Author’s Note:
Sexuality, although a private affair, has never been personal. It is an affair of a state, a corporation – a family. And it shares an almost-fused relationship with the realm of ‘entertainment’. The governing eyes throughout history have dictated the acceptable forms of the performance of sex. Both the watcher and the performer have been made aware that the rules are set, the stage is set, and where the eyes are looking, that too, is set. The co-joined poems deliberately face each other to delineate the history of performance and movement for entertainment and to re-evaluate the imposed meanings on what is ‘sexual’. The title is an amalgamation of the words katha, kathak, and kathakar. The Sanskrit words ‘Kathakar’ and ‘Katha’ gave birth to the word ‘Kathak’, an Indian dance form that trickled down in history to influence other dance forms, both theatrical and participatory. The title thus signifies the story of Performance itself.
A Performer
Dents of the feet left
on the sacred grounds.
Every movement
a history of the gharana.
The performer embellished
with a ‘name’.
The body religiously
devoted to the ghungroo.
A graceful, rhythmic tale
performed on the stage.
Dents of the feet left
on the maternal grounds.
Every movement
a tribute to the mehfil.
The performer embellished
with a ‘name’.
The body devoted
to its sensual pleasures.
An enticing, rhythmic tale
shared with the watchers’ eyes.
Dents of the feet left
on the travelling roads.
Every movement
A provocation for the eyes.
The performer embellished
with a ‘name’.
The body devoted
to the watchers.
A sexual, rhythmic tale
performed on the stage.
A Performance
Inches of the high heels glide
in the underground clubs.
Every movement
an invitation – a celebration.
The performer adorns
a ‘name’.
The body devoted
to its pleasures.
A performance free
of prejudiced eyes.
Cover Image: Photo by Ahmad Odeh on Unsplash
