Sri Ram Mādhurya: A unique Kathak-Katha-Kutcheri by Sunil Sunkara & Vanitha Suresh
Brahma Gana Sabha witnessed the premiere of “Sri Ram Mādhurya” on 3 January this year, during their Marghazi Dance Festival.
For Durga Arya, a name that spells courage and confidence, the dance form of kathak is almost like a spiritual surrender for her.
But let us talk of a time when Kathak had not yet taken wings and Durga was just a 6-year-old. Born into a very humble family belonging to Nainital, her parents shifted to Delhi for a decent livelihood. Among her four siblings, Durga’s talent for dance was discovered by her music teacher in a Delhi government school. While she was in the 3rd grade, she came under the tutelage of Kundanlal of Kathak Kendra, who, upon seeing her talent, agreed to teach her for free. This was followed by a 7-year elementary course from Reba Vidyarthi, another well-known kathak performer and teacher, and thereafter, she completed her 3-year diploma course under Munna Shukla.
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By this time, Durga had developed an emotional bond with this dance form and had identified the course of her life’s journey to become a classical dancer. Her dedication was such that she developed her stamina to practice from early morning until sundown, subsisting on just tea and biscuits during her practice for various productions. Durga completed a master’s course of two years in Kathak, and there was no looking back.
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Durga also took training from the kathak maestro, Birju Maharaj, at Bhartiya Kala Kendra and has participated in a number of his productions. She has to her credit a number of choreographed shows, such as Ramayan, Cricket, Kabaddi, and Ghungroo Tarang.
Now settled in Germany with a German husband, she is still rooted in India, coming every year to hold workshops and take part in solo and group productions. She was in India in October last year and performed in Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Indore, Ujjain, Kolkata and a few other cities.
Durga is happy and content to carry forward the legacy of pure kathak among her students. Durga believes this success of her long creative journey has been possible only because of the tapasya and sacrifices made by her not-so-well-off parents.
The writer is a freelance contributor.
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