There are two types of hasta mudras, or hand signs, in Kathak dance. Asanyukt mudras use one hand; sanyukt mudras use both hands. The most commonly recognized asanyukt mudra is pataka, which keeps all of the fingers of the right hand straight, with the thumb touching the first finger.
A pataka can be used to show blessings, to stop someone, or to break something, and meanings vary from ‘no’ to representing the wind and a river.