‘Sanidhya’ lecture series begins at SCZCC

Nagpur: With discussions on Kathak's origins, folk traditions and gharana legacies set to take centre stage over next 10 days, South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC) on Tuesday opened its ‘Sanidhya' lecture series with a presentation by renowned Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan on her long-term research project tracing the dance form's roots to temple traditions in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The series, being held at SCZCC premises from May 26 to June 5, aims to bring together noted gurus, researchers, performers and folk artistes to deliberate on evolution, traditions and contemporary relevance of Indian classical and folk art forms. All sessions will commence daily at 4 pm.During the opening session, Shovana Narayan presented "Kathaklok", a research-based project tracing roots of Kathak to temple traditions in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The presentation was based on a five-year, 7,000-km research journey undertaken in collaboration with Gitika Kalha. A documentary film was also screened, showcasing historical and cultural evidence linked to existence of Kathak traditions during the era of the Mahabharata. On May 27, Narayan will speak on "Speaking Sculptures", focusing on Karanas and references from Bharat Muni's Natya Shastra. The session will be followed by a Pandwani performance by Chhattisgarh folk artiste Sampriya Pooja Nishad. Other highlights include lectures by folk literature expert Prakash Khandge, Guru Ramlal Barethi, Guru Rani Khanam and Jaipur Gharana stalwart Charan Girdhar Chand, along with performances of Bharud, Powada, Kirtan, Gondhal and Jagran by folk artistes from across India.