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Kathak is her passion

The tinkle of ghungroos (tiny bells tied on the feet of classical Indian dancers) and Indian classical music are familiar sounds outside Ketaki Hazra’s residence in Karama. Since 1985, the soulful rhythm of Kathak (Indian classical dance form) has been filling Ketaki’s home.

Kataki, hails from the Indian city of Calcutta and has been teaching students in the UAE the Lucknowi gharana of Kathak for the last 26 years. Even though, Dubai boasts of various dance teachers and institutes, there are very few who render the pure form of Kathak. A highly respected teacher in the dance circles of UAE, and lovingly called ma’am, Ketaki lost her ability to dance in a tragic accident in 1996. Since then, it is her spirit and support from her students and their parents that has encouraged Ketaki to continue teaching. “My students are like my pillars. I began dancing at the age of four. For me, it is the one thing that gives me the maximum joy. So when I was told that I would not be able to dance again after my accident, I was devastated.

There were several times that I thought I would give up. But my students pushed and encouraged me to continue teaching,” said Ketaki. She teaches her students facial expressions and handwork by staying seated. And Ketaki shows the footwork in Kathak by tapping her own feet on the ground.

Apart from Kathak, Ketaki also knows Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dance forms. Since Kathak is a performing dance form, Ketaki has been organising an annual non-profit Indian classical dance concert, Nrityanjali, since 1996.

“The girls need to perform on stage. That is the only way that they will gain confidence,” said Ketaki. Currently, Ketaki has over 40 students and over the years, has taught several hundred. A pioneer in introducing Kathak as a dance form in the UAE, Ketaki also had a long stint with the Dubai Modern High School as a dance teacher.

Apart from Kathak, she also teaches Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore’s dance dramas and folk songs. Her students are as young as four-years-old and as old as 50. She begins her classes at 5.30pm and sometimes goes on till 10pm. Some of Ketaki’s students like Farha Shams has been learning Kathak from her for the last 20 years.

“Our lives start and end with aunty. I have spent most of my life here in this house with her. Every time an old student of hers comes back to Dubai, their first priority is to come meet her. She is more than our ‘guru’ (teacher). She is a friend, a confidant, and one of our biggest sources of inspiration,” said Shams. Ketaki pointed out that over the years, she has taught students from several communities, and not just Indians.

“I have taught Iranians, a few Pakistanis and a woman who was British. Kathak has sparked a lot of interest among expatriates here,” added Ketaki. The dancer works closely with Keshob Mukherjee, Associate Professor of Rhythm in Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta, India. He comes to Dubai every year to help children to dance to the tunes of the tabla (percussion instrument). This year, Nrityanjali is scheduled to take place on October 20 at 6.30 at the Emirates International School auditorium.

Forty performers will take part in the concert, and entry is open to anyone with an interest in Indian dance forms.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

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