Ghungroos- the guiding bells of Kathak

 

Any Classical Indian dance performance is a feast not only to the eyes of the spectator, but also their ears- the strong or subtle rhythmic movements are accompanied by sweet, tinkling sounds of the bells tied to their feet- they float to your ears and create an all engrossing atmosphere setting the stage for stories that would be told in the performance. Ghungroos are essential accessories for classical dancers- they produce intricate rhythmic sounds and open a completely new world of expression for an accomplished dancer while intensifying and accentuating the rhythmic movements of the dancer’s feet- They put music into the feet of the Indian classical dancer. Kathak dancers are known to master the control over Ghungroos to such an extent that only the sound of one single ghungroo is made audible among the hundreds worn on the ankles.

Ghungroos form the soul of the intense footwork in Kathak dance- without which it is unimaginable. An accomplished Kathak dancer may be wearing anywhere from 150-200 Ghungroos on one feet, hence One step of the dancer resonates with 200 tinkling sounds, And when the dancers increase the pace of footwork – the whole auditorium reverberates and the emanating sounds of the hundreds of these brass bells stun the audience.

Ghungroos have another special role in Kathak- they form the part of the attire of the Kathak performer- It’s an element without which the presentation of a Kathak dancer is incomplete. Ghungroos beautifully adorn the feet of the dancer as he or she takes chakkars- quick twirls and turns on the stage-flaring up the lehenga or the Skirt while revealing the ghungroos which at times may be upto the knee length.

Ghungroos are hollow metallic spheres made by folding petals of brass or bronze and contain a heavy iron ball inside, as the ball strikes the metallic petals it creates the tinkling sound, then these individual bells are strung together on a thread as in Kathak or on sewn on a piece of cloth or leather – as may be in Bharatnatyam, Odissi or other dance forms.

Ghungroos in one form or another have a very interesting history- they find mention as Nupoor even in the Natyashastra by Sage Bharat, Ghungroos are worn by dancers of all forms of Classical and light classical dance, They’ve been even made more popular by some very famous songs from Bollywood movies like Mughal-E-Azam, Umrao Jan and Devdas etc.

Ghungroos and the sounds made by them are associated in the yore with the movements in the female living quarters, announcing the movement of the ladies, Slowly smaller forms of anklets with much smaller bells became popular and are still worn by women all over the country as payal’s or pajeb.