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"I would chill with him and talk to him like a friend. I took all the liberties with him that no one else dared to do otherwise," says the 30-year-old Kathak dancer Shinjini Kulkarni, granddaughter of the Kathak Maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj.
It was not until when she was in class 5th that she noted her grandfather's name in her GK book. "It felt odd because none of my friends' grandparents were featured in the book or were taught about in school. I rushed to my mother and she told me who he was," she shares. After this, Shinjini became a bit conscious around him, however, her love for Kathak surpassed all such inhibitions.
"As a kid, I would struggle a lot with rhythm and nanaji (maternal grandfather) had ways to simplify things and draw analogies from nature,” she shares. She recalls that once she did not understand a tihai and Pandit Birju Maharaj drew an analogy with the rhythm of droplets falling outside when it rains. “He said that these are micro-beats that get along with a bigger clap and it made so much sense. So, when I am teaching my students, I try to draw parallels from what I was taught,” she says.
I Never Considered Kathak Professionally
Despite coming from a nine-generation legacy, Kathak was not something Shinjini wanted to pursue, she wanted to join the civil services. "I never considered Kathak professionally, though I had been performing since the age of five," she says.
Shinjini shares that it was an unsaid rule that everyone in the family must learn Kathak, but it was not compulsory to take it up professionally.
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"In fact, until I graduated from St Stephen's College in 2014, I was not looking forward to pursuing Kathak professionally. I was around 21 years old, and I was about to begin my preparation for UPSC and I realised that it meant giving up dance and this was something I could not do," she says.
Kulkarni then debuted in Lucknow professionally. As she continued to pursue Kathak professionally, she pursued her post-graduation from distance learning. The reason? She wanted Kathak to be her top priority.
A Woman Dancer
Shinjini shares that despite coming from Pandit Birju Maharaj's lineage, it has not been easy for her to establish her ground.
She comes from the maternal side of Pandit Birju Maharaj's family, her mother, Anita Kulkarni is a visual artist, who did not continue the nine-generation-long lineage of Kathak. "Though she also knows the art," shares Shinjini.
This has made it difficult for her to prove herself and her worth in the art world. "The classical dance world is heavily patriarchal. Here, only sons are thought to carry on the family lineage and so when I would perform, I would not be seen as a part of the legacy," she laments.
She then talks about the Parampara (tradition) that is followed in classical dance, where the disciples of the guru are called shishya. “They are considered part of guru’s family, but are the non-blood relatives. Whereas Parivar is the people of guru’s family who come from the lineage. They are blood relatives. Many did not want to associate me with the Parivar,” she says.
Talking about navigating through the art world as a woman, she says: "Kathak used to be a male-dominated art form. It was only when the British came and the source of patronage shifted that the culture of women entertainers and courtesans came in. So all the previously male dancers became teachers." However, she agrees to it changing in today's time.
Shinjini herself is a teacher and she believes that the reason she wants to teach Kathak is not just limited to keeping classical art alive, but because it is the "root of mental peace". Dance, she believes is like meditation.
"A lot of students, those with ADHD come to me and they have seen massive improvement in their behaviour,"she says. "It is a regular practice, you have to keep doing the same thing over and over again. This develops your patience and persistence. This is why anyone with attention deficiency will be able to cope better as it changes your mindset and introduces you to the art of patience," she explains.
Kathak And Social Media
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Shinjini is also optimistic that with the rise of social media, more and more people are now given the opportunity to share their talent with the world. It also allows everyone to learn the art and "at this point, no one can gatekeep the knowledge".
However, she fears that the fusion of Kathak with other dance forms may create confusion. "Fusions are great as long as they are termed fusion. When you start calling fusion pure Kathak that is when it becomes a problem," she explains.
Shinjini also believes that with the rise of social media, there has been a loss of quality control. "Earlier, a guru would decide when you are ready to perform. It means you could debut at 12, 20, or even as late as 45. But now, there are no questions asked, anybody can post anything and call it Kathak," she says.
Up Next
As the conversation with Shinjini moves forward, she shares that like for the rest of the world the monsoon season is time to rejuvenate, for artists too it is the most fruitful period.
This is when artist is off the stage, using this time to fuel up for the creative season which starts in October and lasts up to March. "This is where artists ideate and plan for what is coming up next," she shares.
For Shinjini, up next is her latest production based on the game of Chess which will be premiered in Delhi in December. "This idea has been living with me for a year now and it will finally be executed. This will surely be a visual treat."