Ashwamedh | Nirzar

About Gurus & Mentors

The main objective to organize this contest is to develop harmony and a healthy competition in young professional dancers to inspire them to opt Classical dance as a profession. More over we get a interstate cultural exchange through this contest and lastly it will be a project as a tribute to two great dancers from different era a great dancer and torch bearer of a great legacy of Jaipur Gharana – Late Guru Pandit Kundanlal ji Gangani and a well-known artist and guru from last decade Late Guru Dr. Sadhana Nafde, This contest will be a tribute to those legendry Gurus for their contribution towards Classical Dance field.

Guru Pandit Kundanlal Gangani

Guru Kundan Lal Gangani, one of the leading exponents of the Jaipur Gharana of Kathak and one of the gurus, was born in 1926 in Sujangarh in the Churu district of Rajasthan. His maternal uncle, the famous Kathak guru Sri Narayana Prasad, trained him and made his first public performance at the age of 8 and then at the royal court of Raigad at the age of eleven. After that, he spent nearly five years in Bihar. , Madhya Pradesh and several states and cities such as Khairagarh, Allahabad, Mumbai, Pune, Baroda, Kanpur, and Jaipur, and continued their public appearances in 1960 in Jodhpur. After this, he particularly drew his attention to teaching. He lived and taught in many centers like Mumbai, Rajkot, Baroda, Jodhpur, and Delhi.

Guru Dr. Sadhana Nafde

Dr. Sadhana Nafde is well known for her contribution in the field of dance Nationally and locally too, she has to her credit to bring all dancers under one roof of Sanskar Bharati, in spite of dancers personal differences amongst themselves and giving exposure to Global level of Classical Dance by inviting National & International Classical Dancers Locally.

Born at Gwalior, her tryst with Kathak started at a very tender age under tutelage of Late Shri. Bapusaheb Shinde, a disciple of Late Lachhu Maharaj She has got equal blessings of Pt. Birju Maharaj.

In due course of time she acquired her graduation in Music from Gwalior’s Jivaji University. She followed it with a masters’ degree in Marathi and was trained by Smt.Girijadevi Homble [Bharatnatyam] and Jaichandbabu [Manipuri], but her love for Kathak compelled her to pursue yet another masters, this time in Kathak from renowned Indira Kala-Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya of Khairagarh.

Academics apart, Sadhanatai - as she is fondly called -, was a keen performer too. Beginning at the age of 12 she resumed her South India sojourn. Her stunning performance at - All India Classical Dance competition organized by Kala-parishad won her applause and acclaim. From 1960 to 1970, she performed regularly in Republic-Day functions at Delhi and Kalidas Samaroha at Ujjain. And she did all this while doing justice to her job of a Dance teacher at Gwalior’s Padma Vidyalay.

She was also invited by Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai as a coordinator to modify the syllabus according to the norms of UGC for the examinations conducted by them. She ialso headed a panel of syllabus for the course of dance in Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit Vidyapeeth.

She was awarded her doctorate in dance for her topic `Natwari (Kathak) Nrutya Mein Madhurabhakti tatha Prayukta Geet Prakaro Ka Sthan’ by Sant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur university.

Pt. RAJENDRA GANGANI

A Kathak Dyeon

Pt Rajendra Gangani (Kathak Dyeon) the disciple and son of Pt. Kundanlal Gangani, started training in the art of Kathak dance at the early age of four. The renowned ‘Jaipur Gharana' saw the emergence of an outstanding performer and crusader of the art in the talented scion of a family of hereditary dancers serving the art of Kathak for centuries together.

Pt. Rajendra graduated from the Kathak Kendra, Delhi in the year 1983-84, and ever since has made significant contribution to this field. A large number of thematic items like Leele-Varnan, Raag Vistaar, Tribandhi, Sargam, Zhalak, Srijan, Kavitakriti, Maharaas, Parikrama have been produced by him. An accomplished musician, composer of tunes, he also has a rare mastery over the tabla, harmonium, pakhawaj, etc. Guruji, as he is fondly called by all his students and associates, has created items that are beautiful blends of artistic excellence, meaningful poetry, soulful music and expressive dancing…a careful amalgam of all the four elements of Abhinaya. Among the numerous awards and accolades he has won, are the 'Sangeet Raj', 'Shastriya Natya Shiromani', and the prestigious 'Sangeet Natak Akademy Award' which was bestowed upon him in 2003 by The President of India, Hon'ble Shri A P J Abdul Kalam.

Kathak Guru Rajendra Gangani is one among the few Indians who have performed solo in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, the Festival of India in USSR, apart from performances in America, Italy, Germany, France, China, Japan and even Afghanistan. Even at home he has been a part of significant festivals like the Chidambaram Natyanjali Festival, the Konark Festival, the Ghungroo festival at Bhopal, Kathak Mahotsava, Sharadchandrika at Delhi, Haridas Sangeet Sammellan at Vrindavan, and Nritya Ojas in Pune. With a confident grasp of the kinetics and aesthetics of dance, and his ability to select apt songs, his choreographic creations always bring an air of refreshing novelty. Apart from routine performances, Rajendra Gangani has also been active in attempting a blend of various dance forms.

NILAKSHI KHANDKAR

A Kathak Maestro

Nilakshi Saxena Initiated into Kathak Dance at a tender age of 7 years by Dr. Smt. Sadhana Naphde ji (Nagpur) for 10 years.

Received further training of Jaipur Gharana from renowned Kathak exponent Pt. Shri Rajendra Gangani ji at Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, which gave finer touches to her dance and helped her achieve aesthetics finesse.

Completed M.A. in Kathak from Indira Arts and Music University, Khairagarh & Commerce graduate from Delhi University, now a graded artist (Delhi Doordarshan) since 2015 and empaneled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs.

Achievements:

Empaneled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations(ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs.
Recipient of the prestigious national scholarship from Ministry of Culture and C.C.R.T. scholarship.
Recipient of scholarship from Kathak Kendra, New Delhi during her 5 years of Post Diploma Course.
“Visharad” from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai.
Won several awards in Kathak and judged a number of competitions as well.

Notable Performances:

Extensively performed at international and national level programs as a solo & groups performer.
Performed at various eminent & prestigious festivals like Kathak Mahotsava, Ananya Festival, Konark Dance festival, Vasantotsav etc.
Member of Indian Council of Cultural Relation team visiting South Africa, Japan, China and Lahore (Pakistan) for Kathak performances.

SAMEER NAFDE

Director, Kathak Ashwamedh

Sameer Nafde - son of a banker father and an artist mother combines Art & Business. A trained computer professional, he is also an accomplished Tabla player. Although trained under gurus like - Shri. Bhaskar Washimkar and Shri. Prabhakar Desai, his close association with the likes of -Pt.Birju Maharaj, Pt.Rajendra Gangani, Pt.Suresh Talwalkar, Ms.Shama Bhate, Pt.Vijay Ghate, Pt.Sanjeev Abhyankar, Pt.Rajan- Pt.Sajan Mishra and many others has its own impact.

Apart from conducting various types of workshops of performing arts like - Dance, Drama, Music; he has to his credit performances in India and even in USA.

An able organizer and event manager, he is the President of Nirzar Kala Sansthan & Secretary to a film society `Nirzar Film Society’. Through Nirzar Film Society and District Administration, he initiated International Film festival in central India in 2009 and Mymarathi film festival, since then it is a yearly feature for Nagpur & also Director of Yugpath Foundation.

Founder member of an NGO called Nirzar Kala Sansthan (1998 to 2015 General Secretary & 2015 till date President)
Hon.Secretary of Maharashtra Chapter Of Federation of Film Societies Of India (2007 to 2012)
Executive President of Nirzar Film Society , Nagpur (2007 to 2018)
A good performing artist, on Tabla
Special interests in Art movies, Classical Music & Dance
Festival Director, International Film Festival Nagpur (2009 to 2020)
Festival Director, Mymarathi Film Festival (2010 to 2018)
Proprietor of ODIN Inc , Nagpur, an event management company
Co-Founder of a startup - Shanmukh Business Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

Subhash Chandra Battacharya

A Kathak Guru

Guru Subhash Chandra, a Kathak maestro of the Lucknow Gharana, is known for his rigorous training under eminent gurus, awards like Shringar Mani and Kathak Guru Award, and his work as a performer, educator, and Grade A Doordarshan artist.

Guru Subhash Chandra, a venerated Kathak maestro of the Lucknow Gharana, embarked on his dance journey in 1976 under Guru Mohan Krishna. He honed his skills under the late Pandit Mohanrao Kalyanpurkar and continued his studies with Guru Smt. Reba Vidyarthi in a traditional Gurukul. His training was further enriched by guidance from Guru Munnalal Shukla in Delhi and Guru Rohini Bhate in Pune.

A recipient of the National Scholarship from the Government of India, he has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Shringar Mani Award, Kathak Guru Award, Kala Arpan, Kala Bhushan, and Gurubar Puraskaar. With over a decade of experience as a Kathak Prashikshak at Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, he is also a Grade A artist with Doordarshan and an ICCR-empaneled mentor. Guru Subhash Chandra is well-known for conducting workshops and lecture demonstrations at esteemed institutions, including Lalit Kala Kendra, Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, and Nilima Nrityalaya.

Alpana Vajpaye

A Kathak Maestro

Mrs. Alpana Vajpaye, one of Madhya Pradesh’s distinguished Kathak dancers, was born on 15 May 1963 in Burhanpur. Despite coming from a traditional family where dance was discouraged, her passion for music and dance led her to the Chakrawal Dance Centre, Bhopal, in 1981. Trained under renowned gurus like Pandit Rasalal ji and Guru Ashini ji, she later became an assistant guru and began performing widely.

Her professional journey began in 1984, earning national recognition and a prestigious Senior Fellowship from the Government of India in 1993. Known especially for her mastery in abhinaya, she created acclaimed works such as “Vansh-Murchha” and compositions based on the Vishnu-Purana.

Supported by the culturally rich Vajpaye family after her marriage to writer Udayan Vajpaye in 1991, she continued to grow artistically. Alpana ji has performed across India and abroad, and her students are now established artists. She is celebrated for strengthening the abhinaya tradition of Kathak in Madhya Pradesh.

Kathak Ashwamedh Season 3 -

The Biggest InternationalKathak Dance Competition