An evening of Kathak dance

Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC), High Commission of India recently arranged a Kathak Dance recital along with a certificate giving ceremony at the main auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh in the city. Noted Kathak exponent of Bangladesh, Munmun Ahmed, who taught the dance to a number of students at IGCC for the last six months, performed along to live music with her pupils.
Despite receiving training in Kathak only twice a week over the course of six months, the students of IGCC performed flawlessly. They set off with Guru vandana and later beautifully performed laykari, uthan, tukra, tehai padan and ladi. Showcasing various technical pieces like uthan, amad, padan amad, tej amad, parmilu, tehai, tukra and a jugalbandi piece, Munmun Ahmed was riveting in her recital of Kathak.
 Like her Guru Pt. Birju Maharaj, Munmun Ahmed also presented several experimental pieces in the form of interpretive dance depicting daily motions in life, such as throwing a cricket ball and riding a train. The performance also included an abhinaya- (acting) styled recital with a live thumri titled "Mori Gagariya Kaheko Thori Rey Shyam" by promising Bangladeshi vocalist Tanjina Karim Swaralipi. Munmun's daughter Aporajita Mustafa recited bol padanth during her performance.
The performance was accompanied by noted Indian tabla artiste Subir Thakur, Indian sitarist Sandip Niyogi, noted Bangladeshi flautist Md. Moniruzzaman and harmonium artiste Md. Wahiduzzaman. A farmayeshi tabla lahora by Subir Thakur followed. The packed audience, captivated by the performances by the artistes, produced rounds of applause every now and then.