Kathak is the most beautiful and flawless classical dance form, as it does not bind the dancer,” says a Kathak maestro Pandit Santosh Chatterjee.
Notably, Pandit Santosh Chatterjee was here on the City of lakes to attend a programme. In an exclusive talk with The Pioneer, here on Sunday the classical dancing maestro talks about the trends brought in Kathak and also about his first visit to Bhopal.
“I do not say that other classical dances are not good, but Kathak is one of those classical dance forms in which the dancer can do any kind of innovations. No doubt, it has the mudras, like any other dance form but, the rhythmic understanding, ability to extemporise with speedy rhythms and preserving pure Kathak classical style and matching the footwork with live playing instruments on stage makes it even more interesting to perform and to watch as well,” says the Kathak dancer.
Hailing from Kolkata, Pandit Santosh Chatterjee has been trained in Kathak by the renowned names like Ram Narendra Mishra then Sitara Devi, Vijay Shankar and later by Pandit Birju Maharaj. Notably, Chatterjee has performed across the globe and has received an overwhelming response by the classical dance and music appreciators.
While talking more about the dance form, Chatterjee says, “If we look into the history Kathak belongs to three gharanas basically i.e. lucknow, Banaras and Jaipur and is one of the most prominent dance forms that belonged to the India’s rich culture. From its early form as a devotional expression dedicated to the Hindu gods, Kathak gradually moved out of the temples and into the courts of the rulers. So it has a great history.”
On commenting over the new trends being brought in dance form, Chatterjee says, “As I said earlier that it is just like a free style dance form and as beautiful as a painting. Just like a painter creates his perceptions over canvas, similarly, the Kathak dancer creates an enchantment on stage with bringing new innovations in his performance. As I was in Malaysia for three years representing India, I was overwhelmed to note this fact,” he added.
Notably, this was his first trip to Bhopal and he seemed to be really excited exploring the city. On asking about his trip to Bhopal, Chatterjee said, “I have heard much about the rich heritage of the city of lakes and would love to explore the exotic sites here. The people of Bhopal love art and respect it which is really commendable.” He signs off saying, “I would be really contended to give a performance in this city and maybe I would visit the city to give a performance next year.”
