Birju Maharaj
Encyclopedia
Brijmo Mishra popularly known as Pandit Birju Maharaj (born February 4, 1938) is currently the leading exponent of the Varanasi
Kalka-Bindadin gharana
of Kathak
dance in India
.He is a descendant of the legendary Maharaj family of Kathak dancers, including his two uncles, Shambhu Maharaj
and Lachhu Maharaj
, and his father and guru, Acchan Maharaj. Even though dancing is his first love, he also has an excellent command over Hindustani classical music
and is an accomplished vocalist as well. He took Kathak to new heights by choreographing new Kathak dance dramas.He is also the founder of kalashram. He has toured extensively across the globe, given thousands of performances and held hundreds of workshops for kathak students.
After working along with his uncle, Shambhu Maharaj
at Bhartiya Kala Kendra, later the Kathak Kendra, New Delhi
, he remained head of the latter, for several years, till his retirement in 1998 when he opened his own dance school, Kalashram, also in Delhi.
princely state. Birju was trained by his uncles, Lachhu Maharaj
and Shambhu Maharaj
and his father, and he gave his first recital at the age of seven. On 20 May 1947, his father died when he was nine . After a few years of struggle, his family moved to Delhi
.
. He then taught at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi, and at the Kathak Kendra (a unit of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
) where he was Head of Faculty, and Director, retiring in 1998 after which he opened his own dance school, Kalashram, also in Delhi.
He composed the music, and sang, for two dance sequences in the Satyajit Ray
's Shatranj ke Khilari
, and choreographed the song Kaahe Chhed Mohe from the 2002 film version of Devdas
.
He has three daughters and two sons, of whom Mamta Maharaj, Deepak Maharaj and Jai Kishan Maharaj are Kathak dancers. He also has a Grandson Tribhuwan Maharaj.
in 1986, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
and the Kalidas Samman
. He also received honorary Doctorate degrees from the Banaras Hindu University
(Varanasi) and the Khairagarh
University.
He was the recipient of the Lata Mangeshkar
Puraskaar in 2002.
.
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
Kalka-Bindadin gharana
Gharana
In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one...
of Kathak
Kathak
Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh, India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers...
dance in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.He is a descendant of the legendary Maharaj family of Kathak dancers, including his two uncles, Shambhu Maharaj
Shambhu Maharaj
Pandit Shambhu Maharaj was a celebrated Guru of the Lucknow Gharana of the Indian classical dance form, Kathak. -Early life and training:...
and Lachhu Maharaj
Lachhu Maharaj
Lachhu Maharaj was an Indian dancer. He came from a family of illustrious Kathak exponents in Lucknow.He received extensive training from Pandit Bindadin Maharaj, his uncle and the court dancer of the Nawab of Awadh, for nearly ten years...
, and his father and guru, Acchan Maharaj. Even though dancing is his first love, he also has an excellent command over Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
and is an accomplished vocalist as well. He took Kathak to new heights by choreographing new Kathak dance dramas.He is also the founder of kalashram. He has toured extensively across the globe, given thousands of performances and held hundreds of workshops for kathak students.
After working along with his uncle, Shambhu Maharaj
Shambhu Maharaj
Pandit Shambhu Maharaj was a celebrated Guru of the Lucknow Gharana of the Indian classical dance form, Kathak. -Early life and training:...
at Bhartiya Kala Kendra, later the Kathak Kendra, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, he remained head of the latter, for several years, till his retirement in 1998 when he opened his own dance school, Kalashram, also in Delhi.
Early life and background
Birju Maharaj was born in the house of noted Kathak exponent, Jagannath Maharaj, popularly known as Acchan Maharaj of Lucknow Gharana, who served as court dancer in RaigarhRaigarh
Raigarh is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Raigarh district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the administrative headquarter of Raigarh district.-History:...
princely state. Birju was trained by his uncles, Lachhu Maharaj
Lachhu Maharaj
Lachhu Maharaj was an Indian dancer. He came from a family of illustrious Kathak exponents in Lucknow.He received extensive training from Pandit Bindadin Maharaj, his uncle and the court dancer of the Nawab of Awadh, for nearly ten years...
and Shambhu Maharaj
Shambhu Maharaj
Pandit Shambhu Maharaj was a celebrated Guru of the Lucknow Gharana of the Indian classical dance form, Kathak. -Early life and training:...
and his father, and he gave his first recital at the age of seven. On 20 May 1947, his father died when he was nine . After a few years of struggle, his family moved to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Career
Birju Maharaj started teaching the dance form at the young age of thirteen, at the Sangeet Bharti in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. He then taught at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi, and at the Kathak Kendra (a unit of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
) where he was Head of Faculty, and Director, retiring in 1998 after which he opened his own dance school, Kalashram, also in Delhi.
He composed the music, and sang, for two dance sequences in the Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
's Shatranj ke Khilari
Shatranj Ke Khilari
Shatranj Ke Khilari is a 1977 Indian film by Bengali director Satyajit Ray, based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name. Amjad Khan plays the role of Avadh king Wajid Ali Shah, and Richard Attenborough plays the role of General James Outram...
, and choreographed the song Kaahe Chhed Mohe from the 2002 film version of Devdas
Devdas
Devdas is a Bengali Romance novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Essentially, it is a retelling of the Krishna, Radha, and Meera myths, the relationships between its three protagonists - Devdas, Parvati, and Chandramukhi - paralleling the Hindu deities'.-Plot summary:Devdas is a young man from...
.
He has three daughters and two sons, of whom Mamta Maharaj, Deepak Maharaj and Jai Kishan Maharaj are Kathak dancers. He also has a Grandson Tribhuwan Maharaj.
Awards and honours
Birju Maharaj has won many accolades, including Padma VibhushanPadma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
in 1986, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
and the Kalidas Samman
Kalidas samman
The Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.The Kalidas Samman...
. He also received honorary Doctorate degrees from the Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
(Varanasi) and the Khairagarh
Khairagarh
Khairagarh is a town and a nagar palika in Rajnandgaon District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Administered by a nagar panchayat, Khairagarh city is facilitated by primary health centers, schools and a wide network of roads and railway tracks...
University.
He was the recipient of the Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
Puraskaar in 2002.
Filmography
Music composition and choreography- Shatranj Ke KhiladiShatranj Ke KhiladiThe Chess Players is a genre painting of 1876 by American artist Thomas Eakins . It is a small oil on wood panel depicting Eakins' father Benjamin observing a chess match. The two players are Bertrand Gardel , an elderly French teacher, and the somewhat younger George Holmes, a painter...
, 1977 - Dil To Pagal HaiDil To Pagal HaiDil To Pagal Hai is a Bollywood comedy/drama, released October 31, 1997, depicting the love lives of dancers in a musical dance troupe. The tag line is "Someone somewhere is made for you..." It was directed by Yash Chopra. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor, with an extended...
, 1997 - Gadar: Ek Prem KathaGadar: Ek Prem KathaThe music is composed by Uttam Singh. The song listing is as follows:- Awards :Winner:*Filmfare Best Action Award - Tinnu Verma*Filmfare Special Performance Award - Amisha Patel*Sansui Best Actress Award - Amisha Patel...
, 2001 - DevdasDevdas (2002 film)Devdas is a 2002 Bollywood film based on the 1917 Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas. This is the third Hindi version and the first colour film version of the story in Hindi...
, 2002
Trivia
He was spoofed in the 2007 film Apna Sapna Money Money with the name Sarju Maharaj Benaraswaale. He was played by Sanjai Mishra and his impostor was played by Riteish DeshmukhRiteish Deshmukh
Ritesh Deshmukh is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is the son of Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Union Minister for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India, and the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra.Deshmukh debuted with K...
.
See also
- KathakKathakKathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh, India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers...
- List of Kathak dancers
- Māni Mādhava ChākyārMani Madhava ChakyarGuru Mani Madhava Chakyar was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, South India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam artist and authority of modern times...
- Apna Sapna Money Money
External links
- Pandit Birju Maharaj (Official Website)
- Kathak maestro Birju Maharaj on top Indian dancers