Kathak Kendra presented the 37th Mahotsava in Delhi from March 21-26. It was a mammoth gathering of scholars, academicians, dancers, gurus, students and audiences. Last year, it had undertaken one such in Pune, where many of the Pune gurus and stars could be platformed like guru Shama Bhate, who had just the year before also been bestowed the SNA honour and Rujuta Soman, who has done unique works and recently devised a sound footboard to keep rhythm while performing! It is a unique invention, since live musicians are so difficult to get both for reasons of cost and time. Next year if Kathak Kendra hosts in Bangalore or Hyderabad, actually there's more Kathak in Bangalore today than even Bombay if pure statistics, festivals and scholars and audience interest is to be seen.The 37th Kathak Mahotsava in Delhi continued its juggernaut with 3 speakers and a moderator in the morning session and 3 dancers in the evening. For Director of the Kathak Kendra to have got a variety of chief guests - babus and unknown vocalists who like on the first day came 90 minutes late - Invite such but don't wait, is the lesson. Natyashastra even tells what the quality of a sabhapati ought to be, but not many would qualify today!
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I am hosting these kind of events since 2015 but I haven't read such fantastic coverage or deep analysis of our cultural traditions art forms and so on. So I want to thank & Congratulate Ashish Sir for bringing this piece of written art work.
ReplyDeleteCompletely biased and discriminatory views. Comments marginalising and isolating Northeast Indian people from national level government forums is a major concern and a big question.
ReplyDeleteS. K Sinha
Email : sks_musicindia@yahoo.in
The festival organised by Kathak Kendra was very enriching for the domain of performing arts. It included performances, deliberations and discussions on books. It was a rare opportunity when artists and academicians from all over the nation had gathered at one platform. Ashish ji was part of all the events. The Kathak Kendra festival has been well covered by him. People have high hopes from him and his writings are significant for documentation of such unique events.
ReplyDeleteProf. Mandavi Singh, Lucknow
mandavisingh479@gmail.com
In today's fast-paced world, it's rare to find a critic who dedicates themselves to covering every aspect of a six-day dance festival with such commitment and integrity. Ashish Khokar stands out as a unique voice in this landscape. He articulates important points that many in the field hesitate to express publicly, balancing fairness with critical insight. His perspective is truly pan-Indian, reflecting a deep concern for all regions, forms, and states of India.
ReplyDeleteWith 25 years of experience, Ashish's lens and observational skills are both remarkable and educational. His assessments carry weight and respect, representing diverse sections of society. Narthaki is fortunate to have someone of his caliber contributing to dance writing and reporting. We, as dancers and readers, have greatly benefited from his work.
A comprehensive and exhaustive coverage. While reading it I felt as if I had attended the whole festival. The coverage has a visual quality to it. What is encouraging to see is that it is not just a straightforward report but an analysis. For any art form to grow constructively, It is so important to have critical and thought provoking views . The views can be open to discussion and debate but that is what is required.
ReplyDelete"What a detailed and engaging review!
ReplyDeleteI am impressed with the minute observations alongwith feed back simultaneously.It makes the review more like interesting story.
One can truly visualize the entire Mega Kathak Mahotsav through your words Ashish ji. It feels as if we are experiencing the festival all over again just by reading it. Fantastic coverage!" Once again kudos to entire Kathak Kendra teamwork under the able guidance Director Madam Pranamee ji
Shila Mehta, Mumbai
mehtashila@hotmail.com