Kathak, thumris evoke an evening in 19th century Lucknow for

The celebrated court of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, came alive to scintillating kathak moves and dulcet tunes of thumri as the audience at a show for promoting cancer awareness were transported back to an evening of enchantment in 19th century Lucknow.

When Padmashri Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan performed to the tune of 'Kya din thay woh... Rang mai dooba' through 'abhinaya', it sure tugged at the heartstrings of the audience, who sat listening rapt in a magical spell inside Stein Auditorium at India Habitat Centre yesterday.

The lively rhythms of Lucknow thumris resonated in the voice of Hindustani semi-classical singer Kumud Diwan, who was the co-performer for 'Oorja', the concert, as the name suggests, for positive energy organised by the Indian Cancer Society.

Reflecting the inherent secular values of Shah's poetry, who used to write under the pen name Akhtarpiya, the duo performed to his verses dedicated to the festival of colours, Holi and Jhoola, the festival of swings.

In Narayan's words, the evening was a tribute to the times "jab har din holi aur har din diwali manayi jati thi".

Against a dimly lit background, that accentuated the courtly ambience, Narayan's wondrous moves coupled with the mesmerising melody of Diwan's thumris, left a trail of myriad emotions hanging in the air for the audience to slowly absorb even long after the performance ended.

It was also in many ways a lyrical ode to Radha's timeless love for Krishna as Diwan played with words and punctuations, revealing a new meaning every time to bring out the impassioned chemistry between the eternal characters. What else could describe her rendition of "chaitra maas mor chunari rangaya do (smear my dupatta with colours this season)..", evoking 'wah wahs' from the gathering.

The evening was for highlighting the issues surrounding cancer and the proceeds from the concert will go towards spreading greater awareness and enabling screening for the disease at very nominal rates, said Indian Cancer Society Secretary, Jyotsna Govil.

Gursharan Kaur, wife of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was also present on the occasion, awarded three volunteers of the society -- Beeta Mehta, Rekha Gulabani, and Rashmi Vohra -- for their exceptional contribution towards the cause of cancer eradication.