Rekha Devi’s last dance
SOUTH African dancing sensation Rekha Devi refused to play in front of racially segregated audiences and opted rather to appear on makeshift stages under tents – even if it meant performing for free.
Devi, 70, of Morningside, Durban, died in her home on Thursday.
She launched her career as a teenage dancing sensation at a time when her parents dominated the Indian entertainment arena.
George Karamchand was an outstanding harmonium player. He was also a legendary quawali singer and performed under the name Mirza Raffique. His wife, Punky, was a singer with a nightingale voice in the true sense. Her uncle, Ustad Ravi, played the sitar like a scientist.
When all four took to the stage, the rich merchants threw five pound notes at them for a repeat of a dance move, or the playing of a few notes on the harmonium, or the haunting sound of a solitary sitar string.
The money, betel leaves and cigars were clearly in evidence and became more intense as the clock dragged towards midnight.
At times, if the going was good, the concert lasted until 4am.
In Johannesburg they played in cinemas, and for the wealthy families they were a star attraction on the eve of high-profile weddings.
They lived in Sophiatown and worked with that great showman, Professor Ali, who was a magician of note in his heyday. He promoted several shows featuring the Hurichandra family.
In those days, accommodation was at a premium, but they managed to get a comfortable cottage in Fordsburg.
They travelled to Durban several times a month to appear at various concerts, wedding receptions and religious events.
Her daughter, Reshika China, announced her mother’s death and then burst out into tears.
“My mother died at home in her bed. We are shattered,” said Reshika.
In real life, Devi was a champion for non-racial audiences and tried hard to break apartheid in municipal halls.
“I would rather dance in the open,than in front of an apartheid audience,” she once told reporters who had gathered for a dance performance in the Durban Casbah area.
When the Isfahan opened its doors for the first time, it was hailed as a magnificent worldclass cinema. It was not the movie that drew the VIP guests, it was Devi, who gave a stunning eightminute recital.
But her legacy lives on: her three daughters and a son are part of the show business scene. Also seven of her nine grandchildren are talented performers.
Like her grandmother, Sharika China is a singer, dancer and actress and is tipped to continue with the family’s presence on the entertainment scene.
Her husband, Ranjith Ramlochan, was her business manager who doubled up in the box officer and ran the security unit.
The funeral was held on Friday.