Manjari Chaturvedi dances to lose the self in the Almighty
The theme of the evening was the spiritual journey of a woman from self-absorbed narcissism to a complete surrender to the Almighty. As Manjari Chaturvedi,a dancer from the Lucknow gharana,laid bare her devotion through what she calls Sufi Kathak on Thursday,Kamani Auditorium came alive with a spiritual aura and soulful ecstasy.
This is an effort to rediscover Kathak from its classical form. I have introduced the mystique of Sufism in Kathak to create a dance form with its own tenets, said Chaturvedi,35,who has been performing the meditative dance for 12 years. All the dances were set to quwwalis by Rumi,Amir Khusrau and Baba Bulleshah rendered by musicians from Tehran,Lucknow and Delhi.
Dressed in white,as she began with her whirling movements on stage in a Sufi dervish tradition (remember Khwaja in Jodhaa Akbar),her body seemed to reach towards formlessness. There was no flamboyance and exhibition. As one dance fused into the next due to the unanimity of the theme,Chaturvedi swayed and twirled,losing herself to the music and spirituality of the song. After a change in outfits from white to red and then to black,the dancer exuded more power. This loss of individual identity is precisely the point of Sufi Kathak, said Chaturvedi,who learnt Kathak from Pt Arjun Mishra of Lucknow gharana.
Chaturvedis attires were unusual flowing kurtas and peshwa pyjamas from Awadhi tradition instead of the normal Kathak dress of angrakha and fitted churidaar. I dont dance to entertain. I dance in praise of the Almighty so the attention has to be taken away from me, she iterates.
Suanshu Khurana is an award-winning journalist and music critic currently serving as a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is best known for her nuanced writing on Indian culture, with a specific focus on classical music, cinema, and the arts.
Expertise & Focus Areas Khurana specializes in the intersection of culture and society. Her beat involves deep-dive reporting on:
Indian Classical Music: She is regarded as a definitive voice in documenting the lineages (Gharanas) and evolution of Hindustani classical music.
Cinema & Theatre: Her critiques extend beyond reviews to analyze the socio-political narratives within Indian cinema and theater.
Cultural Heritage: She frequently profiles legendary artists and unearths stories about India’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Professional Experience At The Indian Express, Khurana is responsible for curating and writing features for the Arts and Culture pages. Her work is characterized by long-form journalism that offers intimate portraits of artists and rigorous analysis of cultural trends. She has been instrumental in bringing the stories of both stalwarts and upcoming artistes to the forefront of mainstream media.
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