Nautch Girls of The Raj

Penguin Books India (2009)

The Nautch Girl, extravagantly celebrated for her beauty as well as her virtuosity, belonged to a unique class of courtesans who played a significant role in the social and cultural life of India in the eighteenth and nineteenth ceturies. The nautch girl was no ordinary woman of pleasure - she had refined manners, a ready wit and poetry in her blood. She embodied a splendid synthesis of different cultures and dance forms - the classical and the popular - and catered to the sophisticated tastes of an elite who had the time, resources and inclination to enjoy her accomplishments.

Over the centuries female dancers have appeared in various incarnations, more often as temple dancers dedicated to the gods, for dance is believed to have divine approval. However, historians, sociologists, novelists and chronicles have not always done justice to the nautch girl, depicting her as either a vamp or as a showgirl bought by the wealthy for festive occasions. This book traces the emergence of the quintessential nautch girl from the Mughal era, when she reached the zenith of her talent and chrisma, to the British Raj when her mytique reigned supreme and her popularity and status among the English sahibs and the Indian aristocracy touched a new high.

Illustrated with reproductions and drawings from collections all over the world this book ofers a vivid glimpse of the seductive allure and dazzling grace of nautch in its days of glory.