Kathak

Kathak dance is one of the most vital expressions of the intersection of secular and religious life in India.  It encompasses music, dance, ritual, courtly and popular culture.  To understand Kathak as part of India’s composite culture that flourished in north and east India for over five hundred years one has to go beyond the mythical narratives of history (linking the origin of Kathak to the word Katha and the Kathaka Brahmin caste); as well as a historical periodization that creates discrete Hindu and Muslim divisions.  We have a better understanding of its complexity if we focus on the syncretic and heterodox nature of Indian culture and traditional practices. 

Kathak exemplifies the legacy of Indo-Islamic traditions that resulted in the most unique cross-fertilization of Hinduism and Islam.  The Bhakti-Sufi emotions in Kathak dance simmer with the beautiful Qawwalis and Ghazals of Amir Khusrau, the Bhajans of Mirabai and Surdas, and later Bindadin and others.  Drawing on themes from Persian and Urdu poetry, and the Raslila traditions of Braj and Mathura, Kathak’s exquisite artistry, rich in rhythms and utterances, was honed in the Mughal courts. 

Although developed both by males (Kathakas and Mirasis) and females (Tawaifs, Baijis) in the royal courts, Kathak today is largely known as belonging to male gharanas.  The Tawaifs/Baijis developed the rich artistry of Thumri and Ghazal in the royal courts and later under the patronage of the Bengali bhadralok.  As part of the cultural renaissance and Sanskritization of culture in the nineteenth century, the Muslim Tawaifs and Mirasis were purged from Kathak tradition and relegated to the “debased” culture of the Nautch.

Modern-day Kathak is linked to the gharana tradition that flourished in Lucknow, Rajasthan , Benaras, and Raigarh.  It was patronized by the state in various Kathak centers, among which Kathak Kendra in Delhi is the most prominent.  In recent years due to the forces of globalization, the gharanas are disappearing as practitioners find new ways of making the dance a vital force in culture and society.  Kathak also lives in the collective memory and imagination through its vibrant portrayals in Hindi cinema such as Mughal-e-Azam, Pakeezah, Umrao Jaan, Devdas and others. Intricate rhythmic designs executed through rapid footwork, soft and fluid hand movements, stunning and fast pirouettes, darting eyes, and languorous gait mark modern day Kathak.