Kathak player revives dance form enthralling audience for decades
A complete artist who lived music in its entirety, Kathak legend Pandit Birju Maharaj (1938-2022) Went into a heavenly phase on Monday, leaving behind a rich legacy.
Inspired by the rhythms of nature, whenever he took the stage, it felt like the almighty was dancing through him. Be it the movement of ants, the river is in spate, the bird feeds its young or the movement of the earth on its axis, nothing escapes the dancing eyes of the Kathak player. The expression on the eloquent face of Pandit Birju Maharaj remained unmatched.
For Padma Vibhushan, Kathak was not limited to parns And Dizziness, The stage was a canvas for Maharajji, as he was popularly called, where he carved images of the divine romance of Krishna and Radha that would dissolve in space only to be replaced by a new one.
Her talent, perhaps, stems from her lifelong romance not only with Kathak but with the entire culture surrounding the dance form. he will present a seductive thumri and clarify on Lucknow ang for hours. He used to write poetry drenched in devotion and could play the tabla, harmonium and pakhawaj.
Blessed with the gift of communication, a poetic heart and a taste for the finer aspects of life, his magnetic personality captivated both the discerning connoisseur and the layman. Yet he took fame and respect lightly, explaining his immense popularity among the masses and his stature in the arts and culture fraternity.
Going far beyond speed and technique, Pandit Birju Maharaj’s performances were a reflection of his sensitive soul. Like his favorite deity, he can be simultaneously mischievous and philosophical. Old-timers remember his supernatural performances with the Odissi legend Kelucharan Mohapatra, where Maharajji would become the playful Krishna and Kelubabu would essay the coy Radha.
Always ready to experiment, he once faced a dire situation in Madras when the singer accompanying him did not arrive in time for a performance. Shocked, Maharajji requests Bharatanatyam doyen Balasavaraswati to sing a Tilana And the maestro performed Kathak to Carnatic music, which drew much applause.
A seventh generation artist of Lucknow’s Kalka Bindlin Gharana, Maharajji imbibed the grandeur and elegance for which the city is known. His ancestors were from Handia, a sleepy town in Allahabad, which was home to about 900 families, who earned their livelihood through Kathak. His ancestors performed in the royal courts of Awadh and Rampur but once Wajid Ali Shah abdicated, Kathak became an orphan.
Trained by his father Achan Maharaj and uncles Lachhu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj, the journey from Brijmohan Nath Sharma to Birju Maharaj was not an easy one, but he worked tirelessly to refine the dance form and take it from the narrow streets of Aminabad to the International Proscenium. went. When he was just 13 years old, his father passed away and he grew up under the watchful eyes of his uncles. He often cycled to teach at Sangeet Bharati and performed for hours at private functions as Delhi had yet to get its large performance venues. Once young Birju performed in front of a raucous crowd at Jubilee Cinema in Chandni Chowk and then walked into the crowd to collect Rs 10 appreciation notes.
It was only after being discovered by the great art historian and curator Kapila Vatsyayan that she found a strong foothold in the dance world and found ways to express herself. Under his watchful eyes the Kathak center of the national capital developed into an important center of dance education.
Always polite, always positive, they will say that the exponent of Kathak is really storyteller (narrator) And they should tell tales of their time. He found rhythm in the most mundane things and weaved them into his wide vocabulary. Tired of rising red tape, he once created a ‘file story’, tracing the movement of a file in a government office.
A fond of video games and gadgets, Maharajji was as simple and inquisitive as a child. Even during the pandemic, he suggested the creative community to use the period to refresh the mind.
He collaborated with filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Kamal Haasan to make Kathak part of the popular idiom. In the 1990s, his association with Madhuri Dixit sparked a media frenzy and, in turn, sparked interest in the dance form among the youth. He said that cinema is a tool to keep the classical arts alive in the popular imagination.
A benevolent guru, a stream of dancers came through his dance school, Kalashram. He not only tried to make stars, but like his home in Handia, worked to make Kathak a source of livelihood for hundreds of abhyasis.
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