The Nawab Who Made Lucknow Dance: Wajid Ali Shah and the Kathak Connection

Wajid Ali Shah is remembered in two ways. To historians, he's the last ruling Nawab of Awadh, whose kingdom was annexed by the British East India Company in 1856. To Lucknow, he's something else: a poet, a patron and a man who loved music and dance enough to change the city's culture.

He became Nawab in 1847 and ruled until the annexation, after which he was sent into exile in Calcutta. His court in Lucknow, however, had already become known for its refined arts: poetry, music, theatre and dance.

“A Nawab lost his kingdom. The city kept his taste.”

He wrote poetry and is remembered as a patron of thumri, the expressive light-classical form that remains tied to Lucknow's musical tradition. He also supported dance-dramas known as Rahas, which blended storytelling, music and dance. The Qaiserbagh complex in the city grew out of his building projects and remains a landmark in the old city.

Kathak is the dance most closely linked to his era. The Lucknow gharana of Kathak is known for its emphasis on grace and expression, abhinaya, as much as on rhythm and footwork, and Wajid Ali Shah's court is widely credited with helping it flourish.

That tradition didn't end with the Nawab. Pandit Birju Maharaj, the celebrated Kathak master who belonged to the Lucknow gharana, carried it to audiences around the world until his death in January 2022.

It's also part of why people talk about Lucknow's tehzeeb, its famously polite, graceful way of doing things. The famous 'pehle aap' courtesy is a cliche, but it comes from a city that valued manners, music and conversation as much as power.

If you want to feel that history on the ground, walk through the old city, visit the Qaiserbagh area, and look for performances of Kathak or thumri when you're in town. The Nawab is long gone, but the tradition he loved is still being danced.