Kathak Legend Pandit Birju Maharaj Passes Away At 83

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Kathak Legend Pandit Birju Maharaj Passes Away At 83

Pandit Birju Maharaj was a Kathak legend who had contributed immensely in his field. From being a Kathak legend to a singer, he was widely renowned for giving the Indian film industry some fantastic works.

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Kathak legend Brij Mohan Nath Mishra, popularly known as Pandit Birju Maharaj, a recipient of Padma Vibhushan, the nation's second-highest civilian award, passed away at 83. Swaransh Mishra, the grandson of Pandit Birju Maharaj, took to his Instagram handle and shared the post, "With profound grief and sorrow, we inform the sad demise of our most beloved member of the family Pt. Birju Maharaj Ji. The noble soul left for his heavenly abode on 17th Jan 2022."

As per Ragini Maharaj, granddaughter of Pandit Birju Maharaj, "He was under treatment for the past month. He had sudden breathlessness at around 12:15-12:30 am last night; we brought him to the hospital within 10 minutes, but he passed away", quoted ANI.

Career

Born on February 4, 1937, he received recognition as a young dancer with great potential. By the age of seven, he had accompanied his father, Jagannath Maharaj, popularly known as Acchan Maharaj, at musical conferences to Allahabad, Dehradun, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Madhubani and Mumbai.

His career graph rose steadily after his first significant solo performance at Manmath Nath Ghosh celebrations in Bengal.

He performed not only in India but also gave performances abroad. He was part of cultural troops sent abroad by the Government of India to represent the nation at various festivals. He has visited Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Myanmar, Russia, Sri Lanka, UAE, UK, USA etc., for performances and lecture demonstrations.

Honours And Awards

In 1986, he was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the nation's second-highest civilian award. At the young age of 28 years, he received several awards such as the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Kalidas Samman, Nritya Choodamani, Andhra Ratna, Nritya Vilas, Adharshila Shikhar Samman, Soviet Land Nehru Award, Shiromani Samman and Rajiv Gandhi Peace Award. He was also conferred with Honorary Doctorate degrees from Banaras Hindu University and Khairagarh University.

A Versatile Artist

Pandit Birju Maharaj, apart from being an excellent dancer, was also a superb drummer. He was especially fond of playing the Tabla and Naal, and he could also play string instruments like Sarangi, Sarad, Sitar and Violin. Being an excellent singer, he had a good command over Bhajan, Dadra, Ghazl and Thumri.

Works And Contributions To Film Industry

The audience has admired his work, and he always brought up new themes. In the 1970s, full length mythological and historical dramas were the norm, and these were depicted in his work Katha Raghunath Ki, Krishnayan and Roopmati Baajbahadur. Mughal themes were portrayed in Darbar-e-Salaami, Shaahi Mehfil, Laya Parikrama, Naad Gunjan, and Ghunghru Sangeet made in the 1980s represented rhythmic compositions. Like Samachar Darpan, File Katha, his other works were humorous, and Anamya was a sensitive one and were praised for their unusual ideas.

Talking about the film industry, he had directed, composed music and sung for two classical dance sequences for Shatranj Ke Khiladi, directed by Satyajit Ray. In Dil To Pagal Hai, he directed and composed a music piece as a jugalbandi. He choreographed a group dance on a song for Gadar. In Devdas, he choreographed, composed music, and sang Kahe Chhed Mohe.

Social Media Filled With Condolences

Social media is filled with condolences upon the demise of Pandit Birju Maharaj. People from all professions, including politicians, sports players, actors, etc., paid their condolences.

Also Read: This Bengaluru-Based NGO Is Empowering Women With Disabilities By Providing Accommodation, Employment

Contributors Suggest Correction
Writer : Anwesha Singh
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Editor : Shiva Chaudhary
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Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary

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