CHENNAI: From choosing dance over medicine to switching gharanas (styles of art), kathak exponent Malabika Mitra has trounced every stumbling block with ease — all for the love of the art.
City Express caught up with the Howrah-based artiste, after an intensive session at the SPIC MACAY 2nd International Convention at IIT Madras – Chennai on Monday.
Extremely happy to be in a city that is receptive to all kinds of art, she says it is heartening to see the encouragement non-native dance forms receive.
“I have not performed much in Chennai, but I know that the city is always open to all art forms — which is what makes it so special. Just like in Bengal, children here are initiated into either of the art forms,” she adds.
Handling participants in all age groups with varying degrees of knowledge, at the kathak intensive, Malabika says that she will be imparting the history of the dance along with basic techniques. She explains, “The main purpose is to give them an idea about the dance form. However, I have told them it is not possible for me to teach them everything in the next few days. But after the session, they will be able to appreciate a performance.”
Learning dance from the age of three, Malabika was destined to be an artiste. “My parents were adept at playing the sitar and in vocal music. My mother named me after the protagonist in Kalidasa’s play Malavikagnimitram, a talented artiste. I am happy that I lived up to her dream,” she says with a smile.
Initially under the tutelage of Akshay Kumar Vishwas from the Uday Shankar style, for close to six years, she was later introduced to her kathak guru, the late Ramgopal Mishra who belonged to the Jaipur gharana, by Vishwas.
Pursuing rigorous lessons under him, Malabika began performing professionally when she was in the first year of medicine. “However, my first solo performance was when I was 11 at the Tansen Music Conference in Calcutta, after winning an open age group competition. My guru told me I knew very little and asked me not to perform or participate in any other competition. He believed that since I had already won a contest, I was not part of the competing league. For close to eight years after that I only learnt and practised without any desire to flaunt my skills. It was such a valuable phase,” she states.
During the peak period of the naxalite movement in the late 70’s that resulted in the postponement of exams, Malabika found some respite from the demanding schedule of medicine. Despite completing the course, she chose dance over medicine. “I finished my degree and realised that I would be an irresponsible physician,” she tells us.
After her guru’s passing, Malabika switched to the Lucknow Gharana when she came in contact with Pandit Birju Maharaj at a workshop. “But, since he was in Delhi, I couldn’t go to him to continue lessons. Then I met the late Om Prakash Maharaj, a student of Lachchhu Maharaj; he belonged to the old kathavachan style of Ayodhya and was almost my age. I learnt from him for about 10 years,” she says.
A Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and a recipient of a host of other awards, Malabika has undertaken extensive research in the old kathavachan shaily.
She says, “Under this style, kathak was presented as a form of mass education through entertainment and not only as sensuous entertainment made famous by baijis (courtesans). It was an oral tradition and there is not much material available since it is not being practiced any more. However, I continue to add these items to my repertoire,” she says.
Malabika began teaching kathak in the early 80’s and today she has over 80 students training under her at her own school Omkar and the six decade-old Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra.
Having witnessed the change in the social picture vis-a-vis kathak, the artiste is glad to see that the art form has risen above the courtesan connection. “Other dance forms didn’t have a struggle like kathak did,” she says. She adds that a lot of credit for the image makeover goes to the government for making dance forms a representation of the country’s culture.