As we were heading towards the auditorium, we passed through Rohini Bhate Chowk, a city square named after Kathak exponent Rohini Bhate on Pune’s famed Pravat Road, which is home to several major cultural and educational institutions such as the Film and Television Institute of India. The naming of the city square after Rohini Bhate reflects the deep admiration and respect that the people of Pune have for their beloved Babytai – as the dancer, scholar, choreographer, writer and change-maker was affectionately referred to.
The auditorium was buzzing with energy as the two-day event to celebrate the legendary artiste’s birth centenary drew a big audience.
Performance by the disciples of Rohini Bhate at the two-day festival NrityaaRohini, in Pune. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Aptly titled ‘NrityaaRohini’, it was hosted by senior disciple Prajakta Raj through her Aarohini Art Welfare Organisation. Prajakta had also roped in other disciples including Abha Auti, Dhanashree Natu, Ketaki Wadekar Roshan Datya, Neelima Adhya, Amala Shekhar, Prerana Deshpande, Rajashree Jawadekar, Asawaree Patankar, Aabha Wamburkar, Sharvari Jamenis, Rujuta Soman and Maneesha Abhay. The event witnessed performances by more than 150 dancers.
On the occasion, Time and Space, a film on Rohini Bhate by Carolin Dassel, a German disciple and filmmaker was screened.
Rohini Bhate nurtured Kathak in her own distinct way and made Pune a prominent centre for the art form. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The thoughtfully curated festival featured 23 rare choreographies of Rohini Bhate, who nurtured Kathak and established Pune as a prominent centre for the art form.
Perfect choice of song
The evening began with ‘Prathama mana omkar’, a Tansen composition choreographed by Rohini Bhate as an invocatory piece. It was first presented in Africa in 1998. A trained musician, Rohini also performed vocal concerts besides composing music for her choreographies. The festival highlighted her expertise in raag, taal and laya.
‘Raagsagar’ offered a bouquet of 10 raags such as Vasant, Bahar, Kedar, Malhar, Sohoni, Adana, Malkauns, Lalit and Puriya Dhanashree, which Rohini used in her choreographies. A combination of Pataeep, Jhinjhoti, Chandrakauns and Kalavati, and Adachau taal, Ek taal, Matta taal and Teen taal was another unique exploration of the musical nuances of Kathak. Similarly, it was delightful to watch two of Rohini’s choreographies named after her favourite deity Ganesh and her first guru Sohanlal – Taal Ganesh and Taal Sohan.
Rohini Bhate during one of her performances. She was known for her groundbreaking works that pushed the boundaries of tradition | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
One of her remarkable works doha (rhyming couplets in Hindustani musical tradition), which was staged at the festival brought to the fore her flair for poetry. A medley of five dohas by performed by her disciples, depicting the emotions of five nayikas, left a lasting impact.
Rohini Bhate, who blended tradition with innovation, was ahead of her time. Her 1986 production, which was aptly titled ‘Time’ and featured German composer Gustav Mahler’s musical piece ‘Fragmented Forest’, marked a significant moment in India’s dance scene. This choreographic work was part of the two-day festival and showed how Rohini’s choreographies stood out for their distinct movements and patterns.
As Neelima Adhye, director, Nrityabharati Kathak Dance Academy, founded by Rohini Bhate 76 years ago, remarked how the legendary artiste had a global vision for Kathak. And this comes through beautifully in her autobiography, Mazi Nrutya Sadhana, written in Marathi.
