Samprvaahi

Sampravaahi T h e C o n f l u e n t S t r e a m s
MANGANIAR MUSIC & KATHAK DANCE
Sampravaahi, the music and dance presentation is a confluence or coming together of two disparate artistic streams - Manganiar
Music and Singing Styles and Jaipur Gharaana Kathak Dance traditions from Rajasthan. The presentation intends to explore the hidden
common or compatible features and meeting ground shared by the two as they blend, interact and, at times, flow parallel to each other but retain their distinct identities. The multifaceted classicality of the Jaipur gharaana of Kathak dance and the depth of romanticism, grandeur and gravity of the folklore and music of Rajasthan weave their magic together.
The Idea behind the presentation of Sampravaahi is, to bring to the fore, music that is authentic and not often heard, musical gems that are in danger of being lost amidst the more popular and, sometimes, very garish versions sold in commercial packages in the name of Rajasthani folk music. The group’s repertoire includes some rare and complex compositions in 14, 10, and 6 beats time cycles, and traditional folk and Sufi songs and melodies from the Manganiar tradition.
The Concept behind Sampravaahiis not that of any kind of attempted fusion but rather that of a very bold and close interaction between the two streams, so that what meets the eye is pure Kathak dance, and what is heard is, by far and large, Folk music and song.This kind of interaction is evidenced variously, as in a 14 or 7 or 10 beats lehra kept by a folk artist on the Kamaayacha and Saarangi (string instruments), and not, as is usually done, by a classical Kathak accompanist to accompany Kathak todaas in the middle of a song; a spontaneous jugalbandi with all the folk percussion instruments such as the Khartaal (wooden castanets) and Dholak (drum) and the dancer’s ghungharoos (anklebells); an understanding and usage of Rajasthani rhythms by the Kathak dancer and the usage of style of movement of Rajasthani folk dancing. The Dance Choreography in Sampravaahi attempts to blend in the classical grammar of Kathak dance in a subtle rather than an obvious and forced manner, so that the mood of the song and music and its Rajasthani base and spirit reaches out to the audience intact.
A note on the featuring Music and Dance / Choreography
Manganiar Music Tradition
Rajasthan comprises a big landmass, abutting on several important cultural zones: Sindh and Punjab (the former, and part of the latter, now in Pakistan) to the west and northwest,Gujarat to the southwest, Malwa to the southeast, Braj Pradesh, that is,mid-western Uttar Pradesh, to the east and Haryana to the northeast. Interaction with these cultural zones has invested Rajasthan’s folk music with diversity and a great variety of forms and musical instruments. More particularly, the melody of the Middle East comes winging to the western borders of Rajasthan via Sindh.In our presentation, we are primarily focusing on the music of southwestern Rajasthan, namely the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer, which in the main is the music of the hereditary Manganiar musicians. Some noteworthy features of their music are these : they represent the meeting point of the folk and the classical, mentioning raag names(like Jog, Shaam Kalyaan, Dhaani, Bilaawal, Sorath, Khamaaichi, Saarang, Maand,Sindhi Bhairavi and Kaafi) and employing aalaap, murkies, tihaais and taan-like sallies,displaying advanced consciousness of rhythm and melody, that is, laya and sur, although the classical overtones are mostly incipient and rudimentary, rooted in inherited and acquired dexterity rather than in grammar; their rich repertoire includes Jaangada, a distinctive song - type that, inter alia, employs Dingal poetry and is an exacting form to be rendered in a vigorous style that calls for musical skills of a high order, devotional songs by saint - poets like Meera Bai, Kabir and Soordas and compositions by Sufi saint - poets of Sindh, songs about legendary figures and ballads
concerning them, for example, Moomal - Mahendra, Dhola - Maaru, and Lakhaphulani. Musical instruments such as the Dholak, Kamaayacha, Saarangi, Khartaal, Harmonium, Sataara (twin flutes), Morchang and the Dhol are some of their main musical instruments.
Jaipur Gharaana Kathak Tradition
In our presentation, we will be employing the Jaipur style of Kathak.It was nurtured in Rajasthan, received patronage in courts of
kings of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and other prominent erstwhile native states.It was greatly influenced by the Bhakti cult and
temple art and culture since temples in Rajasthan employed pakhawaj players, singers and dancers in the service of god, and shows a marked leaning towards the devotional and the subtle in content and style of abhinaya rather than the worldly and erotic.There is greater incorporation of compositions or parans from the pakhawaj,and kavitts, compositions with poetry and dance syllables
combined together.This style also traditionally places importance on the more technical aspects of Kathak dance such as complex and powerful footwork, multiple spins and complicated compositions in different taals. Kathak is the major classical dance form of
Northern India.The word katha means a story and hence Kathak is the art of the story teller. Kathak is a partially narrative dance form characterized by fast footwork (tatkaar), spins (chakkars),and innovative use of enacting techniques (abhinaya) to give expression to a story, sung text or emotions.It has today a form that has been influenced at various times in the past by
mythological narratives by ancient bards or kathakas, temple dances, Rajput and Rajasthani cultural milieu due to patronage in
courts of kings, the Bhakti Movement, both Vaishanav and Shaivite, and Persian influence of the Mughal courts. Kathak performances
consist of two parts - nritta and nritya. The former, the so-called technical part, is abstract dance with a tremendous sense of rhythm and joy of movement. The second part, the nritya, uses abhinaya techniques - the story is told through facial expressions, hand gestures and symbolic body postures set to rhythm (laya) and music.The Kathak style is not rigid. It allows the artist to use a variety of free movements, thus leaving scope for interpretation of the story through the dancer’s power of imagination and improvised creativity or upaj.Folk Music Composition: Mr. Samandar Khan Manganiar and Dance Choreography: Ms. Anurag Verma

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