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Kathak Nrutya ka Itihaas (History of Kathak)

Kathak is one of the most prominent dance form and amongst the seven classical dances of India. It is a very old traditional dance form and said to be as old as the beats of Shiva’s drum (dumroo) and notes of Krishna’s flute (baansuri).

The roots of Kathak can be traced to story telling of the yore. This form of art spread through the masses as innumerable stories of gods and goddesses were being told and retold from Hindu mythologies like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. People who recited these stories were called Kathakahas – “kathan karoti kathakaha”. Hence the name Kathak. “Kathan kare so kathak kahave” was the defining phrase which means "the dance form that tells a story is called Kathak". The story tellers would dress like gods and goddesses, would use hand gestures, and emote (abhinaya) the lines of a bhajan or a doha from old scriptures to convey the story to their audience. Such performances were often conducted in temples where the kathakaha would recite such stories alongside a kirtan.

In the last millenium, venues of kathak performances and the support system associate with them changed as large part of northern India came under Moghul influence. Kathak started shifting its focus from bhajans and dohas to thumris and gazals. The predominant rasa (emotion) within a kathak performance changed from bhakti to shringaar. Even the dresses of kathak performers changed from ghaagraa, choli and chunni to chudidaar, jacket, frock and dupalli topi. Following a new support system within Moghul empire, kathak performers slowly migrated from temples to the durbaars as court dancers.

In the last century, Kathak once again saw a shift with the advent of British rule in India. As a means to overcome the language barriers, emphasis of kathak dancers now moved from bhaav anga to taal anga. The focus was more on footwork and chakkars to convey one's profiency in this art form. The words and bhaav were dominated by chakkars and technique. The more complicated the composition, the faster the laya, the more number of chakkars, the better the dance. Thus became the motto of a kathak performance in the British era.

Today, Kathak has evolved into a complete dance form with a balanced combination of laya, taal, bhaav, mudraa and chakkar. Although it went through a number of upheavals and influences in the course of history, one can see a powerful unity within the diversity of its components.

Along the way, Kathak has been blessed with great gurus, legendary performers, ardent disciples and generous patrons who all have helped to keep it ever vibrant and one of the most important dance forms in India which it shall continue to remain so in the future.