E-Paper
‘Gurus keep showering blessings, always!’
Experts from the professional art forms feel that having a guru in a lifetime is a blessing in itself
Experts from the professional art forms feel that having a guru in a lifetime is a blessing in itself. For those who have trained under the guru-shishya parampara, consider their guru as supreme, before everyone else. On the auspicious day of Guru Purnima, creative art experts from Lucknow talk about their gurus and share their bonding with them.
‘Gurus don’t go anywhere’
Kathak exponent Prof Kumkum Dhar feels blessed that she had the opportunity to train under kathak maestro Pt Lachhu Maharaj, disciple of Pt Bindadin Maharaj and uncle of Pt Birju Maharaj.
“When Kathak Kendra was being established in 1972 Maharajji was made its founder-director and I got an opportunity to be his disciple. I trained under him till he passed away in on July 19, 1978, a day before Guru Purnima. Trust me, even after he left his body, his teachings have unfolded down the years and has been my guiding force. Till date, he is guiding me in some way or other and I still feel his presence,” says Dhar, who has trained 100s of students till date under guru-shishya parampara.
Dhar has also been ex-dean Bhatkhande Music Institute Deemed University, “Gurus don’t go anywhere; their blessings and teaching keep on guiding you. It’s rightly said that gurus keep showering their blessings, always! Sometimes I feel how blessed I am to have someone as a guru who is an institution. I owe everything to him and 44 after he has left his teaching are afresh in my mind. Probably, that’s the reason guru comes before everyone!”
‘My guru gave me unconditional love’
Lucknowite and Bharatnatyam guru Syed Shamshur Rehman got trained under Padma Bhushan awardee Saroja Vaidyanathan, 84.
“I was learning at Bhatkhande University under Gyanendra Bajpaiji (also her disciple) when she came for a lecture. In 2008, I expressed my wish to learn from her and she asked me to perform Alarippu followed which he accepted me as disciple. She was very impressed with me as I was from Lucknow which is a seat of kathak. Though I am a Muslim still she gave me unconditional love and immense support without any doubt,” says Rehman.
He adds, “Guru maa is very happy that I am spreading the art from Lucknow to the world and she likes my way of teaching. Under the parampara, I have trained over 100 disciples. On guru purnima I will teach something new to my students and as per tradition in South I’ll pay visit and take blessings from my guru on Dussehra which is considered highly auspicious.”
‘I was always a disciple to him, not a son’
Pt Anuj Mishra learnt kathak from his father Pt Arjun Mishra, disciple of Pt Birju Maharaj. “I started dancing when I was just four but he took me in his fold when I turned 16. Before that he made me learn tabla. He never treated me as son. Pandit ji made learning a challenge for me and never gave me any special treatment. Being able to earn praise from him used to be very tough task for me.”
Pt Mishra is also guru to his sisters Smriti and Kankita Mishra and his wife Neha Singh Sengar. “Neha too learnt from him for eight years. My sister and wife formed a team and reached the finals of a dance reality show ‘High Fever, Dance Ka Naya Tevar’.
Dada guru (Birju Maharaj) has been my guardian angel I used to discreetly learn from him. With their blessing I have over 500 disciples under guru-shishya parampara and my disciples are spreading the dance form in Dubai, Italy, France and the US.”
