In a swirl

Veteran Kathak dancer Rani Karnaa talks about the dance form and how it can still hold the interest of young dancers

Rani Karnaa, a veteran Kathak dancer and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, chose Kolkata to live and teach her art to aspiring dancers in her school, Samskritiki Sreyaskar. Karnaa, an astute dancer not just in Kathak but Bharatanatyam and Manipuri too, does not belong to a family of dancers.

"No one in my family was a performer. My uncle who used to sing in gurdwaras requested my father to buy me a pair of ankle bells, which I wanted badly," she recalls.

All poise: Rani Karnaa

First, she learnt Kathak and went on to learn Bharatnatyam and Manipuri. In an interview here, she talks about her long journey in dance, her mentors and more.

Excerpts

Q: Is classical dance purely devotional?

A:Devotion is a significant aspect of all classical dance forms. Devotion is an elevating experience. The impact of Rasoutpatti or the resurgence of an elevating experience, is unique. It transports the mind of the audience to experience aesthetic bliss. It definitely relaxes and refreshes and transcends the mind.

Q: What is the hallmark of Kathak?

A: The hallmark of Kathak can be epitomised or summed up as dance with fluid grace with subtle nuances, dignity, elegance and exuberance in both nritta and nritya.

Q:Who would you call were your mentors?

A:Mohanlal-ji, Hiralal-ji, Pandit Birju Maharaj-ji, Pandit Shambhu Maharaj-ji, Pandit Sunder Prasad-ji, Pandit Narayan Prasad-ji were all my gurus. I learnt Kathak from 1944 with a break during the India-Pakistan Partition phase. Later, I attended regular classes under Pandit Birju Maharaj in Kathak and Lalita Shastri, disciple of Rukmini Arundale, Kalakshetra, in Bharatanatyam. I also learnt Manipuri under Guru Amubi Singh and Narendra Kumar.

Q: How do the existing themes in classical dance forms relate to modern society? Is change possible to attract the new, so-called modern generation?

A: Themes in Kathak are numerous and varied. The mythological themes are ever green. Various ragas, talas and languages make the Kathak repertoire colourful and enriching. The stories with inner meanings, Bhavartha, which convey a plethora of ideas. The compositions are of varied nature. The tala aspect is abstract and has its own flavour and aesthetic appeal. The Kathaka or the storyteller may use the leaps, spins, extensions and contractions of the body to convey any theme. The movements have their abstract grace and beauty which lends itself to contemporary themes. Kathak's energetic and lyrical beauty attracts the modern generation as well.

- The Hindu