Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-09
AN INDIAN HOME SCENE.
ENTERTAINED WITH MUSIC AND
The DANCE OF NAuTCH GIRLS.
George Augustus ssIa's Account of His
Reception At the Home of = Hindoo
GentIemsn-D-script of a beautiful
Interior-Dance aud Love-Songs.


Poona and to the sacred hill of Parvati,
we were invited to a nautch dance at the
house OF an old and esteemed friend, Mr..
Dorabji Pudumji 1t is the custom on
festival occasions to illuminate the gardens
and house front with numberless OIL
lamps set in pyramidal stands or sus-
pended In the trees. A flood of light,
therefore, welcomes the guest on arrival,
and he passes into spacious apartments
equally bright, with candles in brass
BUTTS, or handsome glass chandeliers.
There is nowhere greater grace or cordial
ity of greeting than among the educated
families OF India; but, in truth, this is the
land OF fine and noble manners, and from
the cultivated Psrsee and Mohammedan
to the peasant and the peon the western
traveller may receive, IL he will, perpetual
lessons Of good breeding
A COUPLE OF NAUTCH GIRLS.
The ladies of the house were ranged
round the large central room in dresses Of
light gauzy muslins or silks delicately en-
broidered, and dyed in all the loveliest
tints imaginable, rose color predominant
ing. The effect was like garden Of beau
tiful flowers. The gentlemen wore black
coats and hats of the weu-known Parsee
fashion, with trousers of crimson or white.
In the center of the apartment sat the two
nautch girls, VAIL -81khsh, a Momham-
medan, and Krishna, a HindoO, both
amazingly arrayed in skirts Of scarlet and
gold, with ssris of bright hues, plentifully
spangled, tight gilded trousers and ank-
let's of silver and gold bells, which make
q soft tinkling at every movement Of the
small brown feet Behind them stand
their three musicians, one playing the
savingi, a sort of violin, the other the tam
boora, deep p-sounding kind of vinloncello,
and the third provided with bass and a
treble drum tied round his waist on a
bright scarf
The girls rose to their feet, salaamed,
and one of them began a slow pas, ad-
vancing and retreating with rhythmical
waving of hands and measured beat of
foot, which the other dancer then. re-
peated. Next followed a song, a series OF
songs delivered in high head notes, and
principally Of an amatory character: MY
beloved is absent. and there is no sun in
the sky, no moon for me at night! But he
If coming, elk hat Khali-'with one hand
empty'-but in it he carries me back my
leart" Then krishna sang the Taxa bs
iaza, the musicians advancing and re-
treating with her tinkling PAGES. leaning
over the absorbed performers, and SEEM
ing in the intensity of their accompani-
ment to nurse the singing and draw 1t
forth note by note After this the Muslin
girl and her Hindoo sister executed to-
gether a famous dance called the "kur-
rar,- which consists of a series of charac-
ter pictures They placed coquettish lit
tie caps of spangled velvet on their black
hair, and acted nrst OF all the Indian
Jeune amoureux, adjusting his turoan'
stroking his mustache, and penclling his
eyebrows Then 1t was Govlnda, one
corner oil the sari twisted up 10 represent
the oarisula, on which the elghted.hearteo
god piped to the shepherdesses ana hahda
listening, and singing.
LovE-sIcK MAID OF THE JUNGLE
Next-to the same never-ending rise and
fall of tnecamorous music-Wazil Buksh
became love-slck maiden n the jungle,
picking blossoms to fasten LII her hair,
and krishna followed, enacting serpent
charmer. Blowing on the beaded gourd
the snake music which brings the hooded
cobra forth from his deepest hole. she
swayed her little body over the imaginary
ifeptae, chanting the notes OF the dreamy,
bewildering, beguiiing song: bent herself
over the hslf-entranced snake, coaxing
him out with long, low. weird passages of
wild melody, until the charm was sup
posed to have triumphed, the serpent was
bewitched and captured; whereupon
krishna rose to her feet and, drawing the
glittering fringe OF her sart over her fore
head, expanding 1t with both hands 90 as
to resemble a cobra's hood, she finished