śloka 13 and 14 | śirobheda ( head movements) | saṅgītamālikā

The nr̥tyādhyāyaḥ of the Saṅgīta Mālikā of Mahammad Shah is a unique text from the late-medieval period, serving as a handbook for dancers, drawing from both the deśī and mārga traditions. The Sangeet Natak Akademi has recently published a comprehensive book presenting, for the first time, English translations of the nr̥tyādhyāyaḥ, accompanied by video demonstrations of selected aspects such as śirobhedāḥ, nr̥ttahastas, deśī, and mārga cārīs. Additionally, the treatise incorporates certain deśī and mārga karanas and aṅgahāras, some of which are found in earlier texts like the Nāṭya Śāstra and Sangīta-Ratnākara, but Saṅgīta Mālikā introduces new variations.
The Sanskrit manuscript of Saṅgīta Mālikā by Mahammad Shah was initially published in 1948 by Dr. Jatindra Bimal Chaudhuri under the Prachyavani Sanskrit Text Series - Contributions of Muslims to Sanskrit Literature, supported by Calcutta University. The translation work has been carried out by Vidushi Gayathri Indavara, with assistance from Gauri Telang.
The connection between Shāstra and Prayoga (theory and practice) has been facilitated by Kalamandalam Piyal Bhattacharya, a Kathakali and Mārga Natya exponent, SNA Awardee, and noted Sanskrit scholar, along with his team at Chidakash Kalalay, featuring the lead artists Akash Mallick, Pinky Mondal, Sayak Mitra, Shreetama Chowdhury, Subhendu Ghosh, Rudra Prasad Roy, Smita Majumdar, and Debtunya Bera.
This project has received support from the World Forum for Art and Culture, under the aegis of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji.
Visual documentation has been carried out by Preyas Keluskar.
Project coordination, compilation, and research support has been provided by Sunil Sunkara (Founder, NataRavi).