Beautiful performance..

It’s been long since I was planning to start my blog….the concept certainly enthuses me. And now, when I’ve been enjoying reading others’ blogs so much, there dawned my moral obligation to give an opportunity to others to read and enjoy my blog ;)

Well, as the end terms just got over for us, it seems life has come back and loads of masti and time pass activities are on.

In this effort to enjoy and have fun, on Thursday, I went out with Anny (one of my very good friends at XIMB) to Rabindra Mandap for watching Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Awards. It was the second day and three performances were scheduled – tabla, Kathak dance and sarangi. I and Anny being dance lovers, we of course, had gone there to see Kathak. And as we reached, the dance was just about to start (Good application of Just In Time, isn’t it….seems I’m learning something at this b-school :-P).

Mrs. Uma Dogra, the Kathak dancer was welcomed to the stage with a good round of applause. She first addressed the audience, thanking and greeting everyone and she referred to her guruji, his teachings & blessings quite often.

This is something I’ve felt many a times that the ‘guru-shishya parampara’ of ancient times is still very much there in the streams of classical dance and music. (I still remember the college days…..when our Kathak dance teacher used to arrive in college, his disciples would come, touch his feet and wish ‘Guruji Pranam’. It definitely seemed a little peculiar to me & others who haven’t been exposed to this stream, and to whom ‘Pranam’ is a greeting for close relatives only.)

After a bit of introduction, when Mrs. Dogra started performing, it was simply amazing. The coordination, laya and taal was simply too good. She would perform something and then the musicians would try to match it with tabla, sarangi and then they would play something and she would replicate the same sound with ‘ghungroos’. It was like some practice session going on where she was coming up with her innovative ‘bandish’. And in this entire process, one could see the enjoyment, the satisfaction and the glow on her face. Her dancing style was that of Jaipur Gharana, which she talked of a couple of times….and it reminded of home, sweet home, the pink city :)

She ended her performance with a couple of thumri. The audience was spellbound at certain moments looking at the perfection, the consistency in her moments. Finally, the entire team (vocalist and instrumentalists) was introduced. Her beautiful performance was indeed a team work. During the entire show, her humbleness, simplicity, smile was something that really impressed.

The dance was a treat to the eyes and I and Anny were happy as we left Rabindra Mandap for it was indeed a good investment of time.