An evening adorned with colours of Kathak

The impeccable footwork and storytelling of the dancers of Nrityanchal and Guru Shishya Parampara, along with the masters Shibli Mohammad and Shamim Ara Nipa, captivated the audience at ICCR Scholar's Evening: Colours of Kathak. The programme was jointly hosted by Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, High Commission of India, Dhaka, and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Riva Ganguly Das, was present at the programme, along with many eminent cultural personalities of the country.

Dedicating the evening to Pandit Birju Maharaj, the dancers attempted to capture the essence of the master. Snata Shahrin attempted a padhant, which is a creation of Pandit Birju Maharaj, representing the sounds of crickets. She also performed the well-known Gath Bhav-Makhan Chori, a signature piece of the guru. Needless to say, she passed with flying colours in her attempt.

The young dancers performed the quintessential, classical forms of Kathak. Their variety of footwork and chakkars (spins) proved their dedication and practice of the form. Before to performances began, Shibli Mohammad introduced the instrumentalists: Syed Meher Hossain on tabla, Satyajit Chakraborty on sitar, Mamun on flute, Matiur Rahman on sarangi.

The dancers also performed on several popular Kathak songs in cinema, such as Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya, Chalte Chalte, Mori Paan Ghat Pe Nandalal, Mohe Rang Do Lal and Kaahe Ched Ched Mohe.

The programme concluded with the master-disciple dance conversation, called Pathshala. The sound of the ghungroo fused with the rhythm of the tabla met with many rounds of applause.