VED JOURNAL

www.vedinstitute.org

Kathak is among the six major classical

dances of India and one of the most dy-

namic theatre arts in the world. The

word Kathak is derived from katha,

meaning "the art of storytelling." It is also

synonymous with the community of

artists known as Kathakars whose hered-

itary profession was to narrate history

while entertaining. With dance, music

and mime these storytellers of ancient

India would bring to life the great scrip-

tures and epic so ancient times, especially

the great Indian epics - the Mahab-

harata and the Ramayana - and the

Puranas of Sanskrit literature.

Today, Kathak has emerged as a dis-

tinct dance form. Being the only classical

dance of India having links with Muslim

culture, it represents a unique synthesis of

Hindu and Muslim genius in art. Further,

Kathak is the only form of classical dance

wedded to Hindustani or the North In-

dian music. Both of them have had a

parallel growth, each feeding and sus-

taining the other.

Aditi has completed her Nritya

Visharad from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan,

Mumbai in 2008. She was also trained

for eight years under Padmashree Smt.

Sunayana Hazarilal of Janki Prasad

Gharana of Kathak and currently learn-

ing under Smt. Shila Mehta from Nupur

Zhankar.

Aditi is a recipient of NATIONAL

SCHOLARSHIP for Kathak by Ministry of

Culture of India & also awarded Tal-

ented Dancer title by Akhil Bhartiya

Sanskruti Sangh,Pune.

Aditi has been a part of various dance

festivals, workshops & has given some

electrifying live performances on stage.

Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan in 2007, the

Kalaghoda Festival in 2008, Akhil Bhar-

tiya Sanskrutik Sangh in 2009, Nalanda

Nrityosava in 2014 and the Gati Festival

& the Prajvalan Festival in 2014 and

many more.

I have been teaching kathak since

2007 and decided to give it a profes-

sional format and founded “Ved Institute

of Performing Arts”(VIPA) which was

founded in 2010. At VIPA we prepare

and train students of various age groups

in the art form of classical kathak dance ,

competitions and stage presentations.

Workshops are regularly conducted in

various folk dance styles as well.

My Guru Smt Sunayana Hazarilal

(Padmashree Award Recipient) was the

driving force behind me and introduced

me to the world of teaching traditional

dance and passing on the culture her-

itage from one generation to another.

Ved Institute of Performing Arts– Ved

comes from the Sanskrit word “VEDA”

which stands for knowledge and we em-

power students with Mythological, His-

torical, Mathematical, Geographical and

cultural knowledge.

At Ved Institute of Performing Arts we

conduct two examinations in a year – In-

ternal exam and external exam.

Courses are divided in 2 different for-

mats, students can opt for five years

diploma course (internal examination)

Whereas degree from Gandharva Ma-

havidyalaya is spread over eight years

We also help students to further appear

for higher level of degree in the field of

kathak.

Ved Institute of Performing Arts

is registered and affiliated with Akhil

Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.

There are nearly 1200 affiliated institu-

tions and nearly 800 Exam Centres all

over the country from Assam to deep

South Kerala and more than One Lakh

students take examinations every year

from Prarambhik (Beginners level) to

Sangeet Acharya (Ph.D. level). Mandal's

General Body consists of members not

only from almost all the States in India

but from abroad also.

Brilliant and exceptional students from

each batch are selected through an au-

dition to Join Ved Dance company(VDC).

At VDC we teach students to prepare

themselves for professional career in the

field of dance by exposing them to differ-

ent forms of dance as well as stage and

television performances.

VDC has given several performances at

various places, to name a few, The Akhil

Bhartiya Sanskrutik Sangh, Pune; Was-

sup Andheri Festival; Prerna award

show, Doordarshan and dance shows

with the Soul Feet Troupe. They have

also delivered solo performances at

school annual shows.

About Director

Ved Dance Company

Course Duration

Kathak

About VIPA

Affiliations

Ved Socials

A Window to your queries...

“VED SOCIALS “is a new innovative andfun filled get togethers to motivate stu-dents. Regular get togethers and presen-tations are a way to inform parentsabout their kid’s progress in class.

During these socials kids get to performon dance choreographed specially forthese presentations. These small socialsand get together by Ved Institute is a fun

way of opening new performance stageto young and talented dancers of the in-stitute.

Since these socials are open for all, onecan always invite as many guests as theylike. 6th October 2012 saw Ved Institute

organise its first social on Little Krishnaand his life stories. Students performedGat stories for the guests, choreographedby Ved Director (Aditi Yadav)

We raised awareness amongst our stu-dents in the moral of giving and sharing.An NGO named Gunj was our specialguest at prabhadevi branch on this day.

Clothes, stationeries, other items werecollocated and donated to Gunj.

2

www.vedinstitute.org

गरुरुब्र्हम्ा गरुवुिषण्:ु गरुदुवेो महशेव्रः Iगरु:ु साकष्ातप्राबर्ाहम्ा तसम्ैशर्ी गरुवुनेमः I

Guru is Brahma (The God of Creation), Guru is Vishnu (The God ofSustenance), Guru is Shiva (The God of Annihilation)My Salutation to such a Guru who is the Supreme God.

In other words, the teacher is like Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu andLord Shiva. He creates knowledge within us, sustains that knowl-edge and destroys the weeds of ignorance. Thus the teacher is likethe ultimate God and we should pray and give respect to our

teacher.

या कनुद्नेद्ुतषुार हार धवलाया शभुर्वसत्र्ावतृा

या वीणावर दणड्मडंितकराया शव्तेपदम्ासना

या बर्हम्चय्तुा शकंरः पर्बर्िथिभिःदवेहै सदा वदंिता

सा माम पातुसरसव्ती भगवतीनिशषे जाडय्ा पहा

Oh Goddess Saraswati, who is fair as a lotus flower, the moon and dew drops, who is dressed in whiteand whose hands are adorned by veena, who is seated in a white lotus, to whom Brahma, Vishnu andMaheshwara pray, please protect us, Please bless me,and open my eyes to progress and knowledge .

Hasta MudrasThe beautiful language of hands

Gyanganga

Rangmanch Pravesh is essentially a

dancer’s debut on stage after years of

attaining knowledge. While most are

probably more familiar with its Bharatanatyam

counterpart: Arangetram; Rangmanch pravesh

is an integral part of Kathak and is deeply signif-

icant of the coming of age of a Kathak dancer. It

signifies the completion of the student’s educa-

tion in Kathak and that the student is now

ready to showcase his or her talents to the world.

It is a rite of passage, wherein after a student’s

pravesh, the student is formally acknowledged

as a proper dancer. It marks a beginning and an

end in a dancer’s path. The beginning of her life

as a true kathak dancer and the end of her life

as a kathak student.

This is an occasion of extreme importance in a

dancer’s life, hence generally a huge event is

conducted, fitting of its worth. In many cases this

may be the first performance of the student.

Previously, Kathak students were only allowed

to perform after completion of 5-8 years of

dance education. Though nowadays several

dance institutions regularly hold shows, other

more traditional institutes continue to follow the

ancient way. Despite these differences, rang-

manch pravesh is universally considered a

dancer’s formal entry and debut on the dancing

stage. This practice traces its origin back to the

devdasi tradition in India. Most of these perform-

ances, start which a rang manch pooja and then

dancer begins her recital. This a sacred perform-

ance for any kathak dancer.

This beautiful and time honoured tradition

should be followed by all classical art students. It

is sort of a graduation ceremony in which a Guru

presents his or her pupils to the public. It is a

milestone which all dancer’s must pass and a

bridge which all dancers must take to reach their

final destination.

Rhea AminFinal year student

Arvind SukhathankarFaculty member

Rang Pravesh

The World of Tabla

Trans-Tabla, Electronic Tabla and other suchexperiments are widely applauded by the younggeneration. However, going back to the roots ofTabla will help one enjoy its present form.There are many fables that point to the originof Tabla as we know it today. Here’s one ofthem: Pakhawaj, the Indian drum, was used toaccompany Dhrupad – the predecessor ofKhayal Gayaki. Bhagwandas and Ustad Sid-dharkhan Daadhi were renowned Pakhawajplayers in Delhi (around early 18th century).There was always fierce competition betweenthem. After being defeated by Bhagwandas suc-cessively Ustad Siddharkhan Daadi, out of hisanger, broke his Pakhawaj into two. Thus wasborn the Tabla(Daaya(right) / the treble drum)and Dugga(Baayan(left)/ the bass drum).

Gharanas in Tabla are different styles/schools ofplaying. These are Delhi (the oldest Gharana),Ajrada, Lucknow, Farukhabad, Punjab,Benares. Siddharkhan Daadi, who is consideredto originator of Tabla, is the founder of the DelhiGharana.There have been many experiments in its struc-ture. One unique aspect of Tabla is its rich reper-toire of sounds when compared to its othercousins. This has invited many musicians from thewest to experiment with it.Arvind Sukhathankar is a Tabla accompanistin VIPA. He has been learning Tabla from theage of 10 under Pandit. Eknath Pimpale.Presently he is learning under Pandit. VibhavNageshkar and pursuing M.Mus(Tabla).

3

www.vedinstitute.org

Ghungroo pooja was cele-brated on 8th September inPrabhadevi Branch.

Ghungroos are the most impor-tant instrument of a kathakdancer. In kathak "Gungroos"are equivalent to an instru-ment,

and are as important to thedancer as the tabla is to a tablaplayer. Hence as per tradition,ghungroos are worshiped andstudents seek blessings from theLord and their Guru.

Kanupriya Seth Fourth year student

Vaishnavi NarvekarFourth year student

Dance Forms in India

Dance in India has an unbro-ken tradition of over 2000years. Two main divisions of itsforms are classical and folk.Classical dance forms are basedon ancient dance discipline andhave rigid rules of presentation.Important among them areBharatnatyam, Kathak,Kathakali, Kuthchipudi, Ma-nipuri, Mohiniattam, and Odissi.Classical Indian dances todaytrace their roots to a bookcalled the Natyashastra whichforms the basis of all the per-forming arts today.

Kathak means ‘to tell astory’. This north indian danceform is intricably bound withclassical Hindustani music, andthe rhythmic agility of the feet isaccompanied by the table orpakhwaj. Traditionally the sto-ries were of Radha and Krishna,in the Natwari style, but nowmore emphasis was laid onnritta, the pure dance aspect

and less on abhinaya.

Bharatnatyam originated in

Tamilnadu and was earlierknown as Daasiyattam. Thisdance form has been handeddown through the centuries bydance teachers (or gurus) callednattuwanars and the templedancers, called devadasis. In thesacred environment of the tem-ple these families developed

and propagated their heritage.The training traditionally tookaround seven years under thedirection of the nattuwanarswho were scholars and personsof great learning.

Kuchipudi derives its namefrom the village Kuchipudy inAndhra Pradesh. The dancedrama that still exists today andcan most closely be associatedwith the Sanskrit theatre tradi-tion is Kuchipudi also known asBhagavata Mela Natakam. Ac-tors sing and dance, and thestyle is a blend of folk and classi-cal.

Kathakali is one of theoldest theatre forms in theworld. Kathakali is a grouppresentation in which dancerstake various roles based on Ra-mayana and Mahabharata.One of the most interesting as-pects of Kathakali is its make-up. The dancers wear largehead dresses and the contours ofthe face are extended withmoulded lime.

Manipuri, this dance styleshown below was originallycalled jogai which means circu-lar movement. In ancient texts ithas been compared to themovements of planets aroundthe sun.

Mohiniattam is a classical

dance form from Kerala. Theword "Mohiniyattam" literallymeans "dance of the en-chantress" the main theme ofthe dance is love and devotionto God, with usually Vishnu orKrishna being the hero. De-vadasis used to perform this intemples. Mohiniyattam is adrama in dance and verse.There are approximately 40basic movements, known asa-tavukal. The costume includeswhite sari embroidered withbright golden brocade (knownas kasavu) at the edges. Thedance follows the classical textof Hastha Lakshanadeepika,which has elaborate descriptionof mudras (gestural expressionsby the hand palm and fingers).

Odissi, the dance form fromOrissa, is supposed to be the old-est surviving dance form fromIndia. Odissi is based on thepopular devotion to Lord Kr-ishna and verses of the Sanskritplay Geet Govind are used todepict the love and devotion togod. The Odissi dancers use theirhead, bust and torso in softflowing movements.

Sanskriti parichay Musical instruments

There are a number of musicalinstruments that are used for aKathak performance, amongstwhich 'sitar', 'tanpura', 'tabla','sarod', 'santur', 'bansuri','pakhawaj' are the most popu-lar. Normally you do not findthe dominance of more thantwo instruments at the sametime. The music played can bevery slow or extremely fastpaced depending on the piecewhich the dancer is performing.

1.THE SITARThe sitar is perhaps the com-monest of all the stringed instru-ments of n India. In superficialappearance the sitar is verymuch like a veena. The body isusually made of a gourd cut inhalf near the core. Originallythe gourd was almost flat likethe back of a tortoise, andtherefore such sitars were calledkachchawa.

2.THE SAROD

The sarod is one the most popu-lar instruments of the stringedvariety. Though it is not knownfor certain where the sarodoriginated, it has been sug-gested that it is a descendant ofthe rabab, a popular instru-ment of the Middle East. Thesarod is from three to three anda half feet long and is made ofwood. One end of the body isrounded, nearly a foot in diam-eter and covered with parch-ment. The round part graduallyjoins the neck. There are sixmain strings including thechikari for the drone and rhyth-mic accompaniment. All thestrings are metallic. They arefastened to pegs at the neckend of the instrument.

.THE TABLAThe Tabla is the most widelyused percussion instrument inthe north. The tabla constitutesa vital part of Kathak dancemusic. The tabla is a pakhawaj

in two pieces. Instead of beingone drum with two heads, it istwo drums with separate head.The name tabla seems to havebeen derived from a kind ofArabian drum called tabla. Thetabla has a highly developedtechnique of playing and in thehands of a master is a capableof producing almost all the pat-terns of rhythms and crossrhythms that a musician canconceive of. The well-estab-lished time cycles (talas) arerendered in terms of drummingphrases (bols) called theka. Thetheka constitutes the drummer'sbasic structure which he elabo-rates and upon which he freelyimprovises.

4.THE PAKHWAJThe pakhawaj is a highly devel-oped percussion instrument. Thename pakhawaj seems to havebeen derived from the awaj, aking of drum used during theMughal period and described astwo kettle drums joined to-gether at the reverse ends, theirheads covered with skin andbraced with thongs." Thepakhawaj is used in accompa-nying Kathak dancers and clas-sical vocal music.

5.THE HARMONIUMAlso, Western music being har-monically based, both a player'shands were needed to play thechords, thus assigning the bel-lows to the feet was the best so-lution; Indian music, beingmelodically based, only onehand was necessary to play themelody, and the other handwas free for the bellows.

Vaishnavi NarvekarFourth year student

4

www.vedinstitute.org

Chitrakosh

Eclectic performances so far....