The story of Miss Shefali- Calcutta's Cabaret Queen and a history of cabaret in India.
Before the British arrived, India had a universe of erotic dance.
Mujra. nautch and baiji (among many more) were widely practised and loved.
THIS EASY SENSUALITY GAVE THE ANGREZ CONNIPTIONS.
Sexual deviants these natives! Trying to tempt us and make impure mixed race babies!
The British labelled these dances and the dancers as social evils and outlawed them. Desi pleasures became a place of shame and stigma for a looong time to come.
Colonization is an import-export business na. The angrez then proceeded to import their own erotic entertainments.
From the bedazzled outfits of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, to the cheeky sexualness of music halls in England, Cabaret travelled to India, becoming popular at clubs in colonial cities. CALCUTTA WAS ITS EPICENTRE
During World War II Brits and American troops thronged cabaret nights at the famous hotels of Calcutta's Esplanade - Oberoi. Maxim's. Scheherezade.
In 1947. the Brits left. Just 3 years before that, ARATI DAS WAS BORN. SHE WOULD GO ON TO BE THE QUEEN OF ESPLANADE. BUT HOW?
ARATI DAS CAME FROM A POOR REFUGEE FAMILY.
As a child I followed the minstreling parties when they passed through our basti and often lost my way. I moved to the music, forgetting my hunger.
Soon, she began working in an Anglo Indian household. During their parties, she secretly watched guests as they danced while bands played jazz and rock and roll, mimicking their moves.
THAT'S HOW SHE ENCOUNTERED VIVIEN HANSON - A SINGER FROM CALCUTTA'S MOCAMBO CLUB. HE OFFERED HER A NEW OPPORTUNITY.
Anglo-Indian dancers were migrating after Independence. Clubs needed dancers. But cabaret, like films, had immoral associations that kept Bengali women away. ARATI TOOK THE OFFER TO BE A CABARET DANCER AT FIRPOS
I was overwhelmed by the lavishness of the Lido Room at firpo's. I decided to give it my best at the cost of everything
Arati learnt Samba, Blues. Charleston. and Hawaiian from European teachers. And on her own. sought lessons in Indian dance forms too.
A STAR WAS BORN AND SHE WAS CALLED: MISS SHEFALI
AS SHE LEARNED DIFFERENT DANCE FORMS, MISS SHEFALI PLAYED MIX-AND-MATCH WITH DANCE MOVES, becoming an unconventional trendsetter in the 60s cabaret scene.
A new Indo-Western clientele flocked to see her perform. She counted among her fans. Satyajit Ray. Amitabh Bacchan and Rekha!
The audience kept guessing about my background and origin. Both foreigners and the Indian elite thronged at Firpo's in awe of my exotic dance.
Miss Shefali instinctively mirrored the desires and sensibilities of a changing nation. She had a profound sense of her effect on the audience too.
The band manager advised me to never overstay on the floor after the dance was over. I was to always remain in demand! I had a beautiful body which could stop the heartbeats of my audience for a few seconds. It was my most valued asset - which had the power to sell fantasy.
"I WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT DANCING, NO MATTER WHAT KIND IT WAS."
But by the end of the 1970s. elite club culture declined. Firpo's Lido Room closed. The cabaret scene moved down to cabaret theatres in working class neighborhoods. MISS SHEFALI LED THE WAY THERE, TOO
She said "The theatres were different from the swanky nightclubs of Oberoi Grand But while cerebral acting failed to hit the jackpot. my vulgar cabaret fetched profits.
"Could anybody else have moved from glitz to filth with such ease coming out as a survivor every time?"
Miss Shefali enchanted the senses of the city's elite and masses alike. She often talked about how she sensed the crowd's hungry gaze. But she refused to give away her power, instead playing with her audience.
"As long as I remain on the dance floor, you can watch my bare body. But do not dare touch it without my wish!"
Around the same time, a cultural crusade against apasanskriti or 'perverse' culture overtook Bengali society.
Sexual deviance! Tempting the bhandralokl
History's buri aadat: repeating itself
Miss Shefali's response to the Bhadralok conniptions?
I lowered the waistline of my ghagra (skirt). COME AND SEE WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE! I CARE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR MORAL STAND!"
Many tried to drive her out and pin her down. But Miss Shefali delighted in dancing between categories, conventions and morals.
Perhaps most of all. she delighted in just dancing the night away...
I CAN NEITHER DENIGRATE NOR DEIFY MY IDENTITY AS A CABARET DANCER BECAUSE YOU FOUND IT SOMETIMES OBSCENE AND SOMETIMES POLITICALLY CORRECT.
