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Indian Express

How a Kathak dancer is rewriting tradition, in ghungroos and turban

At a modest dance studio in Delhi's Vikaspuri, 20-year-old Taranjot Singh — his turban tied neatly and beard flowing — turns his wrists to gently flick his little finger, mimicking the movement of kohl being applied to the eyes. A gesture from Kathak's shringar ras, a staple in its presentation for centuries, it is meant to convey the intimacy of beautifying oneself. In the dance studio, a group of girls attending Singh's masterclass mimic the gesture, trying to find the grace that he brings to the fore. Most students, along with their mothers, who sit outside waiting, have been following Singh's work on social media, where clips of him performing Kathak routines on Hindi film songs have struck a chord. For many, it is also the first time they have seen someone who looks like him — bearded and wearing a turban — taking on the role of a Kathak performer. 'I never wanted to cut my beard and shear my hair. I believe in my faith, which has taught me to stay grounded… But I also wanted to dance, specifically Kathak,' says Singh, perhaps the first Sikh Kathak dancer in India with a turban and a flowing beard. Like many boys in Punjab, he grew up with bhangra and Punjabi music, but also wanted to explore contemporary music. One day, 13 years old and a student at Kala Nikhar, a dance academy in Ludhiana, he saw one of his teachers, Pulkit Jain, performing Kathak while donning heavy ghungroos. 'The speed, the spins, the variation in spins, the difficult footwork — I thought it was all beautiful. And that I could do it all too,' says Singh. Jain, a student of legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Rajendra Gangani, is a noted name from the Jaipur gharana, which is associated with powerful footwork and rhythmic virtuosity. One of the other prominent Kathak gharanas, Lucknow, emphasises bhav (expression), baithak thumri presentations (the art of sitting and expressing through one's face and subtle body movements) and storytelling. 'After Pulkit Sir encouraged me, I decided to give Kathak a shot. I never knew it would become such a significant part of my identity… Whatever I am today, it's because of Kathak,' says Singh, who went on to win many local youth festivals and competitions before his television stint in 2024. On Dance Deewane, a dance reality show where he reached the grand finale, he left judge Madhuri Dixit impressed. 'I have never seen a sardarji do Kathak,' she tells him on the show, while the other judge, actor Suniel Shetty, said Singh's 'warrior-like' poise left him dazzled. But Singh's journey has not been just about learning Kathak and performing on stage. It's a journey of tenacity as well, starting with addressing familial and community concerns about tying ghungroos on his feet — a sacred element in Kathak — while donning his turban and keeping his beard unshorn, both integral to Sikhism. People around him, including his family, wondered how ghungroos could match the personality of a Sikh boy, who is otherwise instilled with martial spirit? 'There were concerns that it would all look too feminine,' says Singh. While Punjab has a long history of appreciation of Hindustani classical music, the concept of dance has often been limited to exuberant folk forms. The people around, he says, were often unkind. 'They often told my parents, 'Aap kya karwa rahe ho bete se (what are you making your son do?)…both of you will be left disgraced'. This created doubts in my mind too, but I loved Kathak too much to let it go. I turned that negativity into motivation and worked harder. This was the only way I could express myself… Initially, I wanted to prove them wrong, but the more I learned, I realised it was about sadhna (practice). Eventually, it was about making myself capable enough that I could choose Kathak,' says Singh, whose first performance was a Shiv Tandav, a powerful dance in Kathak that represents the cosmic cycle. Even as Singh watched veteran exponents like Pandit Birju Maharaj and Pandit Gangani, and his own guru, among others, to understand the art form better, he had two more points of reference in other Sikh dancers — senior Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance practitioner Navtej Johar and Bharatanatyam dancer Simranpreet Singh Sokhi. However, both Johar and Sokhi usually perform without turbans. Johar says he is glad that Singh is not editing himself to perform the dance form. 'What matters is his appreciation of the art and … the satisfaction that it can grant him… Identity has two dimensions, the inner and the outer. One can choose to remain faithful to external markers of identity because they do not interfere in the artistic experience beyond a point, but internally, there is no room for self-consciousness of identity, because the very promise of dance, like music and poetry, is to make me one with nothingness,' says Johar. He says he too faced familial resistance initially, including dealing with 'boys don't dance', 'dance is immoral' and 'how will you make a living'. This resistance, Johar says, was short-lived. In Singh's case, he says his mother Kawaljeet Kaur, who wanted to be a Kathak dancer herself, 'stood like a wall' between him and his detractors. Though his father had some initial concerns, he slowly came on board. 'He may not have understood Kathak, but he understood me and my devotion to dance. My mother wanted a daughter who she thought would learn Kathak. But she gave birth to me and I am doing Kathak now. I feel glad that she is living her dream through me,' says Singh. Stating that he felt a shift in perception post-COVID, he adds, 'My stint on TV helped. That I have kept my religion and the tenets of Kathak together helped too.' His challenges, however, didn't end with acceptance. Singh faces practical problems too. 'The turban keeps my forehead still, making it impossible for me to move my eyebrows. I have trained my eyes to do the talking instead,' he says. Abhinaya (expressions) still remains the most difficult bit for him, he says. 'I would sit in front of a mirror for hours to see how I could bring out the bhav. I work with my eyes and body as much as I can, because my forehead won't move and the beard covers the rest of my face,' says Singh. Another matter of contention for him was that Sikhism rejects idolatry, worshipping one formless God instead, while Kathak starts by worshipping ghungroos and connecting to the divine through Shiva, the lord of dance, besides the dominant narrative of devotion towards Radha-Krishna. While Johar believes 'there is no room for identity' while dancing and that he 'never saw Gods or Goddesses as anything but nirakaar (formless)', Singh says it wasn't as easy for him to understand this concept. 'I started reading a lot about mythology and spoke with my guru in an attempt to understand Kathak's connection with it,' says Singh, who believes the next few years will teach him more about how spirituality is formless. Singh, who wants to become a professional choreographer and performer, adds, 'I want to do Kathak on the international stage. I hope to inspire other Sikh boys — if I can do it, so can they.'