyed its golden years. Mughal Darbars would regularly host performances by dancers from all over India. After its induction in the Muslim world, Kathak changed drastically. The dance style became more technical; newly formed ideas of skill, rhythmic virtuosity and speed were introduced and integrated, changing Kathak forever. Under Muslim rule, a lot of aesthetic changes were also made such as the change in costumes. New etiquettes were introduced in the dance performance; Kathak performances started including the salami, where the dancer would greet the audience with a humble bow and raising hand to the forehead.
With regards to different styles of Kathak, since the dance is passed on through generations, it can be traced back to the pioneers. Different teachers gave rise to multiple schools of thought, or gharanas. Currently, there are 5 gharanas of Kathak, the prominent ones being the Benarus Gharana and the Lucknow Gharana.
Interestingly so, Kathak isn’t limited to just being a dance form, but is also a form of music. Kathak has two parts to it: the Nritta is the technical aspect, and Nritiya is the expressional part. Nritta is the performance i.e. the dancing, and Nritiya covers aspects like sounds and visuals. Within the Nritiya, the musical aspect of Kathak has its own beats, rhythms and melodies. These musical aspects are so prominent in South Asia, that classical and folk music in Pakistan such as Ghazals and Qawwalis find their basis in Kathak, employing instruments like the Satrangi, Sitar and Tabla.
The night ended with a captivating Kathak performance by Mohsin Babar. Ally Adnan’s excellent delivery style, undeniable charisma and depth of knowledge, really contributed to the success of the evening. We look forward to an increase in similar events, where our rich heritage and culture is celebrated.
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