Ageless rhythm of Kathak's Master
Kathak exponent Dharamshi Shah will turn 95 on April 5, but his love for classical dance shows no sign of aging. At his Kalakshetra Academy in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Shah teaches Kathak to anyone who loves classical dance, whether a five-year old or an elderly learner.
His tireless efforts to popularize Kathak among the people of Bhavnagar have earned him a place in the Limca Bookd of Record as the oldest teacher of classical dance in the country.
Shah was born in 1921 to a Jain couple in Mandvi town of Kutch disctrict in Gujarat. His parents died whn he was still a child. He later came to Bhavnagar where he was addimitted to Dakshinamurti School.
A visit to Bhavnagar by legendary classical dancer Uday Shankar changed the course of Shah's life.
"In 1935, the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, Krishnakumarsinhji, invited Uday Shankar to perform in the town. I was overwhelmed by Uday Shankar's scintillanting performance and decided to become a dancer myself." Shah said.
However, for someone born into a trading community, this was easier said than done. Moverover, dance at the time was considered an activity only for women.
Shah recalls that people would make fun of him when they learnt that he wanted to be a dancer. They would call him "Nachaniyo" or "Dharamshi Dhinglo" ('dhinglo' means doll), but Shah took it all in his stride.
"I ignored people's taunts. Gujarat does not have a classical dancer form of its own. This is why people did not have any empathy for dancers. I used to go to people and tell them about the glories of this divine art." he said.
Slowly, as they began to understand him, people came round to sharing his view and began to respect classical Indian dance.
Shah trained in Katha under the great Uday Shankar. Later, he learned various other classical Indian dance forms, including Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Manipuri, among others.
"My guru, Moolshankar Bhatt, asked me to create a culture for classical Indian dance in Bhavnagar and dedicate my life to task. I have followed this instruction all my life." Shah said. He did not move to Mumbai or some other metropolis but decided to stay in the town where he learnt the value of dance.
In 1945, he opened his Kathak school,'Kalakshetra', with just one student in a small room in the town. He would eventually teach the finer points of classical dance to hundreds of students at this academy. Kalakshetra is now affiliated to Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalay, Mumbai.
Shah recalls that in 1985, the parents of his students collected Rs. 1.50 lakh to build a spacious hall so that he could teach dance more comfortably. He said he was happy to see that the society that once taunted him becoming a dancer now recognized the value of his work. "What else can a Kala Guru want?" he says with a smile.
Jagar Bhatt is a former student of Shah's who now assists his master. Bhatt says Shah had inspired many people to learn classical dance by creating a culture for art in Bhavnagar.
Shah has received many awards, including "Gaurav Puraskar" and "Pandit Omkarnath Award". In 2005, the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai bestowed on him the title "Mahamahopadhyay"/
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