BEAUTIFUL KATHAK DANCE FROM HINDI FILM:JHANAK JHANAK PAYAL BAAJE(1955)

This is one of the most spectacular Kathak dances ever presented in the history of Hindi Cinema.The frame by frame presentation is so beautiful that one cannot deviate his eyes from the screen.Gopi Krishna  really appears like Krishna as we see in paintings and photographs. Actress Sandhya has played as Radha.
                                        

Gopi Krishna

Sandhya and Gopi Krishna

Their Dance teacher (K.Daate)is very strict in discipline and most of the dancing is picturised on his song(sung by some unknown singer).Manna Dey sings for Gopi Krishna and Lata Mangeshkar sings for Sandhya.The whole creation is composed by music director Vasant Desai and dancr dirctor Gopi Krishna.This film of V.Shantaram 'JHANAK JHANAK PAYAL BAJE'(1955) was fully devoted to classical dance'Kathak'.
                                                 

Manna Dey

Hasrat Jaipuri

Lata Mangeshkar

Vasant Desai

The lyrics were penned by Hasrat Jaipuri,which are:

कड़ान   कड़ान   कड़ान  धा !

मुरली मनोहर कृष्ण  कन्हैय्या 

जमुना  के  तट  पे  विराजे  हैं  

मुरली  मनोहर  कृष्ण  कन्हैय्या 

जमुना  के  तट  पे  विराजे  हैं  

मोर  मुकुट  सर ,कानों  में  कुण्डल 

कर  में  मुरलिया ,मुरलिया , मुरलिया  साजे है  

इतने  में  दी  दिखाई  राधा 

राधा  राधा  राधा,

पनघट  पर  से  आय  रही ,

घबराय  रही ,शरमाय  रही ,

मुस्काय  रही ,बल  खाय  रही .

इधर  बंशी  में  लहर  सी  उठी 

कृष्ण  के  मुख  पर  बजने  लगी  

राधा   की  छुम   छुम  छननन  पर , 

आप  ही  आप  से  बजने  लगी ,

बजने  लगी , बजने  लगी। 

लम्बा  सा  घूँघट  काढ़  लिया 

बंशी  के  सुरों  पर  झूम  गई ,

धर  सर  पे  गगरिया  मोहन  की  ओऱ  ही 

धुम  कित   धुम  कित  घूम  गई  

फिर कृष्ण  कन्हैय्या  नटखट  ने 

राधा  की  कलैय्या  थाम  लई 

राधा  ने  पुकारा 

राधा  ने  पुकारा 

हाय  दई ,कोई आओ सखी ,कोई आओ सखी। 

फिर  हाथ छुड़ा  कर  बोली  हटो ,

फिर  हाथ छुड़ा  कर  बोली  हटो,

अब  जावों  डगरिया  छोड़ो  मोरी .

कहा  कृष्ण  ने  चुप  रह  वरना 

दूँगा  गगरिया  फोड़  तोरी । 

राधा  तब  उसकी  शोखी  पर ,कुछ  बिगड़ी  भी ,

मुस्काई  भी  , फिर  कृष्ण  से  पूछा ,कौन  हो  तुम ?

क्या  नाम  है  जी ?क्या  नाम  है  जी ?क्या  नाम  है  जी ?

कृष्ण : ओ  ओ ओ ओ ओ !

हमें  गोप  ग्वाला  कहते  हैं  -2

और  कृष्ण  दिया  है  नाम हमें  , नाम हमें ।

कोई  नटवर  गिरिधर  कहता  है  -2

और  कोई  कहे  घनश्याम  हमें । 

राधा  : घनश्याम  नहीं  तुम  काले  हो  -2,

तुम  नटखट  हो  मतवाले  हो ,मतवाले  हो । 

चितचोर  हो  माखन  चोर  नहीं  -2,

सुख -चैन  चुराने  वाले  हो ,

घनश्याम  नहीं  ...

राधा   ने  उनको  हाथ  दिया 

और   कृष्ण  ने  उनका  साथ  दिया 

कुछ  बात  हुई  कुछ  घात  हुई ,

इतने   में  सूरज  डूब  गया  - २ 

राधा   की  पायल  जाग  उठी ,

दोनों  में   कला   की  लाग  उठी  ,

अब  रैन   को  दीप  संवारे  थे 

और  नील  गगन  पे  तारे  थे ,

अब  रैन   को  दीप  संवारे  थे 

और  नील  गगन  पे  तारे  थे , 

राधा   को   विदा  के   इशारे  थे ,

राधा   को   विदा  के   इशारे  थे ,

राधा   ने   आँचल   बाँध  लिया ,

मुरली   को   सम्हाला  माधव  ने ,

                                           तिरकित धा ,तिरकित धा ,तिरकित धा। 

In between the song lines at appropriate places the 'Boles' of dance are sung,which have not been given here.Also the kathak singer  who narrates the story is not known from available sources.As I guess he can be Chaube Maharaj( real maternal uncle of Gopikrishna) who played as the competitor dancer in the climax scene of the film.

DR. SITARA DEVI:A UNIQUE KATHAK DANCER OF BANARAS GHARANA

COVER OF HER KATHAK LP-RECORD

SITARA JI

HER AUTOGRAPHED SNAP

A COMPOSED SNAP

SITARA JI BEING HONOURED BY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA IN 2009

Recently in July 2009,President of India honoured Dr. Smt. सितारा  देवी  with संगीत  नाटक  अकादेमी  फेलोशिप  अवार्ड  for her great contribution in the development of KATHAK form of dancing.
She belongs to बनारस  घराना  ऑफ़  कत्थक  नृत्य ,which was originated by her father पंडित  सुखदेव  महाराज  ऑफ़  बनारस.Perhaps in the year 1936-37 when she was only in her teens,seeing her wonderful dance performance Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore conferred her with the title of 'नृत्य सम्राज्ञी '. Now she has crossed the age of 90 years and still she is active in dancing.
I got opportunity of enjoying her live performances of kathak- dance,three times in the years of 1973 and 1974.One was performed in Ravindralaya,Lucknow and the other two were in Kanpur.Even today after so many years,I remember her artistry and finesse in kathak dancing which is unique.
The dance ballets 'द्रौपदी  चीर  हरण ','जटायु  उद्धार ','कालिया  मर्दन ' created by her, come alive with their each character played by सितारा  देवी  herself.She can keep the spectators spell bound for hours and hours, by her magnificent kathak-dance.I have seen people wiping their tears  during her presentation of 'जटायु -उद्धार'.We get astonished on her calibre of very frequent mixing of the three characters of श्री  कृष्ण ,द्रौपदी  and दुस्साशन  without any error in their facial expressions,in the climax part of 'द्रौपदी-चीर-हरण '.
She has a record of continuous dancing for more than 12 hours, in 'Birla Matushree Sabhagar',in Mumbai.She was honoured with the titles of  पद्मश्री in the year 1973 and later  with पद्मभूषण , by the President of India.She was also honoured with a Ph.D. Degree by the vice-chancellor of इंदिरा संगीत विश्वविद्यालय , खैरागढ़ ,मध्य-प्रदेश.
सितारा  देवी has also acted in about 33 Hindi Films between the years 1938 and 1957 as heroine and also in supporting roles.She has also sung about 44  her own songs in the films. Some of her popular films were:वतन,बागबान  (1938),पागल (1940),स्वामी (1941),दुःख-सुख ,कलयुग ,रोटी (1942),आबरू, अँधेरा ,छेड़ छाड़ ,नजमा ,भलाई, पगली,सलमा (1943),चाँद (1944),फूल (1945), हलचल (1951),लेख (1953),अंजलि (1957) etc. 
Later she also gave'Dance-Direction' in some of the Hindi films like:कोहिनूर ,अमर ,हलचल ,अंजलि ,सावन  को  आने  दो  etc.
   Famous Kathak dancer and film actor Late गोपीकृष्ण was the son of Sitara Devi's real elder sister तारा.I have mentioned her basic contribution in the making of V.Shantaram's famous film 'Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje' in my other article on  this film .She still deserves more honours for her art.At present she is living with her daughters Jayantimala and Priyamala in Mumbai.I wish her to live  more than 100 year's life.She is really a 'Bharat-Ratna'.
 
Here is a 'snake-dance' number from Chetan Anand's  film 'ANJAJI' in which she played as the mother of heroine Nimmi.