Page 62 - June2018

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Culturati
ArshiyA sethi
Dr. Arshiya Sethi writes
on cultural issues.
After a rich career of
working on tangible
and intangible aspects
of the ecosphere of the
arts, she runs the Kri
Foundation that
promotes arts,
activism in the social
and development
sector, especially via
‘artivism’, and the
generation of knowl-
edge on intersecting
issues.
Rani, an erudite
ambassador of
Kathak, is known
to have enriched
and integrated
the traditions
of Jaipur and
Lucknow gharanas
with an unusual
sense of aesthetic
adventure
62-63 Column-Arshiya Sethi.indd 2 06/06/18
The queen of Kathak will
continue to rule hearts
The demise of celebrated danseuse Rani Karnaa, the Padma Shri
recipient who was known for her incredible dance prowess, has
left an unbelievable void in the world of Kathak
ight years ago, the beautiful from Sangeet Bharati where Birju
Kathak dancer and Guru, Maharaj’s father, Acchan Maharaj had
Rani Karnaa, rang me from taught Kapila Vatsyayan, Rani Karnaa
Kolkata which had been her commenced her training under the tu-
home since 1978 and asked telage of Jaipur Gharana’s senior Guru,
E me to interview her for her Mohanlal ji. Rani Karnaa had found her
“documentation” for the Sangeet Natak calling.
Akademi. A “documentation” is a long Later Rani was to learn from other
and detailed interview and recordings Kathak maestros including Nrityachar-
of the artistic work done over a lifetime. ya Narayan Prasad, and Pts. Hiralal and
I felt privileged that she had chosen me Sundar Prasad, in the Jaipur gharana,
for this archival recording. and under Pt. Birju Maharaj she learnt
She had at that time injured her leg the finesse of the Lucknow gharana.
and didn’t want to be rushed around. “There was not so much division be-
She asked if she could stay with me tween the gharanas at that time. Sundar
which would allow us to prepare better Prasad ji had learnt himself from both
for the interview. This turned out to be gharanas”, Rani ji had added, on seeing
a God sent opportunity to learn more my surprised look, given the fact that
about her personal history, the person we know gharana rivalries to be rather
she was and about the many wonderful strong.
people who were the wind beneath her Actually, she began her training in
wings. We visited one of them, Dr SK dance when there was a new energy
Saxena, a great scholar of the form, for of a young nation and everyone was
whom she was the muse around whose united in their efforts “to take their art to
dance he had considered many ques- the level of the ‘falak’”. Somehow I was
tions that he addressed in his landmark not surprised to hear her use this Arabic
book, “Swinging Syllables: Aesthetics of etymology word, which means ‘heaven’,
Kathak Dance”.
in her otherwise impeccable sentence
family that hailed from Larcana. In 1942, lingual, multicultural, embracive and
Rani was born to an aristocratic
in English. That is how she was- multi-
barely three years old, Rani accompa- open minded.
Though even at an early age, in the
nied the family when her father, As- spirit that represented the discovery of
sandass Karnaa relocated to Delhi. The
original family name was Karnamalani, India, Rani learnt other dance forms,
which was first abbreviated to Kanaani including Manipuri, which she learnt
and then to Karnaa. Rani’s spelling of
from the legendary Guru Amubi Singh,
her name with a double ‘a’ did not have and Bharata Natyam, which she learnt
anything to do with numerology! from Kalakshetra trained Delhi based
guru Lalitha Shastri, it was Kathak that
Here the little girl was fascinated
with the sound of the dancer’s bells and was her life. “From Pt. Narayan Prasad ji
so small ghunghroos (musical anklet) I learnt the correct ‘ang’ body lines, and
were bought for her from the market.
from Pt. Sundar Prasad ji I learnt a vast
This was only the first step as she next repertoire”.
insisted on joining dance classes, and She recalled that just before he
Tehelka / 15 june 2018 62 www.Tehelka.com
1:32 PM