Celebrating Kathak exponent Rohini Bhate through dance, music and film 

A fitting tribute to a dance guru

As we were heading towards the auditorium, we passed through Rohini Bhate Chowk, a city square named after the legendary Kathak exponent Rohini Bhate on Pune’s famed Pravat Road, which is home to several major cultural and educational institutions like the Film and Television Institute of India. The naming of the city square after an Indian classical dancer like Rohini Bhate reflects the deep admiration and respect that the people of Pune have for their beloved Babytai – as the celebrated dancer, scholar, choreographer, writer and reformist change-maker is affectionately referred to.

The auditorium was buzzing with energy as the inauguration of a two-day event drew near. Half-an-hour before the start of the programme,  all 900 seats in the auditorium were filled to capacity. Even on the second day, which coincided with the India - South Africa World cup final cricket match, the turnout was as impressive as the previous day.

The occasion was guru Rohini Bhate’s birth centenary year celebrations. Aptly titled ‘NrityaaRohini’, it was hosted by the legend’s disciple Prajakta Raj through her Aarohini Art Welfare Organisation. Prajakta had roped in 11 distinguished disciples of Rohin Bhate, such as Roshan Datya, Neelima Adhya, Amala Shekhar, Prerana Deshpande, Rajashree Jawadekar, Asawaree Patankar, Aabha Wamburkar, Sharvari Jamenis, Rujuta Soman and Maneesha Abhay — who are established and well-known gurus or exponents, and have their own Kathak institutes in Pune. Three more senior dancers – Abha Auti, Dhanashree Natu and Ketaki Wadekar – who follow Rohini Bhate’s legacy were also part of the presentation that witnessed performance by more than 160 dancers.

The evening also featured a special screening of ‘Time and Space’, a captivating film on Rohini Bhate’s life and times, made by her German disciple and a well-known filmmaker Carolin Dassel.

The thoughtfully curated festival featured 23 rare choreographies by guru Rohini Bhate, a pioneer in Indian classical dance in Maharashtra, who dedicated seven decades to nurture Kathak and establish Pune as a prominent centre of Kathak.

‘Prathama mana omkar’, a Tansen composition choreographed by Rohini Bhate as an invocation to the gods and the gurus, was aptly chosen as the opening presentation of the festival. It was premiered in Africa way back in 1998. A trained musician, Rohini presented outstanding vocal performances and composed music for her choreographies as well. The festival highlighted her expertise in raag, taal and laya in her choreographies.

Raagsagar offered a bouquet of 10 popular raags used in her choreography — Vasant, Bahar, Kedar, Malhar, Sohoni, Adana, Maikaunsh, Lallat and Puria Dhanashree. Furthermore, Chaturag was another unique exploration of musical nuances in Kathak that incorporated four raags —Patadeep, Jhinjhoti, Chandrakauns and Kalavati — along with four taals - Adachoutaal, Ektaal, Matta taal and Teentaal. 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.