Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
ODE TO THE KATHAK MAESTRO
Pandit Arjun Mishra Jayanti was recently held at Bhartendu Natya Academy in the city. The day was organised to remember the legend who took the folk art of Kathak to another level and also made efforts to spread it worldwide. Today his legacy is being carried forward by his son Pandit Anuj Mishra and daughter Kantika. The glorious event unfolded with a number of artistes performing Kathak and presenting qawwali . Mumtaz Ali Khan of Rumi Foundation was the chief guest at the event who spoke about Pandit Arjun Mishra and also appreciated Anuj for putting in such an effort to save the folk art.
The event kick started with ‘Guru Vandana’ which included the performances by the young artistes followed by ‘Shiv Vandana’ in which different moods of Lord Shiva were portrayed by the dancers. The host Sanjay Shukla kept the audience entertained with interesting shayaris in between the performances and asked the crowd for a round of applause to keep the artistes going. Qawwali and kathak inspired by Amir Khusrow were performed together beautifully by Haider Baksh and his team.
A new folk dance called Kathak x Kathak or K2 which included different shades of the art form was also staged. The performance was led by known Kathak artiste Neha Singh Mishra . Also present on the occasion were Ashima Singh, Sharda Mishra, Shabnam Pandey and Rashmi Chaturvedi.