Hindou temple ada Bhagvan in Navagam


























Bharuch surroundings.

To listen to the Gujarati marriage music, click here


Our incredible host in Ahmedabad Dipak L.Sutaria (member of Servas and tourist guide)
Links: www.servas.fr, http://www.dipaktour.com.

INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCES:
Kathak dance style:
Ensemble court dance. "Khata" in Hindi means history ; it's a dance style based on Indian mythology and mainly dedicated to the god Krishna.
Origin: Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh (north of India).
1) Kadamb school, Ahmedabad :
Dance accompany with 3 Tablas and the voice of the dance professor (rhythmic singing in the "thumrî" style).
2) Nartan school, Ahmedabad :
"Thali" style (from the name of the metallic plate on which the dancer evolutes).
Music played by the dance teacher (Tattakali & voice (rhythmic singing in the "thumrî" style)).

Kathakali dance style:
Temple group dance, its actual form being around 400 years old. Stories told are based on the victory of the good side against the evil one.
"Katha" means history and "Kali", piece.
Origin: Kerala (south of India)
Instruments: electronic Tanpura & Tattakali.
Recording place:
Mudra School, Ahmedabad



NB: This costum represent the character of Shiva.







Kuchipudi dance style:
Musical style: carnatic music (from the south of India).
Temple group dance. The name " Kuchipudi " refers to a predominating dance style since the 50's and also to the remote village where it is born (it's located inside the Krishna district, in the state of Andra Pradesh (south of India)).
Formation: 1 singer, 1 Mridangam, 1 Tattakali & 1 electronic Tanpura.
History: Shiva is the protector of Markende (a 16 years old's boy) against Iema (god of death). Recording place: Mudra school, Ahmedabad

Odissi dance style:
Musical style: classical Hindustani music (from the north of India).
One of the oldest dance form in the Orissa's state (center-est of India). This style is born in the temple Jagannath (around 1100).
Musical formation: 1 Violin, 1 Mridangam, 1 Bansuri, 1 Harmonium & 1 singer.
Recording place:
Gandhinagar, "Lok Sankruti Melo" festival

Bharatanatyam dance style:
Temple solo dance created in Tamil Nadu (south of India) and, more precisely in Tanjor district. The name "Bharatanatyam" is composed by the following terms: "Bha": extracted from "Bhaw" which means Expression, "Ra": extracted from "Raga" which means Melody, "Ta": extracted from "Tal" which means Rhythm and finally "Natyam" which means Drama. To resume, it's a drama dance style using expressions, a specific melody and rhythm.
Accompaniment by the dance teacher (Tattakali & voice).
Recording place: Nrityabharti performing arts, Ahmedabad

FOLKLORIC DANCES:
Gujarat's folkloric style: "Rass"
Dances practiced traditionally in Gujarat's villages twice a year during " Navrati " ("Nav" = 9, "Ratri" = night), 9 nights' religious festival. There are ritual dances (created by Lord Krishna around 3500 years ago) to honour Amba (or Shakti (all energies' source)). They are always performed in group. Movements are circulars, following the universe's movements as they are described in the Vedas.
Musical formation : 1 Harmonium, 1 Mridangam, 1 Dhol & 1 singer. The sticks used by the dancers are called "Dandia".
Recording place: Aavishkar school, Ahmedabad

Puralia dance style (dance "Chau with masks " (west of Bengal)):
The story of the dance item we've seen is called "Sita Swayamvar". It is a part of Ramayan's epic. Here are the main lines of this story: Sita was the daughter of the king Janak. In her childhood, as she was playing with a ball, the ball rolled under her father's heavy bow. Then, Sita hold the bow to recover the ball. Seeing this, the king Janak decided that his daughter will be married only with a man strong enough to hold his bow. So, when Sita attained her majority, Janak organised a "Swayamvar" (means "competition" in Hindi) in order to find a husband for his daughter. To win the competition, one of the pretenders had to hold the bow. Several kings were invited to this competition but no one, except Ram, could hold the bow. So, he became Sita's husband.
Musical formation: 1 Dhol, 1 Nagara, 1 Mukawina oboe & 1 " singer " (often screaming to support the anarchic choragraphy of the dancers.)
Recording place: Gandhinagar, "Lok Sankruti Melo" festival
(Lok = people, Sankruti = culture, Melo = party) festival.

Jaïn temple Chintamani Parshwanath, Ahmedabad.

 

 

Lok Sanskruti festival in Gandhinagar (11 to 20 february from 17 to 22 H)

 

Banian tree on the banks of Pichola lake.

Udaipur city palace

Intepreter: Rajesh Prajapat ; nicknamed "Bablu" :
Musical style: Hindustani music (north of India)
Recording Place: Udaipur.






1) Tabla: presentation and rhythm "Tin Tal" (16 beats)
2) Sitar: presentation and morning raga "Ahil Belaw"
A morning raga is performed between 9 and 12 AM. It's constituted by a very slow musical progression which give to the listener the impression of a slow awakening (Bablu compares this progression to sun rise).

Pichola lake in Udaipur.

In Jaipur, we met the Ali Kawa family, which is part of a musician cast.
Musical style: hindoustani music (north of India)
Recording Place: Jaipur.
1) Raga Tupala (folkloric music)
Instrument: 1 Tabla, 1 Harmonium
Musical formation: 1 Harmonium, 1 Tabla et 5 singers.
Interpreters: Nishad Ali Kawa (tablist), Rizwan Khan, Noshad Ali Kawa, Irshad Ali Kawa, Dilchad Ali Kawa, Imran Khan (harmonium player)
2) Râga "Bilawal" (afternoon raga)
Instrument: 1 Harmonium
Interpreter: Amanat Ali Kawa
3) Râga "Yaman" (evening Raga)
Instrument: 1 Santour and 1 Tabla
Interpreters: Dilchad Ali Kawa (santour player), Rizwan Khan (tabla)

Our friend Amanat and several members of his family.

CONTACT:
KWAL: musique caméléon - 63, rue Beaurepaire - 49100 ANGERS - Tél: 02.41.20.03.94
Momo (their impresario nickname): 02.41.79.07.47 - 06.22.70.85.68
Ishak (Amanat's brother): 06.18.25.84.25 - Internet: www.multimania.com/ishakkawa/
Mail: ishakkawa@yahoo.com
Ashok: 06.65.31.18.62
Amanat: 06.79.01.67.15
Mail: amanatalikawa@yahoo.com

A nice point of view of the famous Taj Mahal.

P.K. Gaur
Musical style: thema of an Indian musical comedy.
Instrument: chromatic mouth organ.
Recording place: Aggra.
To see Krishna playing the mouth organ, click here





Orcha cenotaphs.




































Orcha surroundings.




















Orcha palace.

Forest next to the road, Uttar Pradesh.