India, Aug. 30 -- The influence of tawa'ifs (courtesans) in the cultural landscape of Lucknow during the Nawabi rule is widely recognised. They played a pivotal role in the flourishing of musical genres such as thumris and ghazals, as well as the choreography of kathak (Lucknow Gharana). The zenith of tawa'if culture coincided with the reign of Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Awadh, who was known for his admiration of Lord Indra's court and its enchanting celestial nymphs. Wajid took pride in the skills of the 'paris' or fairies of his 'Pari Khana' claiming they could rival those of their divine counterparts. It is interesting that an Islamic ruler should refer to a divinity from the Hindu pantheon of Gods. But then, this syncretised approach was typical during Nawabi rule, for which it is famous even today. Agha Hasan Ali 'Amanat' was born in 1815, in a family of Persian immigrants based at Lucknow. At the age of 20, he lost his power of speech and remained a helpless mute for a decade. Amanat was attached to the court of Wajid Ali Shah, and is well known for his composition (play), 'Inder Sabha', apparently first staged in Qaiserbagh in 1853, under the tutelage of Wajid Ali Shah as a 'rahas' but this premise is open to question. The origins of the play are also interesting, with several authors claiming that it had been commissioned by the king himself. However, Amanat wrote that he had been motivated to write the play by his disciple, Haji Mirza, because 'there was no use just sitting at home and brooding.' In his rather simple composition, the playwright liberally assimilated Awadhi motifs, creating a narrative which would become the first dramatic composition in the literary history of Urdu, although the verses themselves remain juxtaposed between Farsi/Urdu, Braj, Awadhi and Khadi Boli. The plot revolved around Lord Indra, Sabz (Emerald) Pari and Gulfam as follows: King Indra makes his entrance in his heavenly court and wishes to witness the dance performance of his fairies. Pukhraj (Topaz) Pari, Neelam (Sapphire) Pari, and Lal (Ruby) Pari arrive and perform, after which, Indra desires to see Sabz Pari perform. However, he falls asleep before she can arrive. On her way to Indra's court, Sabz Pari sees a handsome human prince who is sleeping in a garden on earth, and she instantly falls in love with him. She asks Kaal Dev to bring the prince to her. The prince, Gulfam, upon learning that she hails from Indra's court, expresses his wish to see the celestial court with his own eyes. Despite her apprehensions, she brings Gulfam to Lord Indra's court, concealing him in a tree, but he is ultimately discovered. The enraged Indra commands that Gulfam be imprisoned and Sabz Pari be expelled from the court, leading her to become a 'jogan' (ascetic). After some time, Indra learns about a remarkably beautiful 'jogan' on earth, renowned for her exceptional singing and he commands that she be brought before him. Impressed by her performance, he offers her numerous gifts, all of which she declines to accept, requesting instead that Gulfam be released from prison. Lord Indra recognizes Sabz and feels remorse for his earlier decision. The play ends with Gulfam being freed and his joyful reunion with Sabz Pari. It is still believed that on clear nights, the emerald fairy and her mortal prince dance, eternally immersed in their everlasting melody. Amanat's 'Inder Sabha', after being performed in 1853 at Lucknow, eventually reached Bombay's Parsi theatre in 1864, although the play (and its various versions) had already become immensely popular in Lucknow and hinterlands of Awadh, till the events of 1857 occurred and the 'festivities and frolic' came to an end. At Bombay, the play was divided into five scenes and adapted for the use of mechanical devices to create special effects. By 1873, lighting effects had been added to enhance the visual experience. From Bombay, 'Inder Sabha' reached Hyderabad and finally Calcutta in 1874, but the Bengali 'bhadra lok' with their own fixed ideas about song and drama could not initially appreciate the presentation. Later, the play, now deemed as an 'opera' was refined with artistes from Delhi, 'so that it could be performed successfully anywhere, under any condition.' With time, the drama was further modified for contemporary audiences and performed in several cities, including Benaras, Delhi, Lahore and Jaipur. It also reached foreign shores of Nepal, Burma, Ceylon and Britain. The first silent film version of Inder Sabha was produced in Bombay in 1925, at Kohinoor Studios. Its later cinematographic version, with a running time of 211 minutes and 71 songs was made in 1932 by Madan Theatre. A Narayanan and RS Prakash followed Madan's Hindi film adaptation with Indra Sabha in Tamil (1936). A musical dance-drama presentation of Inder Sabha under the direction of Muzaffar Ali, having 36 performing artistes, was last held in 2018 at Delhi. PC Sarkar, a former scientist, has authored several books on the forgotten heritage of Lucknow...