What were the courtesans of the royal courtrooms of India like? What kind of artistes were they? What is their legacy?
These and many such questions were raised as Manjari Chaturvedi and Neesha Singh staged The Courtesan — An Enigma, a dance drama presented by M.I.S.S.I.N.G. and Rangoli in association with t2, and supported by Masterminds, at GD Birla Sabhagar on April 28.
The 80-minute performance took the audience on a time travel, focusing on Darbari Kathak, the style of kathak practised by the Indian courtesans of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The narrative of The Courtesan, based on the book The Nautch Girls of India by Pran Nevile, stitched together real-life stories of many famed courtesans — from Gauhar Jaan to Jaddanbai — throwing light on little-known nuggets of the life and times of these unsung artistes. It highlighted the stigma attached to “nautch girls”, which led to neglect in preserving this art form and losing a vital part of its cultural past. The social apathy also dissuaded younger generations from practising Darbari Kathak.
The Lost Songs of the Courtesans — a project started by Manjari Chaturvedi, the founder president of the Sufi Kathak Foundation — combines the two extremes of traditional art and modern technology to make today’s youth aware of this “dying art form and also develop ways to preserve it”.
“The Darbari Kathak dance form relies heavily on hand gestures and facial expressions, and many gestures were recreated on stage after studying old paintings and courtroom scenes of that era,” said Manjari, who kept the audience spellbound with her fluid movements and expressions. Her nuanced performance, set to soulful singing and poetry, celebrated femininity and brought alive the glamour and the dazzle of the courtesan’s personality, showing how these enchanting women were not just fine artistes but also the style icons of their time.
Manjari’s performance was wonderfully complemented by Neesha Singh’s onstage narration. The actress of TV shows like A Mouthful of Sky, Neesha brought drama and humour to her lively, casual style of storytelling.
The minimalist stage setting and effective use of light and shadow, along with colourful filters, transported one to the luxurious royal courtrooms.
Text: Sehrish Hazarika
