Beyond Origins

RTN 083: Beyond Origins: Kathak, Memory, and the Politics of Respectability  

In this conversation with Kathak practitioner and teacher Naina Manoj, several important questions emerged regarding the relationship between performance, history, pedagogy, and cultural memory. While the discussion began with her personal journey in Kathak, it gradually expanded into a broader reflection on how histories are transmitted within dance spaces, what remains absent from those narratives, and how contemporary understandings of art continue to be shaped by older structures of power.

Having trained in Kathak for over fifteen years and taught for the past three, Naina describes her relationship with the form as one of continual learning. Her experience within the Lucknow gharana tradition instilled in her a deep appreciation for Kathak's nuances and subtleties, while also reinforcing the idea that artistic practice is never complete. Even after years of training, she continues to see herself as a student, suggesting that knowledge within performance traditions is always evolving rather than fixed.

One of the central themes of the conversation concerned the way Kathak's history is communicated within pedagogical spaces. Naina noted that her teachers largely approached Kathak through the lens of gharana lineage and traditional histories. References to the nautch tradition or tawaifs were relatively limited and often appeared only in passing. This observation is significant because it highlights a broader tendency within institutionalized classical arts to foreground certain narratives while leaving others at the margins.

Interestingly, she pointed out that when ideas of vulgarity or impropriety were discussed in relation to Kathak, they were more frequently associated with cinematic portrayals of the dance rather than with courtesans themselves. This distinction reveals how contemporary media has often become a site through which stereotypes about Kathak are reproduced and reinforced.

The conversation also explored the place of Muslim, Persian, and Islamic influences within the form. Coming from the Lucknow gharana, Naina emphasized that these influences were never viewed as external intrusions but rather as naturally integrated aspects of Kathak's evolution. She highlighted the importance of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah as a patron and cultural figure whose contributions continue to be respected within the tradition. Such a perspective challenges narratives that seek to isolate Kathak within singular religious or cultural origins and instead acknowledges the form's long history of exchange, adaptation, and synthesis.

This discussion naturally led to questions surrounding contemporary attempts to redefine or rename elements of Kathak's repertoire. While examples such as replacing "salami" with terms like "rangmanch pranam" have appeared in certain contexts, Naina viewed these developments as localized responses to regional politics rather than evidence of a widespread transformation within the dance community. Her response underscores the extent to which artistic practices often become entangled in broader social and political debates.

Perhaps one of the most compelling moments of the conversation emerged when discussing origins and historical narratives. Naina observed that contemporary audiences frequently seek a single point of origin for artistic traditions, often preferring linear histories that provide clarity and certainty. Yet art rarely functions in such straightforward ways. Kathak, as she noted, did not even look the same fifty years ago as it does today. Over time, practices are codified, reorganized, and interpreted anew. Attempts to establish definitive beginnings can therefore obscure the fluidity and complexity that characterize living traditions.

The conversation then turned toward courtesan histories. Since tawaifs were not extensively discussed during her formal training, Naina's engagement with these histories developed independently through her academic research on cinematic representations of Kathak. This path eventually brought her into contact with larger debates surrounding nautch culture, representation, and the politics of respectability.

One of the most thought-provoking sections of the interview focused on the relationship between sensuality and art. While contemporary discussions increasingly acknowledge tawaifs as custodians of artistic traditions, there remains discomfort around recognizing their roles as figures associated with sensuality and erotic knowledge. Naina argued that this tension is deeply rooted in changing social perceptions rather than any inherent contradiction between art and sensuality.

Drawing attention to historical shifts in attitudes toward the body, she suggested that Victorian notions of modesty and morality significantly shaped modern understandings of what is considered respectable or vulgar. As a result, contemporary audiences often inherit categories that separate eroticism from artistic expression, despite the fact that many premodern Indian artistic traditions did not necessarily recognize such distinctions.

In her view, there is no fundamental separation between erotica and art. Ancient Indian sculpture itself demonstrates how bodily expression, desire, and aesthetic beauty could coexist within artistic practice without being treated as mutually exclusive categories. The discomfort surrounding these subjects today reflects modern social conditioning more than historical reality.

Naina further argued that the stigmatization of tawaifs cannot be understood solely through the lens of sexuality. Historically, courtesans were among the most educated women in society, possessing knowledge of literature, poetry, music, etiquette, and performance. Their intellectual and cultural authority often exceeded that available to many other women of their time. She suggested that attaching notions of vulgarity and moral decline to courtesans may have served as a means of undermining that authority and diminishing the respect associated with their knowledge.

Ultimately, the conversation revealed how questions of performance are inseparable from questions of memory, power, and representation. Whether discussing gharana histories, Islamic influences, courtesan cultures, or the politics of sensuality, a recurring theme emerged: artistic traditions cannot be understood through singular narratives. They are shaped by multiple histories, overlapping influences, and ongoing reinterpretations.

Reflecting on Relearning the Nautch, Naina expressed enthusiasm for initiatives that encourage these conversations. For her, education and dialogue remain essential to the vitality of artistic practice. As histories continue to be revisited and re-examined, projects that create space for nuanced discussion contribute not only to historical understanding but also to the future evolution of the arts themselves.