Biography of Pandit Birju Maharaj

Born in the family of hereditary dancers, Birju Maharaj is the torchbearer of the famous family, Kalka-Bindadin Gharana of Lucknow, which has been serving the art of Kathak dance through centuries together. Not only on India, he is familiarly known abroad, nearly all over the world. He has extensively toured all over the world, i.e. USSR, USA, Japan, UAE, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Burma, Ceylon etc. for performances as well as lecture-demonstrations. Besides being a superb dancer, he is also gifted with a number of other qualities, which add to his artistic career. He is a wonderful singer having command over, Thumri, Dadra, Bhajan and Ghazals and is also superb drummer, playing nearly all drums with ease and precision. He has given a new dimension to Kathak, by experimenting this technique in the application of dance-dramas, which has become very successful medium for mass propagation. As a choreographer he is the finest in the country today. His bold and intellectual compositions in traditional themes are brilliant, whereas his contemporary works are also refreshing in concept, crisp and entertaining.

He directed and composed music and sung playback for two classical dance sequences in the film, 'The Chess Players' directed by Satyajit Ray. And more recently, he composed and choreograph selected Kathak dances for the film 'Devdas'. A measure of his genius is the fact that at the age of 28 years, he received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award. He is also a recipient of the country's second highest civilian award-Padma Vibhushan, besides several other prestigious awards like- Kalidas Sammelan, Nritya Choodamani, Andhra Ratna, Nritya Vilas, Adharshila Shikhar Sammelan, Soviet Land Nehru Award, Shiromani Sammelan, Rajiv Ghandhi Peace Award.

He has been conferred with the Honorary Doctorate degrees from Banaras Hindu University, as well as Khairagarh University. He is widely acclaimed not only as a performer but also as an inspiring 'Guru' - teacher, having successfully trained numerous students in India and Abroad.

The most eminent Kathak dancer of recent times is Pandit Birju Maharaj. His full name is Brij Mohan Nath Mishra. He is the only son and disciple of Shri Achyan Maharaj and is a competent inheritor of the Lucknow Gharana. Birju Maharaj is a very talented and dignified personality. He is a born artist. During his childhood, he used to keenly watch and imitate various modes and ways of Kathak while his father used to give dance lessons to his students. In this way, rather playfully child Birju learned lots of things. Pleased by his son's achievements, Acchan Maharaj started to teach his son whole-heartedly. By the age of seven, Birju performed Kathak in hometown Lucknow. It was the first recital in his life. The audience was spellbound at his wonderful presentation. At the age of ten, poor Birju lost his father. That was a tremendous blow in child Birju's delicate mind. However, he tolerated that tragedy. Then he started taking dance lessons from his uncle Shri Lacchu Maharaj and Shri Shambhu Maharaj

Later on, he became the teacher of Sangeet Bharati of Delhi. He teaches at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi. He composed many dance dramas like 'Gobardhan Leela', 'Makhan Chori', 'Malti-Madhav', 'Kumar Samvav', 'Phag Bahar' etc. and gained extensive fame all over the country. His talent, dedication, vivacity, innovation enabled him to get involved in thousands of concerts.

Birju Maharaj has an enormous knowledge in Boll (musical phrases interlinked with drum strokes)-Laya (speed)-Taal (beats). Apart from being a Kathak dancer, he is also introduced as a singer of Bhajan, Thumri, Dadra, Hori etc. and also as a Tabla, Pakhawaj, Dholak, Naal (percussion instruments) player. He fluently plays various string instruments like Israj, Violin, Swar-Mandal, Sitar etc. To be respectful, Birju Maharaj can be introduced as a dancer, musician, composer, teacher, director, choreographer and a poet. He is an all-rounder. In 1986, he received the prestigious 'Padma Bibhushan' tittle from the government of India. He also received the 'Kalidas' award. He is also a recipient of 'Nehru Fellowship' in the name of India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He is an institution in himself. Currently, he is the chief faculty at Delhi's Kathak Kendra.

He is the father of two very well known God-gifted talents - Shri Jai Kishan and Deepak Maharaj. He has many able disciples in India and abroad. Saswati Sen is one of the most versatile ones.

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