Sitara Devi was a dancer par excellence: The kathak legend's friends remember her

“Sitara didi was a dancer par excellence. Will there be another Sitara?” said Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj after learning that she had passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness at the age of 94.

Pandit Birju Maharaj hails from a family with a long lineage of Kathak maestros and teachers. He recalls Sitara Devi visiting his house and wanting to learn from his father, Achchan Maharaj and uncles Lachchu Maharaj and Shambu Maharaj.

“She requested my father to be her guru. Ganda Bandhan Acchan Maharaj se kiya.Gandha bandhan is a traditional ceremony of acceptance between a disciple (shishya) and her guru. In an age where women were not allowed to dance, Sitara Devi did the unimaginable. We should credit her fearlessness and mastery over the dance form,” he said.

Her father, Sukhdev Maharaj, a Sanskrit scholar and Kathak exponent, had a major influence on her. He named her Sitara after watching her perform.

“So you can imagine the prodigious talent that was hidden even from her father. This is even more inspiring as she had not formally learnt the dance then,” Pandit Birju Maharaj said.

Of her dance, Pandit Birju Maharaj says that what stood out was her dedication to the art. “She realized early on that only rigorous riyaaz would help her, irrespective of her fame. And she never skipped her riyaaz. I remember this every time her name is mentioned. I wish everyone would imbibe a little of the dedication she had toward her art.”

Her humility is another trait, he says that makes her passing away very painful for him. “I have never shared a stage with Sitara didi. Yet, she would attend my classes too where I taught other students. ”

The feisty dancer

Saswati Sen, a senior disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj recalls Sitara Devi as a `feisty woman who was very particular about her appearance.’

“Even if she had to step out for an outing, she’d say, _‘Tehro. Main jaake sari badal ke aati hoon.’_She always presented herself in make up and bright coloured saris,” she said.

Three decades ago Sen saw Sitara Devi perform live on stage. “Her footwork was brilliant. I would call it twinkle toed for the want of a better phrase. Usually we dancers don’t change our costumes for a performance. Some of us giggled when we saw Sitara Devi change not only her costume but also her jewellery thrice for a three hour recital. Later, we learnt from her how important it is to be particular about one’s appearance and give the audience something fresh and new to see in a long performance.”

Sitara Devi was determined to maintain the purity of Kathak which she felt was tampered with when ballets were done.  Sen says she remembers Sitara Devi scolding Pandit Birju Maharaj for doing ballets.

Yeh tum kya ballet vallet karte ho. Solo dance karo, she would often tell him.

Sitara Devi was aghast when she heard Sen was performing Romeo and Juliet. When Sen invited her to watch the performance, she declined. Mujhe nahin dekhna angrezi dance, she said.

Sen’s pleas that she had not tampered with Kathak did not convince the danseuse. After much persuasion, she agreed to watch the performance. After the performance, she was gracious enough to congratulate me, said Sen.

Sitara Devi  was also known for her temper. Her son, Ranjit Barot once mentioned that he inherited his temper from his mother.

Sen said Sitara Devi’s temper was as fierce as it was fleeting.  “When musicians would not perform well or a dancer missed a beat, she would get very angry and shout. Once she shouted at me for something and the next time I met her, she remembered she was angry with me for no fault of mine.  She apologized and said, ‘Mujhe gussa aaya tha tum par. Main galat thi.’  How many well known personalities would say that? I will miss her a lot,” she said