|
The nautch girl held
the white sahib spellbound for nearly two centuries. Pran
Nevile describes the magnetic appeal, grace and romance of the
nautch which was found superior to all operas of the world.
The
word "nautch" is
an Anglicised form of the Hindi/Urdu word nach derived from the
Sanskrit nritya through the Prakrit nachcha, meaning
dance. Nautch represented cultural interaction between the native and
the early English settlers in India. |
A different odyssey
Sujata
Mohapatra, the
talented daughter-in-law of the legendary Odissi guru Kelucharan
Mohapatra who died some time back, has emerged as one of the most
promising Odissi dancers today. Recently, she won the prestigious
“Mahari Award”. She talks about her dance and guru in this tête-à-tête
with
Bibhuti Mishra.
Eloquent silence
Parbina Rashid
Ever
heard of silence being
hilarious? It is possible when one is talking of Moinul Haque, a
pioneer in mime in the North-East. Even without uttering a word he is
capable of making you break into fits of laughter. He is a storyteller
with a difference. He uses his facial expressions and gestures to tell
a tale.
Valley of delights
The
mesmerising
appeal of Kashmir has charmed people down the ages.
Seema
Sachdeva writes about this picturesque Valley which has lured
poets since time immemorial.
Love in the time of
riots
In
Kaya Taran,
Sashi Kumar has given a poetic translation on celluloid of N.S.
Madhavan’s story dating back to the dark days of November 1984,
writes Nirupama Dutt.
A lifetime of
villainy
Prerana Trehan
He
made a career of taking
things that were not rightfully his. He spirited away other men’s
women, stole money, and sometimes even the limelight, from right under
the hero’s nose. And yet, last week when Pran walked away with the
Lifetime Achievement Award instituted by the Maharashtra Government,
no one could argue that this time he had got what was his rightful
due.
His voice made him immortal
M.L. Dhawan
As
a child, Mohammed Rafi
spent hours listening to a fakir sing folk songs in his village
Kotla Sultan Singh (now in Pakistan). It was this fakir who
aroused in Rafi a passion for music. Impressed by Rafi’s talent,
music director Shyam Sunder asked him to sing Soniye ni heeriye ni
teri yaad ney bada tarpaya for the film Gul Baloch in 1942.
Keeping Rafi alive
Gitanjali Sharma
In
his childhood, he often
reached school late even though it was 10 minutes’ walk from his
house. The reason: he couldn’t help stopping at a pan shop on
the way to listen to film songs. Today, Bishambar Dass Sharma (53) is
a die-hard Mohammed Rafi fan and a core member of the Rafi Yaadgaar
Society, the only organisation of its kind in the country to encourage
fresh talent and spread awareness about the not-so-familiar songs sung
by the legendary singer.
|
