My
study revolves around the dance-form, costumes, ornaments and
social customs of the Nautch girls.
Nautch or Nac girls(spelt
variously by various authors) refers to a set of dance performers
who previously existed during the Mughal rule and got their name
Nautch (from the word Naach) from the Europeans during the days of
colonial rule by the East India company.
Kathak gradually evolved
during the course of several centuries imbibing the diverse
influences of the temple courtyard on the one hand and the palaces
and princes on the other. When Kathak moved from temple to court it
made suitable adjustment in its repertoire, techniques and manner of
execution.
The British system of education did not recognise
"arts" as a subject and the result was the degeneration of an age
old dance tradition. The late-nineteenth century and early 20th
century saw the emergence of a sect of female dancers who were known
as Nautch(in the North and Sadir in the South) girls. Many of the
sketches by European artists brought by the East India Company
during the early days of colonial rule throw light on the Nautch
tradition and it's close relationship with the Kathak form of
dance.
My Project proposes the intense study of
Nautch/Nac tradition that is so profusely registered in the
paintings and sketches of mid 18th to 19th century(during the East
India Company's rule) yet is so neglected an area so far as the
study of our dance-tradition is concerned. From the preliminary
study that I have conducted in this regard, it has made me immensely
curious to probe furthur into the following issues
:
-
The technicalities of this tradition as for instance, the
instruments, ornaments and costumes used by the
performers.
-
The degeneration that Kathak has gone through during this
period and the contributions(if any) of the Nautch tradition to
the mainstream of Kathak.
-
The social background and the standing of the performer.
Accordingly I have planned out to study
:
-
Pictorial representation of Nautch girls during the
company rule. The innumerable sketches and paintings which are
stored in various libraries, archives and museums(for instance
the India Office Library, British Museum in London, National
Gallery of Modern Arts).
- The
comparative study of their costumes, ornaments and accompanying
instruments on the basis of those
sketches.
- A
cross-examination and cross-checking of the written sources and
oral testimonies of their predecessors now living in Benares,
Muzzafarpur and Calcutta.
- This
intense and detailed study will give me a filtered picture of
their social condition(dancing girls were associated with
prostitution) and their present existence as a part of the
society and above all as a performing
artists.
The
Nautch tradition must have been an important part of the
socio-cultural life of the ruling class(patrons were the Europeans
and the Indian aristocracies). That is why it has found it's way
into the sketches of their contemporary lives. Yet it has been
completely ignored as a classical dance-form.
I intend
to preserve this tradition from the condescension of history
as well as make the cultural arena aware of the art that is still
present in their ancestry but looked down upon by society as well
as art-lovers.
References :
"Indian Classical Dance" by Kapila
Vatsyayan
"Nabobs" by Percival Spear
"Encyclopaedia of
Bihar" by Majid
Hussain
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