Kathak legend Sitara Devi's daughter Jayantimala Mishra: Students in North India are more dedicated to classical dance
Kathak legend Sitara Devi’s daughter and Kathak guru Jayantimala Mishra talks about the latest workshop in Lucknow and why traditional dance form is important.
Kathak legend Sitara Devi’s daughter and Kathak guru Jayantimala Mishra acknowledges that budding classical dancers are influenced by modern and Bollywood dance forms, but she has noticed a strong interest in learning and perfecting traditional dance.
During her recent visit to Lucknow for a workshop at the Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, the 67-year-old dancer said, “There’s no harm in learning modern dance forms. Even I have choreographed for films like Badhaai Ho Badhaai (2002) and the TV serial Amrapalli. But it’s essential to first learn, understand and practise with a guru. I split my time between my hometown Varanasi and my work base in Mumbai, but I’ve observed that students in North India are more serious and dedicated to classical dance.”
Mishra shared that during the workshop, she trained students in the styles of Kathak legends. “Pandit Sukhdev Maharaj, an expert in nritya, vadya, and gayaki, wrote notations for Kathak dance. I taught his bandish and kavita paran, which uses poetry in dance form. I also covered Sitara Devi’s parampara’s gat, Chaubey Maharaj’s style, and Gopi Krishna’s style of dance. The students were fully attentive for two days without breaks, and I hope they will excel with continued practise.”
A representative of the Banaras Gharana, Mishra says the soul of all Kathak gharanas is the same. “Kashi is the oldest city, and this dance form comes from Lord Shiv-Parvati. We are basically katha-vachak (storytellers) in dance, which evolved into Kathak (katha-nritya). The Lucknow gharana thrived with darbari nritya at the Awadh kingdom, Jaipur gharana at Rajput courts, and so on. Each has its own regional specialties, but the core is the same — storytelling with roots in Banaras.”
On her connection with Lucknow, she adds, “I’ve been coming and performing in the city for ages, starting from when I was just two-and-a-half years old. It’s always a pleasure to be here, as we are also related to the Pandit Bindadin Maharaj's family. So, Lucknow feels like home.”
The workshop was conceptualized by Bhatkhande Vice Chancellor Mandavi Singh and conducted by Ruchi Khare and Gyanendra Dutt. The students also gave a presentation after the workshop.