Today is the birthday of well -known Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj. Birju Maharaj was such a person who fascinated the audience with Ghungroo’s chime. It is said that when Birju Maharaj used to dance, his ghungroo also used to talk. It is common for a dancer to coordinate the rhythm and ghungroo, but when it comes to arising the audience with the tricks of his ghungroo, Birju Maharaj’s name comes first. He had brought Kathak to a different stage in the whole world including India. Today, on the occasion of Birju Maharaj’s birthday, you know some special things about him.
Birju Maharaj’s early life
Birju Maharaj was born on 4 February 1938 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Maharaj’s father’s name was Jagannath Maharaj and Mataji’s name was Amma Maharaj. When Birju Maharaj was only three years old, the father started initiation in view of the talent of dance in him. When Birju Maharaj was nine years old, his father died. After this, he started taking initiation from uncle Acharya Shambhu and Lachhu Maharaj. A few years later, Pandit Maharaj came to Delhi and started teaching Kathak to children in Sangeet Bharati.
Mastery in many arts
Birju Maharaj had mastered Kathak as well as tabla, Pakhawaj Naal and Sitar etc. Along with this, he was also a good singer poet and painter. He established a dance school ‘Kalashram’ in Delhi to promote Kathak, where apart from Kathak, education was taught on topics related to it. Birju Maharaj gave Kathak a distinct identity. He has also directed dance in many Hindi films. Birju Maharaj scored Satyajit Rai’s classical Kirti ‘Chess Khiladi’, Yash Chopra’s film ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’, ‘Gadar Ek Prem Katha’ ‘Dedh Ishqiya’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film ‘Devdas’ along with ‘Bajirao Mastani along with’ Bajirao Mastani ‘I have directed the dance.
award
He has gained many famous famous in his long journey. Birju Maharaj was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan Samman, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Kalidas Samman on 1986. After this, he was honored with the Lata Mangeshkar Award in 2002. In 2012, he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Dance Directing with the Film Vishwaroopam. After this, in 2016, Pandit Birju Maharaj received the Filmfare Award for the song Mohe Rang Do Lal in the Hindi film ‘Bajirao Mastani’.
