By Humra Laeeq
On November 8th, Google paid a tribute to the ?Kathak Queen of India? Sitara Devi with a colourful doodle. The late dancer who was accorded with the title ?Nritya Samragni? translating to ?the empress of dance? by Rabindranath Tagore when she was just 16 marked her 97th birthday on Wednesday. The doodle helped in widespread acknowledgement of just how important Devi is for the cultural heritage of Indian dances and deservedly gave her the recognition she should be accorded.
The struggle for the first foot forward
Devi was born to Sanskrit scholar Sukhadev Maharaj who was also a trained Kathak dancer. He earned his livelihood by teaching and performing kathak dances in different parts of India. The family resided in Varanasi where Kathak dance was stereotyped with moral degradation. Girls who performed on stage were equalled to prostitutes. Accusations elevated to the point of Maharaja?s excommunication. However, this could not deter Devi, who from a very young age and through her father?s inspiration showed extraordinary skill at the dance. Her father moved her forward by questioning ?if Radha could have danced for Krishna why not our girls? Why should men appropriate the right to dance??
The budding dancer was soon enrolled in a school at the age of 8 after resisting marriage which was a norm in society at that point. Battling oppressive societal norms, Devi made her way to the dance stage at her school. While auditioning for a dance performance, young Devi outshone her instructor. Thereafter, she clinched the role and was also assigned the task to teach the dance to her co-performers in the sequence. A local newspaper Aaj reporting about the cultural program emphasized that Dhanno, the new name for Devi alluding to Goddess of Lakmi in Hindu myth, mesmerized the audience by her dance performance. Such was Dhanno?s first stepping into her career.
Devi?s achievements
Sitara Devi was highly confident of her own contributions and work for Indian dance. When she was offered the Padma Bhushan award, she refused it by declaring, “it is an insult, not an honour.? The Press Trust of India quoted her saying: “is this government not aware of my contribution to Kathak? I will not accept any award less than Bharat Ratna.? Nonetheless, she was the holder of Padma Shree awarded to her in 1973. Devi had, by then, accomplished much more. She had trained herself in Bharatanatyam and many forms of folk dances of India. She learnt the Russian ballet and other dances of the western world. Teaching dance to Bollywood celebrities such as Madhubala, Rekha and Kajol, Devi had truly her mark in mainstream culture, moving beyond the confines of Uttar Pradesh and patriarchy.
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