Born into the Raigarh style
Ramlal Bareth is counted among the last living links of the Raigarh Kathak tradition, someone who carried a court tradition into modern institutions. According to his Padma citation from Rashtrapati Bhavan, he was born on 6 March 1936.
His father, Pt. Kartikram Maharaj, was himself a renowned Kathak dancer of the Raigarh style. Ramlal learned Kathak, tabla and vocal music in the guru-shishya tradition from his father, from Chakradhar Singh and from Guru Pt. Jailal Maharaj.
From court to classroom
In 1956 he became an artist in the Social Welfare Department and worked there until 1980. In those years he set up the Chakradhar Sangeet Vidyalaya in Raigarh and trained many students.
In 1981 the Madhya Pradesh government invited him to be Guru at its Chakradhar Nritya Kendra in Bhopal, where he stayed until 2011. As a Reader at Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh, he also guided research scholars and dancers.
A relay, not a museum
His contribution is not only performance. Through decades of workshops, examinations, seminars and university teaching, he kept the rare compositions and repertoire of Raigarh Kathak alive. His students perform and teach in India and abroad.
The 2024 Padma Shri honoured that cultural relay, which carried a court art form into formal teaching and on to a new generation.
Sources
- President of India: Padma Awards 2024 citations
- PIB: investiture photo album
- Chhattisgarh Culture Department: listing
- presidentofindia.gov.in/sites/default/files/2024-05/padma_awardees_citation_compressed.pdf
- pib.gov.in/ShowAlbum.aspx?albumid=167762
- cgculture.in/Activity.aspx?id=kZ8C%2F6RGrgYhrRmx0eo13w%3D%3D