Year after
year, it has become customary for the disciples of the late Pandita Guru Rohini
Bhate to pay homage to their Guru in innovative ways. This evening’s bouquet presented by Neelima
Adhye’s organization brought together 40 students from the various schools that
have sprung from Nrityabaharati, the Mother Ship.
Neelima’s
exegesis of her Guru’s work is always exemplary. However, this evening, she
chose a Mistress of Ceremonies that surprised everyone – Guru Bhate herself
spoke eloquently about her art and her artistic journey directly to the audience
via video-clips from interviews collected over the years. The masterful choice
of excerpts and judicious editing brought together the virtual and the real as
Guru Bhate did a padhant on screen,
her disciples performed the tukda on
stage right after! Or the Guru explained her reading of the development of the
art form post-Independence, and the stage was soon filled with young dancers
performing a choreographed sequence as an example of the Guru’s opinions!
For nearly
two hours, this interplay was an excellent “lec-dem” for audiences too young to
have seen the Kathak legend in person. From an artistic point of view, the
Nrityabharati heritage shone though, now in its third generation! From an archival
point of view, it is abundantly clear that an important part of our heritage
must be locked away in gems like Guru Bhate’s interviews and lectures. From a dance lover’s perspective, the joy of
rediscovery was especially valuable.
What stood
out more than anything in this evening’s performances was the zeal, the
dedication to detail and the meticulous recreations of every item performed on
stage. In this, the 70th year of Nrityabharati, this reviewer is in
raptures at such devotion of the shishyas
to their peerless Guru!
