As you enter the white marble Safed Baradari, the historic structure of Qaiserbagh in Lucknow, it is hard to believe that it was built as a palace of mourning (Qasr-ul-Aza) by Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh Was.
During the five-day annual Mahindra Santakda Lucknow Festival (February 3 to 7), craft, music and history lovers throng the baradari (a structure with 12 doors) to the pillared hall with high ceilings, latticed balconies, carved arches and towering chandeliers. Despite the site bustling with visitors, you can’t miss the intricate motifs of interlocking fish (the royal insignia), especially around the windows, entrances and walls.
Big Pops The (portico) front, which was once surrounded by lush gardens, turns into a stage during festivities. a narrow set of stairs leads to Underground place (underground), where vignettes from the art history of Awadh are displayed in the form of installations and photographs, while Qissa gois (storytellers) narrate anecdotes from the lives of great artists.
The festival offers a cultural journey through music, dance and theater performances, heritage and craft walks, discussions, workshops and food demonstrations across Awadh, home to innumerable poets, musicians and composers.
A Kathak troupe led by Shinjini Kulkarni, granddaughter of Pt. Birju Maharaj | Photo Credit: Credit: MSLF
woman behind the festival
Conceived by cultural and social activist Madhavi Kukreja in 2010, the festival, which was initially launched as a showcase for craft traditions, has now evolved into an inclusive space. Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb (Coordinate Culture) Interior to Awadh. To document this aspect for a contemporary generation, each edition is based on a theme – this year’s was ‘Raqs-o-Mausiki’ (dance and music).
The festival is consciously widening its platform. Here Hindustani, Carnatic, Qawwali, Ghazal, brass band, bhajan, choir, photography, painting and sculpture co-exist beautifully.
“Our team of young researchers starts work months in advance. There is a lot of brainstorming before arriving at a topic that can appeal across generations and communities. Over the past 13 years, we have dug deep into the Awadhi sundook (Iron trunk) to unearth some real gems. There is much more left to explore. We have about 20 themes,” says Madhavi, who is working on the festival with Lucknow-based Askari Naqvi, an entrepreneur and a renowned dastango (story-telling in Urdu).
A crowd of spectators gathered at the festival site. Photo Credit: Credit: MSLF
Enjoying her role as a catalyst in bridging the gap between art traditions and the technologically driven world, Madhavi says, “Sadly, today we have confined art to the theatre. It must be engaging and unavoidable in our everyday lives. Inspired by the Budki fair held on the banks of river Gomti, I wanted to give the festival the color and atmosphere of a fair. And it is best to have the Mahindra Group supporting this dream project as they are extremely keen on preserving and celebrating diverse artistic traditions. Anand Mahindra also has a personal connection with the festival as his mother was from Lucknow and a patron of arts and crafts.
While this annual event makes residents of the area feel connected to their roots once again, outsiders can experience Lucknow beyond the touristy Imambaras. Bag (parks).
Creation of Lucknow Gharana
‘Raqs-O-Mausiki’ takes a closer look at the making of the Lucknow Gharana associated with Kathak and Tabla. Artists and scholars, through their concerts and talks, highlighted how the pluralistic socio-cultural fabric facilitated its emergence and popularity.
“After Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula shifted the capital of Awadh from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775, the city gained political and cultural prominence,” says Askari, who is credited with art forms associated with Muharram, especially Soj Khwani. You are given credit for taking it from yourself. strictly religious settings for a wider secular audience.
Taal Vadya Kachari by a group of five artists. Photo Credit: Credit: MSLF
“Once Lucknow became the center of power, artists from Delhi began flocking to the city to seek patronage as the Nawab was known for his philanthropy and cross-cultural leanings. So, the Lucknow Gharana has essentially been shaped by these artists and rulers. In the few years Wajid Ali Shah spent at the Kaiserbagh Palace complex (built between 1847 and 1850), the site of the Sanatkada festival, his court was filled with musicians, dancers, poets and theater artistes,” says Askari.
A trained singer and Kathak dancer, Nawab had a natural flair for composing. Several ghazals and thumris, which he wrote under the pseudonym ‘Akhtarpiya’, found their way into the Hindustani music and Kathak repertoire. His spectacular Rahas were operatic performances inspired by Ramlila which can perhaps be referred to as early Hindustani theatre. ‘The Tale of Radha Kanhaiya’ was the first ensemble staged by the Nawab as part of the original Rahas. While in ‘Inder Sabha’, an Urdu opera written by poet Agha Hasan Amanat, Nawab played the role of Lord Indra.
Virat and Lakshmi Band Members | Photo Credit: Credit: MSLF
Different Kathak Style
, payment And finesse (style and gentleness), the defining characteristics of the Lucknow style of Kathak, influenced by the royal court,” says Shinjini Kulkarni, granddaughter of Pt. Birju Maharaj. In the darkness of a bitterly cold morning, he reflected on how the Nawab worked with his forefathers, brothers Kalka Prasad and Bindadin Maharaj, to give the dance an Indo-Persian flavour. “The family of our storytellers and bhajan singers came from Kichkila village in Allahabad. The original compositions focused on bhakti rasa, but with the influence of semi-classical forms of music such as thumri, holi and chaiti, dancers began to perform much more. Shringaar Rasa compositions too,” he said while introducing the various pieces to the audience.
This legendary legacy that put the dance form on the world map is impeccably displayed at the Kalka-Bindadin ki Deyodhi in the Wazirganj area of Lucknow. The house gifted by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah to the veteran brothers has been converted into a museum. This is where Pt. Birju Maharaj was born. It was from here that Kathak was born.
Be it Naveen Mishra and Zeeshan’s sarangi-sitar duet, a choir performance by La Martiniere Girls’ College, TM Krishna’s soulful rendition, Haider Baksh Warsi’s power-packed qawwali, Anindo Chatterjee’s solo tabla rendition or the percussion-instrument Kachari, The performance reflects the effort of the Mahindra Santakda Mahotsav team to take forward the cultural vision of Wajid Ali Shah.
Anindo Chatterjee impressed with his finesse. Photo Credit: Credit: MSLF
how tabla benefited
Also known as Purang Anga or Khula Baj, the Lucknow gharana of tabla was founded by Ustad Bakshu Khan and Modu Khan. The playing style and lyrics are influenced by the pakhawaj, in which the palm is used along with the fingers to produce a sharp and striking sound. Renowned tabla artist Anindo Chatterjee, who performed at the festival, belongs to the Farrukhabad gharana, but has also trained under Ustad Afaq Hussain Khan of the Lucknow gharana.