Pandit Durga Lal (1948 - 21 January 1990)[1] was a renowned Kathak dancer of the Jaipur Gharana. He was born in Mahendragarh, Rajasthan. He is known for playing the main role in the 1989 dance drama Ghanashyam, the music of which was composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar and was produced by Birmingham Opera Company.[2] He had also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 1984.[3]
Lal was a disciple of Sunder Prasadji. Along wth being a Kathak dancer he was also a singer and would play Pakhvaj. He taught Kathak at the National Institute of Kathak Dance (Kathak Kendra), New Delhi. Lal's brother Pandit Devi Lal was also a renowned Kathak dancer.[4] Devi Lal's wife Geetanjali Lal is also a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner (2007).[3] Both brothers died at an early age.[5]
After Durga Lal's death his children and other art fraternity members organised the annual Pandit Durga Lal Memorial Festival. In 2021, the festival was in its 31st season.[6]
Pandit Durgalal's disciples include renowned dancers Uma Dogra,[7][8] Jayant Kastuar[9][10] and Mangala Bhatt amongst others. Nighat Chaodhry is Pandit Lal's notable student in Pakistan. In memory of Lal, Dogra has arranged the "Pandit Durga Lal Samaroh" for more than 15 years as of 2005.[11] She has also made a documentary Nirvana Through Dance on him.[12] Mangala Bhatt through her dance school Aakruti Kathak Kendra curates and organises "Antarang" every year in memory of Pt.Durga Lal Ji.
Early life
Pandit Durgalal was born in the year 1948 in Mahendragarh, Rajasthan. He took his formal training in kathak from Pandit Sunder Prasad. He was the brother-in-law of a famous kathak dancer, Geetanjali Lal.[13] He has two children, elder daughter Nupur and younger son Mohit. Nupur is Kathak performer and vocalist and Mohit is a percussionist.[14]
Awards
- prestigious Padma Shri award
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award[15]
References
- ↑ Homage to Guruji. Nritya Kala Kendra.
- ↑ Krishna's journey... with Ronu Majumdar. The Hindu(3 Mar 2003).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Awards). Sangeet Natak Akademi.
- ↑ On their dancing feat. The Hindu(25 Feb 2008).
- ↑ Drama in dance. The Hindu(2 Aug 2003).
- ↑ The 31st Pt. Durgalal festival was all about dance. The Hindu(2021-02-25). Retrieved 2021-09-29.
- ↑ Repose in rhythm. The Hindu(11 Feb 2011).
- ↑ Step Up. Pune Mirror(26 Apr 2012).
- ↑ A Cultural Voyager. Assam Tribune.
- ↑ Rhythm reigned supreme. The Hindu(31 Dec 2008).
- ↑ In Praise of the Guru. The Hindu(28 Jan 2005).
- ↑ Moving stories. Indian Express(26 Apr 2012).
- ↑ Where words fall short. Tribuneindia News Service.
- ↑ Beyond familial bonds. The Hindu(3 Sep 2010).
- ↑ Shloka Shetty - The Art Of Expression. www.theartofexpression.in. Retrieved 2021-11-24.