Pandit Birju Maharaj Biography In English Pdf Life Story 1938-2022

• Pandit Birju Maharaj Was An Indian Dancer, Musician, Singer And Exponent Of The Lucknow “Kalka-Bindadin” Gharana Of Kathak Dance In India.
• He Was Descended From The Maharaj Family Of Kathak Dancers, Which Includes His Two Uncles, Shambhu Maharaj And Lachhu Maharaj, And His Father And Guru Achchan Maharaj.
• He Also Practiced Hindustani Classical Music And Was A Singer.
• After Working With His Uncle, Shambhu Maharaj, At The Indian Kala Kendra, Later The Kathak Centre, New Delhi, He Remained Head Of The Latter For Many Years Until His Retirement In 1998, When He Also Opened His Own Dance School, Kalashram .

Birth Details –

Place – Handia, Allahabad

Date Of Birth – 4 February 1938

Marital Status – Married

Nationality – Indian

Family –

Father- Jagannath Maharaj

Teacher – Lachhu Maharaj And Shambhu Maharaj

Early Life –

• Maharaj Was Born Brijmohan Nath Mishra, On 4 February 1938, In A Hindu Brahmin Family At Handia In Allahabad District.
• Her Father Was The Kathak Exponent, Jagannath Maharaj, Better Known As Achchhan Maharaj, Of The Lucknow Gharana And The Kalka-Bindadin Family In Lucknow.
• His Father Served As A Court Dancer In The Princely State Of Raigarh.
• Maharaj Started Dancing At The Age Of Four, And Was Trained By His Uncles, Lachhu Maharaj And Shambhu Maharaj, And His Father.
• He Made His Debut Performing At His Father’s Concerts Before Performing Solo At The Age Of Seven In West Bengal.
• His Father Died When Maharaj Was Nine Years Old.

Personal Life

• Maharaj Was Married And Had Five Children, 2 Sons And 3 Daughters. In Later Life, Maharaj Had Kidney Disease And Diabetes, And Received Dialysis.
• He Died Of A Heart Attack At His Residence In Delhi, On 16 January 2022, Less Than A Month Short Of His 84Th Birthday.
• Maharaj Began Teaching Dance At The Age Of Thirteen At Sangeet Bharti In New Delhi.
• He Then Taught At The Bharatiya Kala Kendra And Kathak Center In Delhi, Where He Was Head Of Faculty And Director, Retiring In 1998 After Which He Opened His Own Dance School, Kalashram, Also In Delhi.
• In Addition To Performing The Dance Form Of Kathak, He Also Brought With Him A Knowledge Of Hindustani Classical Music And Percussion.
• He Was Also Mentioned To Be Able To Sing While Dancing On Thumri And Play Instruments Like Tabla And Dholak.
• Apart From Mythological Stories, Their Kathak Performances Used To Convey Contemporary Elements Including Stories From Daily Life And Social Issues Through Dance.
• Maharaj Also Composed The Choreography And Music For Several Indian Films Such As –
• Satyajit Ray’s The Chess Players (1977)
• Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)
• Devdas (2002)
• Dedh Ishqiya (2014)
• Vishwaroopam (2012)
• Bajirao Mastani (2015)
• Kalank (2019)

Awards And Honors

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
• Padma Vibhushan
• Nritya Chudamani Award
• Kalidas Samman
• Lata Mangeshkar Award
• Sangam Arts Award
• Bharat Muni Samman
• Andhra Ratna
• Nritya Vilas Award
• Cornerstone Summit Honors
• Soviet Land Nehru Award
• National Nritya Shiromani Award
• Rajiv Gandhi National Harmony Award

Other Information –

• Date Of Death – 16 January 2022
• Place – Delhi

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