Uttar Pradesh · Awadh
Lucknow: after you
Lucknow is known for its tehzeeb — a courtesy so practised that two people can stand at a door, each insisting the other go first.
Kathak
Kathak began with storytellers — kathakars — who told the old stories through gesture and rhythm. In the courts of Awadh it grew into the Lucknow gharana, known for grace, delicacy and expression, under the patronage of the nawabs and above all Wajid Ali Shah.
At its heart is tatkar — the footwork. The dancer speaks the rhythm first in bols, then strikes it with the feet: ta thei thei tat, aa thei thei tat.
Chikankari
Chikankari is white thread on fine white cloth — embroidery you see as much by its shadow as by its stitch. Its stitches have names: bakhiya, worked from behind so it shows through as shadow; phanda and murri, small knots like grains; jaali, the open net.
Today it is mostly the work of women in and around Lucknow, much of it done at home.
One thing to do
Look in your family’s cupboards for a chikan kurta or dupatta. Ask who first brought it, and from where.