Awadh’s Forgotten Stage: Raas-o-Rahas | The Dance Dramas Wajid Ali Shah Invented

Awadh’s Forgotten Stage: Raas-o-Rahas | The Dance Dramas Wajid Ali Shah Invented . In 1843 the last Nawab of Awadh staged a dance drama, and Kathak has never quite been the same since. Raas-o-Rahas grew up in the Lucknow courts under Wajid Ali Shah's patronage, and it pulled together Kathak, Dhrupad and Thumri to tell the Radha and Krishna stories. What he did with the older Krishna Leela was turn it into theatre, without losing the devotion that was the point of it. The two halves worked differently. Raas carried the devotional material. Rahas went after the harder human business, love and longing and everything sitting underneath them. In his book Bani he set out thirty six distinct types of Rahas, which tells you how seriously he took the form and how finely he had thought it through. This looks at the costumes, the music and the stagecraft that went into those performances at the Rahas Manzil in Kaiserbagh, and at why a king's obsession with the arts ended up giving Kathak its narrative spine. However you judge Wajid Ali Shah as a ruler, this part of his record is hard to argue with. . Chapters: 00:00:19 A New Theatre Is Born in 19th Century Lucknow 00:00:44 The First Dance Drama in 1843 00:01:12 Krishna Leela Told Through Kathak and Thumri 00:02:11 Rahas and the Turn Toward Human Feeling 00:02:50 The Torchlit Stage at Kaiserbagh 00:03:10 How This Gave Kathak Its Storytelling 00:03:50 The 36 Varieties Recorded in Bani . About Jashn-e-Rekhta Jashn-e-Rekhta is the world’s largest cultural festival celebrating the beauty, depth, and living spirit of the Urdu language. Held annually, it brings together poets, musicians, writers, thinkers, and artists from across the world to create a space of poetry, music, conversations, and storytelling. From soul-stirring mushairas and spellbinding musical evenings to intimate dialogues and immersive cultural experiences, the festival is where language turns into emotion and heritage finds a contemporary voice. More than a festival, Jashn-e-Rekhta is a movement that keeps Urdu alive, relevant, and deeply connected across generations. . #wajidalishah #kathak #awadh #lucknowhistory #raasrahas #kaiserbagh #indianclassicaldance . About Rekhta Foundation: Rekhta Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation committed to preserving, promoting, and celebrating the Urdu language and its rich literary and cultural legacy. Through digital archives, learning platforms, publications, festivals, and community initiatives, the Foundation works to make Urdu accessible and meaningful for audiences worldwide. By bridging classical traditions with modern platforms and voices, Rekhta Foundation ensures that the language continues to inspire, connect, and evolve with time. . IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE © Rekhta Foundation. All rights reserved. Unauthorised downloading, clipping, re-uploading, or reuse of this content (audio/video/visuals) is strictly prohibited without written permission. . External Links: Website: https://rekhta.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jashnerekhtaofficial/ Rekhta Books: https://rekhtabooks.com/ Rekhta Learning: https://rekhtalearning.com/