The modern era welcomed innovations in the field of performing arts including theater, cinema, music and dance. Novel styles of stage presentations were introduced in this period. Western technology played a key role in transforming the traditional Indian performances on the proscenium stage. The invention of gramophones brought a revolution in the field of Indian music. With this the classical and semi-classical genre of music stepped out of the private soirees and became popular in the common households. The tawaifs of the medieval era became popular singers in the modern era.
All these events had its effect on the audience who was getting exposed to new mediums of entertainment which were influenced by the western culture. The natural mode of western drama slowly began to mold Indian traditional theater. The newly introduced cinema was one of the wonders for the Indian society. On this background, the traditional art form Kathak also got transformed to suit its new space and audience.
The audience in this era was well educated in the modern system of education introduced by the British, but was not well acquainted with ancient Indian culture and traditions. To connect with this audience was a challenge to the tradition. In order to meet the needs of time, the traditional Kathak maestros and the Kathak dancers of new generation together explored and innovated Kathak presentations in various dimensions. The leisurely approach of performing for hours together in courts or private concerts was cut down to a duration of two to three hours of recital in an auditorium. The extempore and free flowing performance was structured in a broader frame. This way the presentations were made compact and time binding.
The content of Kathak was the beautiful blend of temple and court tradition. The ganga-jamni tehjzeeb continued to flourish in the modern era. Thumri and bhajan, vandana and salami, all were welcomed in the Kathak tradition. Along with Krishna stories, secular heroes and themes were also explored to suit the contemporary society. Ballets or dance dramas based on familiar historical or mythological stories were choreographed in Kathak. The popular story, familiar characters, attractive costumes and stagecraft captivated the audience as well as educated them in the nuances of Indian traditional art and culture.
Slowly with changing times variety of new themes were explored, as well as mythology was presented in modern context. Exposure to western or world music inspired the artistes to experiment and create fresh presentations creating new genres of Kathak recitals. There was no dearth of ideas to be explored in Kathak. The flexibility of the form and creative genius of the artistes enriched the language of Kathak which reached out to the audience of modern era who admired and appreciated this art of ancient times.
Today Kathak is on global platform and continues to enthrall the audience across the world. With the popularity gained by Kathak all over the world, one wonders if there are still any challenges faced by the artistes or is it a smooth path to be pursued!! The discussion
continues in the next article.
To be continued...
Comments
Post a Comment