Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj passed away after suffering a heart attack in the early hours of Monday. He was 83. Pandit Birju Maharaj’s grandson Swaransh Mishra shared the unfortunate news on social media. “With profound grief and sorrow we inform the sad and untimely 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. Pray for the departed soul. Grief-stricken: Maharaj family,” a note read on Swaransh’s Instagram account.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his anguish over the sudden death of Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj. In his tweet, PM Modi acknowledged Pandit Birju Maharaj’s remarkable contribution to the Indian dance form. “Extremely saddened after learning about the demise of Pandit Birju Maharaj, who gave Indian art a special recognition across the globe. It’s an irreparable loss to the entire art world. My heartfelt condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti,” he tweeted.
Apart from being a renowned Kathak dancer, Pandit Birju Maharaj was also a well-known classical singer and had lent his voice to several films.
Maharaj-ji, as he was popularly known, was born in 1938 to a family of Kathak devotees and performers. He belonged to the Kalka-Bindadin gharana of Lucknow. His grandfather, Bindadin Maharaj, had written and composed around 5,000 thumris and bhajans, many of which he had later re-documented from the memory of his mother and other students.
His father and teacher, Achchan Maharaj, along with uncle Shambhu Maharaj and Lachchu Maharaj were well-known Kathak artists. He learned Kathak under the influence of these three gurus.
Birju Maharaj lost his father at the young age of nine, but his dedication towards the arts remained intact and his mother acted as a pillar of support. He took Kathak to a wider audience and took forward the traditions, across generations and gender.
While earlier in his family and culture, women were not allowed to dance, Birju Maharaj broke the mould, and provided equal opportunities to his children as well as his students, without any gender bias. He taught the art to his sons Jaikishan and Dipak and to his daughter Mamta Maharaj.
He believed in passionately working towards carrying the tradition and the legacy of the art forward. However, he also held firmly to his belief that art should be performed only where it is respected.
For his remarkable contribution, the government of India had honoured him with the country’s second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, in 1986.