This biography of Wajid Ali Shah depicts him as a dancer and a master of the performing arts

Contemporary writers never mentioned that Wajid Ali Shah used to dance. The narration of some writers of the 20th century, who say that Wajid Ali Shah never danced in any period of time, is as ridiculous as the common belief that Wajid Ali Shah danced on the streets of Lucknow during the festival of Holi. Art is neither Hindu nor Muslim, and an artist is neither low nor deplorable. The days are gone when one used to say

“Singing, dancing is appalling (laa’nat hai). Hazrat Wajid Ali Shah was a King, but people are sarcastic about him too.”

Wajid Ali Shah danced; he mentions this himself. He was an inventor of this art. This is evident from the photographs and narrations which are found in abundance in Bani. He was a master of this art, as is confirmed by the fact that Badshah Pasand Lucknavi, Qaim Khan, Qalander Bakhsh, Haider Ali, Md Hussain Bishan, and Gulam Abbas were his pupils. He had an aesthetic interest in his art, and what better way to prove this, than the fact that in Bani, the illustration of various “quavers” use male images, and there is no mention of the female figure. But when the same “quavers” were repeated in other places, the male images were replaced by female ones, where the chest was replaced by breasts and nipples.

In the art of dance, Thakur Prasad is mentioned as his master. But for some unknown reason, Wajid Ali Shah did not mention the name of his master, nor did he mention “kathak”. Thakur Prasad was the son of Prakash Kathak. Like Wajid Ali Shah, both of them brought out magazines on the art of “dance”, and Prakash Kathak mentions Wajid Ali Shah’s “quavers” in his book. Kalka and Bindadin were the sons of Thakur Prasad. Creating beauty, exquisiteness, elegance, and fine sex appeal in the Kathak of Lucknow School, the contribution of Thakur Prasad, Wajid Ali Shah, Prakash Kathak, Kalka and Bindadin is especially mentionable. Commentators have collectively mentioned their contributions; they regard the work of Prakash Kathak as excellent poetry (Sehr e Halal), and the grandeur of Wajid Ali Shah as the flag-bearer of this art.

In “Shastras”, three kinds of dances have been mentioned: “narat”, “nritya”, and “naatia.” In “narat”, the movements of the body, due to their fineness, are very eye-catching, though there is no specific purpose behind them. But in “nritya”, the movements are meaningful and the gestures indicate an event. In “naatia”, dramatic effect and narration are created. “Kathak” is the amalgamation of these three types, though it is dominated by “nritya”. This dance is performed solo. There was no shortage of dancers in his court, nor was there a lack of innovation. He established group dances with various versions, including those that depicted both vocal and visual charm. In “Sautul Mubarak”, there are 32 named versions of this attractive setting. Note the narrative of a commentator regarding the charm of this dance:

“There is always attraction in this concert, soul of Md. Shah is restless. There are unique quavers in the dance which please everyone, the song is of a new style… suddenly fate favoured the men and women, another concert was arranged. God’s glory is great, what a creative mind, one name but the work is different, such a heart-winning song and the dance style is unique. The famous dance has a few styles, but this invented one is different which is remembered by him. Names are so charming that they please beyond expression. The name of one is ‘Rahas Naiyya’, it is a humble specimen of the ingenuity of the pioneer. Some ten to twenty prostitutes formed the shape of a boat, some fairy-born foolish ones joined them, dancing… then another group came who had different names and different jobs, when this concert was over then there was the scene of garden and desert, Seemtan Queen entered the arena.”

From an artistic point of view, this dance is ordinary, and as is obvious from the above extract, these dances were used at the beginning of the concert to attract the crowd. Wajid Ali Shah has named both the dance and the concert “rahas”. Whether the inclusion of dance spoiled the show, or it made it more entertaining is a different question. Though previously it was done at the initial stage, in present-day movies these can be included in the beginning, middle, or end of the film, and add amusement to the show.

There is difference of opinion in matters of the pronunciation, meaning, gender, and nature of the word “rahas”. The introduction of this debate later in the chapter will explain the misunderstanding. Wajid Ali Shah coined the word “rahas” himself. Some misunderstandings can be resolved with the comments of contemporary historians and of Wajid Ali Shah. Right now, in light of these comments, some forms of Wajid Ali Shahi “rahas” are presented. Wajid Ali Shah was likely aware of terms like “drama”, “stage”, and “theatre”. From 1837 to 1847 (from the age of 15 to 25), he visited Kanpur many times, where English theatre companies had already been established and were in operation. But from Lucknow to Calcutta, there was nothing in those “rahas” which related to the English theatres. Just like a plant grows from a sapling, similarly, Wajid Ali Shah’s interests grew gradually and were revealed in the form of the rahas “Daryaey Taa’shuq” and “Afsanaey Ishq”. For further betterment of this art, he first focused his attention on music, until dance exposed more possibilities. The drama of Krishna and Radha came his way, and once he was satisfied with this, he started work on the practical play of the Dastan Masnavis. He fulfilled this with such perfection that the expenses of which were not within the competency of any trading company. Wajid Ali Shah and his contemporaries used the term “rahas” for both the staging of the story of Krishna and Radha through dance, and the performance of the “masnavis”.

However, a name cannot change the nature of a thing, though it becomes a hurdle for understanding. Perhaps it can be called the humbleness of Wajid Ali Shah that he did not give different names to different things. Ballet, Cabaret, or drama do not have proper translations even today, and if someone from the Lucknow of Wajid Ali Shah watches this in a film, then he may call it a “rahas”. Today, there is hesitation to refer to Wajid Ali Shahi “rahas” as drama, but the educated English did not hesitate to call them comedy. Their rebellious attitude is evident from the statement that “people go to watch the silly comedies out of the King’s force and fear.” Comedy is an offspring of drama, which for convenience, is called “Tarbia” (Comedy).

Like the “rahas” of Wajid Ali Shah, the Shahi Stage travelled swiftly from the seat (masnad) of the concert to the platform of the garden, and from the platform of the garden to the surrounding palaces. Here, the application of the word “stage” is thought to be improper; this idea is not wrong. Stage presupposes a screen, and the dramas of Wajid Ali Shah were shown on a screen which, in today’s parlance, could be equated to the three-dimensional panoramic screen.

Excerpted with permission from Wajid Ali Shah: A Cultural and Literary Legacy, Kaukub Quder and Sajjad Ali Meerza, translated from the Urdu by Talat Fatima, Hachette India.