Bhushan Part - I I

1. Theory

1. Knowledge of:

• The importance of Ghungroos and their necessity in dance

• Quality of Gungroos and their Uses.

Ghungru is used in the dance performances in India from the ancient times. India itself is known for its rich cultural heritage and its aesthetic sense for dance and music. Ghungru is also known as the Dancing Bells. It is wore at the ankles by the dancers. The Ghungroos are very much in use in the Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, and Odissi performances.


Ghungru is a small metal bell usually made of brass. There are numerous small metal bells that are strung together to form Ghungroos. There are tiny iron balls inside the bells that makes the metallic sound. The sound of the Ghungru is matched with the rhythm produced by other Musical Instruments like tabla during a dance performance. But the sound produced by the metallic bells depends on the size of the bells. The Ghungru is used to maintain the rhythm and the tempo of the dance steps. This Musical Instrument of India is also used in the folk dances performed in the villages of Himachal Pradesh, India. But mainly this Musical Instrument is used during the classical dance performances.


The string of Ghungroos are worn just above the ankle by the dancers. The number of Ghungru can vary from fifty to more than two hundred. The number of the Ghungru depends on the expertise of the performers. Generally a dancer in the initial days of her career uses only fifty Ghungroos and gradually keeps enhancing the number. The audience are able to grasp the difficult yet beautiful footwork used by the dancers during a performance. 

Ghungaroo is often tied to the feet of classical Indian dancers. Ghungaroos are often tied in order to produce the sound that may vary greatly in pitch on the basis of their metallic composition and size. Ghungaroos tends to accentuate the rhythmic aspects of the classical dance and the complex footwork of the dancers can be heard by the audience. Ghungaroos are generally worn above the ankles although one can also produce the sound from them by gently heating them on the palm of the hand.

• Definition of the following:

• Kavit – 

In a rhythm music, the words from poetry are linked with dance, tabla,   pakwaz along with the primalu bol, then it is know as Kavita toda. It is very much famous in Jaipur gharana. Most of the poetry(s) are composed Vrajbhasha – Ganesha, Shiva, Shrikrishna, Durga, Vasant (Spring), Bijli (Current), Afflanmiation of Holi etc. The expression are used as the words of poetry, which is done by the togetherness of acting and dancing. Generally, this Kavita toda is used in the faster tempo. 

• Chakardar Paran –It is a composition using bools from the pakhawaj and it is repeated three times

• Gat – 

Ghatbhav: Particularly ‘gat’ is known as type, scenarios, situation or position. Gat is generally played by using stringed instruments like sitar, sarod etc. In Kathak dance gat can be classified as: 

Gatnikash: Gatnikash means the work done to come out, when a dancer takes a rotation and tries to come out then it is known as Gatnikash. 

Gatbhav: Which a Kathak dancer acts of all the characters of the chosen story which adds the dimension in the artists expressions is know as Gatbhav. Gatbhav is a very difficult part of Kathak dance, because it is the mixture of Abhinay (acting), Nrit (movements of body parts along with rhythm and tempo) and the assimilation of both i.e. Nrithya (dance), to be an expert in Gatbhav and artist have to capture the acting part as well as the dancing part because by following rhythm and tempo he / she has act out all the characters of the story while dancing .

Chal: To walk from the defined to another position in a simple manner, is know as Chalak or Chal – such as in Kathak dance, while doing palta in gatnikash, the artist has do chal (walk). In Kathak dance different kinds of chal(s) are used. In thatt Chal is employed towards front and back along with the tempo is know as Chal. There are many kind of chal(s), such as, Gajanani Chal (walk like an elephant), Hans Chal (walk like a duck), Morni Chal (walk like a peacock) etc. 

• Salami –

The word “salami” literally means salutation. While performing salami, the dancer honors the audience by saluting it in a special manner. Salami is performed in the beginning of the performance.

• Asamyukta Hasta ( Single – Hand Getures)

• Knowledge of:

           The entire body is divided as Anga, Pratyanga and Upaanga.

• Six Angas - Head, Hands, Chest, Waist, Bottom, Legs are the Six Angas. Some people include Neck also

• Six Pratyangas and their Upangas- 

a.Six Pratyangas - Shoulders, Arms, Stomuch, thighs, Knee are the Six Pratyangas. Some people include Wrist, elbow and Ankle also.

 b.Upangas – Sight, Eyebrow, Eye lids, Eye balls, Cheeks, Nose, Gums, Lower Lip, Teeth, Tongue, Chin and Face are the 12 Upaangas. Few people include Heels, Fingers, Feet, Palm also into upaangas.
Pratynaga and Upaangas should move along with the Angas.

• Eight Eye Movements – 

Drushtibedha  or Eye Movement

Samam = Looking Straight
Alolitam = Turing eye balls clockwise & anti-clockwise
sachi = Looking to the sides without turning the head
Pralokana = Looking to the sides alternatively without turning the head
Nimeelana = Looking down
Ullokana = Looking Up
Anuvrutta = Looking Up & Down
Avalokana = Looking deep down. 

• Four Neck Movements -

Greevabhedha or Neck Movements

Sundari = Neck movement on both sides

Tirashcheena = Above movement with increase in speed

Parivartita = Movement to the corners

Prakampita = Moving the neck like a rooster

• Six Eyebrow and eyelids Movements – 

a.Sahaj – Natural eyebrow position

b.Utshape – To raise eyebrow Up.

c.Patan- To lower down the eybrow

d.Bhrikuti – To move eyebrow up down and sides

e.Chatur – To expand eyebrow

f.Kunchit-  To move eyebrow down

h.Raechit.- To Raise one eyebrow.

• Writing in Notation all the Tukras, Parans in the prescribed Taalas.

• Life Sketches of the Following –

  • Narain Prasad

  • Shambu Maharaj

  • Achchhan Maharaj

                   Pandit Narayan Prasad

Pt. Narayan Prasad was born in the year 1908 in the famous Hari Prasad - Hanuman Prasad Gharana of Jaipur. Pt. Hanuman Prasad was his father and Pandit Hariprasad was his elder uncle. His father and uncle started his dance training at the tender age of 8 years and at the age of 12, he gave his first public performance as a child dancer.

Pt. Narayan Prasad had equal command on Rhythm (Laya) and emoting in his dance. 'Shringar' was his speciality. Apart from being a great dancer, he was an accomplished player of 'Tabla' and 'Pakhawaj'. Pt. Narayan Prasad was a devotee of Lord Krishna and composed a number of Thumris and Poems(Kavitt) with Krishna Leela as the theme.

In the year 1957, he was honoured with the title of 'Nrityacharya' in Belgaum session of All India Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal. Pt. Narayan Prasad died in the year 1958. He had six sons and of them Charan Girdharchand is a Kathak dancer as well as a teacher.

Shambhoo Maharaj

The name Shambhoo Maharaj occupies its own space in Kathak world. He was the youngest son of Shri Kalka Prasad. He was trained in Kathak at a tender age of 8 years by his uncle Bindadin Maharaj and later on under his elder brother Achhan Maharaj. He learnt 'Natwari' dance from Achhan Maharaj and Thumri from Ustad Rahimuddin Khan of Benaras.

Shambhoo Maharaj was known as King of emoting. According to him dance should be based upon emotions otherwise it remains only as a spectacular performance.

Apart from dance, Shambhoo Maharaj had the knowledge of Indian Classical Music. He had equal proficiency in both music and dance. He was recipient of many honours 'Such as 'Nritya Samrat', 'Abhinaya Chakravarti', 'Padmashri' and Academy award.

He had two sons, Shri Krishna Mohan and Shri Ram Mohan who are trying to preserve his legacy.

Achhan Maharaj

Achhan Maharaj was born to Shri Kalka Prasad in his maternal village Lamuha , Sultanpur. He was very pleasant by nature and hence was called' Achhe Bhaiya' by people. He was the eldest son of Kalka Prasad and his real name was Jagannath. He was called emperor of dance in the 20th Century and had a command on the most intricate beats while performing dance.

Alongwith beats and rhythm he was proficient in emoting. He used to show the feminine beauty and feelings through his dance and emoting which held the audience spellbound. His dances were mostly based on playful acts of Lord Krishna. He composed a number of dances which had Krishna as the theme. Apart from these dances he used to recite Thumri or any poem (sher) of urdu and then emoted the same.

He loved the city of Lucknow. He used to say that in the environs ofLucknow the Nazakat (softness of Nawabs of Lucknow) was imbibed which was as useful for dances as the mountainous environment was to the patient of Tuberculosis.

During his last days he wrote a book on the art of dancing which contained traditional (Gharandedari) items but the book was stolen due to carelessness of members of family.

Achhan Maharaj had only one son Pt. Birju Maharaj who is engaged in development of Kathak dance and imparting its training to his disciples.

History Of Kathak

Kathak is One of the important dance styles of India. It dates back to Vedic times. The word 'Kathak' is derived from Katha, which means story. 'Kathakas' are said to be storytellers. They used to collect stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other sources. These stories were knitted in to songs and rhymes. These Kathakas used to wander from place to place depicting the stories from ancient Indian epics. Lava and Kusha and are considered to be the first ever Kathakas who went on depicting the story of Rama through singing and dancing. 

Kathak evolved over the years and transformed from a temple dance into a court dance during the Mughal ear.Kathak Two kings, Akbar and Wajid Ali Shah, were responsible for the resurrection of this valuable dance tradition. 

The themes and lyrics of the dances were no longer confined to the myths and legends of Hinduism. It included imperial, social and contemporary themes. The dances concentrated on the beauty and brilliance of foot work and rhythm. 

Kathak had both the Nritta & Nritya aspects in it. Nritta, or the pure dance, is executed by various rhythmic foot work to the background of 'lehera,' a musical phrase. The graceful and soft movements are depicted through Nritya. The specialty of kathak is here where the emotions are expressed without any lyrics, but only music mimicry takes its hand high here. 

Kathak utilizes a number of hand gestures. It uses the whole body as vehicle to depict emotions. The dress for kathak is simple - a pajama and upper skirt with many frills - to boost the whirling movements which occurs predominantly in Kathak style. The various footwork and rotating movements of Kathak bring ecstasy to the dancer and to the audience. 

Prominent Styles in Kathak

One who tells story is called Kathak. On the similar lines there is a well known saying in Hindi that “Katha Kahe so Kathak”. 

Etymological meaning of the word kathaka is related to katha, it's an art of story-telling. From scholarly evidence, it is apparent that in archaic times a group of skilled story-tellers recited the poems and the mythological stories with an added element of abhinaya-acting. While reciting they used to get engrossed in singing, dancing and acting. The art was transmitted from one generation to the next generation in a hereditary manner like vocal customs. 

Kathak Dance is a classical dance of North India. 

Kathak is a dance of reflection of absolute philosophy of life. Kathak is a carrier for all the human emotions. With its wide range of rhythmic patterns, hand gestures and emotions, Kathak not only gives us insight into Indian thoughts and idealism but also gives the realizations within ourselves. 

The stepping stone of the Kathak construct is the brilliant footwork in which lightning pirouettes and complex variations in the rhythm patterns, competing with the rhythm instruments are executed by the dancers. 

Kathak's special attribute is its blend of the divine androgyny-which is intellectual, suggestive and abstract.

While originally from the three North Indian gharanas of Lucknow, Jaipur and Banaras, a uniform vision of Kathak has emerged 

Detailed description of Kathak Gharanas – Jaipur, Lucknow and Banaras-

Lacknow Gharana

The Lucknow Gharana of Kathak imbibed mainly in the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah's court. 

He was the ruler of Awadh in the early 19th century. During this period Lucknow Gharana achieved maturity and perfection in it. Pioneering efforts of Thakur Prasad Maharaj, the court dancer and guru of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and consequently by his renowned, sons Bindadin Maharaj and Kalkadin Maharaj had brought Lucknow Gharana into real existence. Kalkadin Maharajji's sons Achchan Maharaj, Lachhu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj also contributed in the further improvement of this style. The Lucknow style of Kathak dance has very unique feature of grace and delicate movements, the elegance and natural poise comes along. Artistically designed dance compositions, heartwarming vocal compositions as thumris, dadras, horis with abhinaya (expressive acting), and creative improvisations are the symbols of this style. Currently, Pandit Briju Maharaj (son of Achchan Maharaj ji) is reconized as the chief representative of Lucknow Gharana. 

Banaras Gharana

The Banaras Gharana was developed by Acharya Sukhdev Maharaj Ji. Since the roots of the Banaras gharana are ingrained deeply into the soil of the holy city Banaras - known famously as 'devnagri', which basically means 'the land of Gods.' Hence, the Kathak dancers following this gharana dance on bhajans and kavit parans which are based on the holy one - God. It is characterized by the exclusive use of the Natwari or dance bols, which are different from the tabla and the pakhawaj bols. There are differences in the thaat and tatkaar, and chakkars are kept at a minimum but are often taken from both the right- and the left-hand sides with equal confidence. There is also a great use of the floor, for example, in the taking of sam (pronounced as the English word 'sum' and meaning even or equal, eventually meaning nil) or first beat of the time-cycle. 

Two great experts, the Late Natraj Gopi Krishna Ji & Kathak Queen Sitara Devi Ji, have made immense contribution to this dance form and have taken this style of dance to great heights. 

Jaipur Gharana

Jaipur Gharana of Kathak adheres to 'Veer Ras' that is based on the Kshatriya family. The Jaipur Gharana developed in the courts of the Kachchwaha kings of Jaipur in Rajasthan. Magnitude is placed on more towards technical aspects of dance, such as complex and powerful footwork, multiple spins, laykari (variations done in the rhythm) and complicated compositions in various tales. The dance is mainly composed on Parmelu bols. There is also a greater incorporation of compositions from the Pakhawaj, such as parans. Some famous Kathak Artists of this Gharana are Pandit Sundar Prasad, Pt. Gauri Shankar, Jaykumai, Padmashri Roshan Kumari, Late Pt. Durga Lal and Pt. Rajendra Gangani. 

Definition of the following:

• Tandav and Lasya –

The Tandava dance form was originated by Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva has been credited with many dance forms; of these foremost is Tandava dance. According to 'Shivopasnadak', Shiva after killing the demon 'Tripurasur' went into rapture (ullas) and danced. This dance form was re-enacted by his disciple, 'Tandu' Muni who popularized it. This dance form, practised by Tandu Muni, came to be known as 'Tandava'. This dance form involves expressions reflecting Courage (Veerta), Extreme anger (Roudra), Hatred (Vibhatsa), Enjoyment (Anand) and Anger born out of grief and sympathy (Karuna Janit Krodh). To express these rasas, tne dancer twists his limbs aggressively, which is not considered appropriate for the women. In the course of this dance, the fire of anger seems to peak, the earth seems to tremble as if the whole world is going through a process of destruction.

'Tandava' dance form has seven sub-classifications :

'Tripur Tandava': The dance performed by Lord Shiva after killing the demon Tripurasur reflected Courage (Veerta) and Extreme anger (Roudra) and is known as 'Tripur Tandava'. The 'Bols' of this dance form are mostly in 'Adi Laya'.

'Anand Tandava' : After Shiva had slayed 'Tripurasur', Goddess Uma performed 'Lasya' dance which is an embodiment of Pleasure (Ullas) and Excitement (Umang) which pleased the angry Shiva. This dance is known as 'Anand Tandava'.

'Gauri Tandava': In this dance form, Shiva and Parvati dance together in 'Shringar Rasa'.

'Kalika Tandava': In order to destroy evil and wicked, Shiva dances expressing his Bhairav form, which is known as 'Kalika Tandava'.

'Sandhya Tandava': After the death of his wife 'Sati', Shiva carried her dead body on his shoulders and danced while in mourning. This dance starts with Karuna Rasa and ends with expressing Roudra (Extreme anger) and Bhayanak Rasa (Terrible). This dance form is known as 'SandhyaTandava'.

'Uma Tandava' : This dance form stresses the conjugal affection, love and attraction in its purest and simple form.

'Samhar Tandava' : The destruction of entire universe is reflected in 'Samhar Tandava'

The instruments played in Tandava are 'Nada Pradhan' (Percussion instruments) with echo effect, as if surrounding and enveloping entire environment; e.g. Ghariyal, Jhanjh, Dumroo, Mrudang, Chang, Dhausa, Naubat etc.

The appropriate costume for Tandava performance is usually 'Male' dress i.e. the dancer ties his hairs like a Jata (Bun) showing half moon and river Ganga and wears an 'Angvastram' akin to the lion skin worn by Lord Shiva. The dancer applies 'Tripunda' (a Shaiva sign) on his forehead, takes Trident in one hand and Dumroo in the other. He also applies Bhasmi (Ashes) on his body.

Lasya :

After the demon 'Tripurasur' was killed by Lord Shiva, he danced in rage i.e. Tandava. Then to pacify and please him, Goddess Uma performed a soft and Shringarik dance, which is called 'Lasya'. Goddess Uma taught this dance to Usha, the daughter of Daitya Banasur. She popularized this dance form in Vrindavan.

The dance is extremely soft in movements and shringarik in expressions and this is performed more effectively by female dancers. The Raas Nritya of Mathura, Halisak of South India, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Manipuri, Oddissi, Mohiniattam, Kuchipudi etc, which are performed today in various regions owe their origin to 'Lasya'.

Three types of Lasya Nritya are practised today :

'Vikat Lasya': The dance form in which Laya, Taal, Bhavas are exhibited while performing, is called 'Vikat Lasya'.

'Visham Lasya' : By using 'Bhramari' through horizontal, circular and slanted movements, special footwork in Laya based dance, 'Visham Lasya' is performed.

'Laghu Lasya': By producing sound on earth through anklets and through Anchit Kunchit Padvinyas, 'Laghu Lasya' is performed.

In this dance, instruments with soft sound, high bass are used such as 'Manjira', 'Flute', 'Ghunghroo' (anklets), 'Madal, 'Khol, 'Tabla', 'Tumburu' etc.

The costumes used are extremely shringarik and attractive. The female dancers use Chunnatdar Dhoti, broad Waist Bandh and Patka. They also wear garlands of flowers in their hairs and Chunnis of bright and dark colours. The hands and neck are adorned with pearls and flowers.