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    Birju Maharaj is an exponent of the Handia and Allahabad Kalka-Bindadin gharana styles of Kathak dance in India. He comes from a family of renowned Kathak dancers, having been trained by his uncles and father. Birju Maharaj began teaching dance at a young age and was head of the Kathak Kendra dance school in Delhi for many years before opening his own school, Kalashram. He has received numerous honors for his contributions to Kathak dance.

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    Birju Maharaj is an exponent of the Handia and Allahabad Kalka-Bindadin gharana styles of Kathak dance in India. He comes from a family of renowned Kathak dancers, having been trained by his uncles and father. Birju Maharaj began teaching dance at a young age and was head of the Kathak Kendra dance school in Delhi for many years before opening his own school, Kalashram. He has received numerous honors for his contributions to Kathak dance.

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    350 views10 pages

    Birju Maharaj

    Uploaded by

    Keshav Sharma
    Birju Maharaj is an exponent of the Handia and Allahabad Kalka-Bindadin gharana styles of Kathak dance in India. He comes from a family of renowned Kathak dancers, having been trained by his uncles and father. Birju Maharaj began teaching dance at a young age and was head of the Kathak Kendra dance school in Delhi for many years before opening his own school, Kalashram. He has received numerous honors for his contributions to Kathak dance.

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    Birju Maharaj

    Brijmohan Mishra, popularly known as


    Pandit Birju Maharaj, (born 4 February
    1938), is an exponent of the Handia
    (Rikhipur), Allahabad Kalka-Bindadin
    gharana of Kathak dance in India. He is a
    descendant of the Maharaj family of
    Kathak dancers, which includes his two
    uncles, Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu
    Maharaj, and his father and guru, Acchan
    Maharaj. Even though dancing is his first
    love, he practices Hindustani classical
    music and is a vocalist.[1]
    Birju Maharaj

    Background information

    Born 4 February 1938


    Lucknow, Uttar
    Pradesh, India

    Genres Indian classical

    Occupation(s) Dancer, composer,


    singer

    Years active 1951-present

    Website birjumaharaj-
    kalashram.com
    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.[2]

    Early life and background


    Birju Maharaj was born in the house of
    Kathak exponent, Jagannath Maharaj,
    popularly known as Acchan Maharaj of
    Lucknow Gharana, who served as court
    dancer in Raigarh princely state.[3] 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 .[4] After a few
    years of struggle, his family moved to
    Delhi.

    Career
    Maharaj started teaching the dance form
    at the young age of thirteen, at the
    Sangeet Bharti in New 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[5] 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
    novella Devdas.[6] He has also
    choreographed Kathak dance sequences
    in Dedh Ishqiya as well as Umrao Jaan,
    and Bajirao Mastani directed by Sanjay
    Leela Bhansali.

    Awards and honours


    Birju Maharaj has won many accolades,
    including Padma Vibhushan in 1986,
    Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the
    Kalidas Samman. He also received
    honorary Doctorate degrees from
    Banaras Hindu University(Varanasi) and
    Khairagarh University.

    Filmfare Award for Best Choreography


    for song 'Mohe Rang Do Laal' from
    'Bajirao Mastani' in 2016.
    He was the recipient of the Lata
    Mangeshkar Puraskaar in 2002.
    Bharat Muni Sammaan[7][8]
    2012 National Film Award for Best
    Choreography: Vishwaroopam (2012)[9]
    2016 Filmfare award: Bajirao Mastani
    (Best choreography)
    2017 *Tamil Nadu State Film Award for
    Best Choreographer- Vishwaroopam
    (2013)

    See also
    List of Kathak dancers
    Māni Mādhava Chākyār

    References
    1. Kaui, Banotsarg-Boghaz (2002).
    Subodh Kapoor, ed. The Indian
    encyclopaedia: biographical, historical,
    religious, administrative, ethnological,
    commercial and scientific. Volume 3 .
    Genesis Publishing. p. 198. ISBN 81-7755-
    257-0.
    2. Massey, p. 29
    3. Achchan Maharaj
    4. Buddhiraja, Sunita. "Birju Maharaj –
    Kathak personified" . Deccan Herald.
    Archived from the original on 10
    December 2004. Retrieved 25 March
    2007.
    5. Bhattacharya, Santwana. "Birju Maharaj
    retires" . Indian Express. Retrieved
    25 March 2007.
    6. Birju Maharaj on IMDb
    7. "Hema Malini selected for Bharat Muni
    Samman – Hindustan Times" .
    hindustantimes.com. 2012. Archived from
    the original on 13 December 2012.
    Retrieved 28 December 2012. "The earlier
    recipients are Thankamani Kutty, Pandit
    Birju Maharaj,"
    8. "Hema Malini receives Bharat Muni
    Samman: Wonder Woman – Who are you
    today?" . wonderwoman.intoday.in. 2012.
    Retrieved 28 December 2012. "The earlier
    recipients are Thankamani Kutty
    (Bharatanatyam), Pandit Birju Maharaj
    (kathak),"
    9. "60th National Film Awards
    Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Press
    Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved
    18 March 2013.
    Massey, Reginald (1999). India's kathak
    dance, past present, future . Abhinav
    Publications. ISBN 81-7017-374-4.

    External links
    Wikimedia Commons has media related
    to Birju Maharaj.

    Pandit Birju Maharaj (Official Website)


    Kathak maestro Birju Maharaj on top
    Indian dancers at the Wayback
    Machine (archived 26 November 2009)

    Retrieved from
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
    title=Birju_Maharaj&oldid=876144267"

    Last edited 27 days ago by GorgeC…

    Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless


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