Hindustani and Carnatic percussion come together in unusual pairing for Kathak in ‘Ekah: One Breath’
On 26 September 2025, Oddbird Theatre in Delhi presented ‘Ekah: One Breath’ by Kathak dancers Gaurav S.S. Bhatti and Aamrapali Bhandari. Gaurav, raised in Punjab and Canada, learnt Kathak from Saveeta Sharma in Ottawa, and then from gurus Lata Bakalkar in Mumbai and Aditi Mangaldas in Delhi, finally becoming part of Mangaldas’ Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company—The Drishtikon Foundation repertory. Aamrapali, who was also a repertory member of Drishtikon, is a Kathak Kendra dancer who has trained under Pt. Rajendra Gangani and worked under Aditi Mangaldas. She is also a performing sitarist trained by Pt. Barun Kumar Pal and has taught and worked in Singapore in the past. Though the performances were rooted in Kathak, they had touches of contemporary elements. Gaurav experiments with his style. The performance was in three parts – Gaurav’s solo on Bulleh Shah; Aamrapali’s solo, which was about women and their connection to the cyclic movements of the moon; and their joint piece, ‘Ekah – ...
