Birju Maharaj facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Birju Maharaj
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Maharaj performing in Pune, April 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brijmohan Nath Mishra |
| Born | 4 February 1937 Handia, United Provinces, British Raj (present-day Handia, Allahabad District, Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Died | 16 January 2022 (aged 84) Delhi, India |
| Genres | Indian classical |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 1951–2016 |
| Nationality | Indian |
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Pandit Birju Maharaj (born Brijmohan Nath Mishra; 4 February 1937 – 16 January 2022) was a very famous Indian dancer. He was also a composer and singer. He was best known for the Kathak dance style. This dance style comes from the Lucknow "Kalka-Bindadin" Gharana in India.
Birju Maharaj came from a family of Kathak dancers. His father, Acchan Maharaj, and his uncles, Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj, were all great dancers. He also loved Hindustani classical music and was a talented singer. He taught dance for many years at the Kathak Kendra in New Delhi. Later, he started his own dance school called Kalashram.
Birju Maharaj received the Padma Vibhushan award in 1986. This is India's second highest award for civilians.
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Early Life and Dance Training
Birju Maharaj was born on 4 February 1937. His birth name was Brijmohan Nath Mishra. He was born in Handia, a place in the Allahabad district of India. His father, Jagannath Maharaj, was a famous Kathak dancer. He was known as Acchan Maharaj.
Birju Maharaj started dancing when he was only four years old. His father and his uncles, Lachhu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj, taught him. He performed in his father's shows when he was young. He gave his first solo performance at age seven in West Bengal. His father passed away when Birju Maharaj was nine years old.
A Career in Kathak Dance
Birju Maharaj began teaching Kathak dance at just thirteen years old. He taught at Sangeet Bharti in New Delhi. He also taught at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra. Later, he became the head and director of the Kathak Kendra. He retired from there in 1998. After retiring, he opened his own dance school, Kalashram, in Delhi.
Birju Maharaj was not only a Kathak dancer. He also knew a lot about Hindustani classical music. He was skilled with percussion instruments. He could sing a thumri (a type of classical song) while dancing. He also played instruments like the tabla and the dholak.
His Kathak performances told many stories. Some were old mythological tales. Others were about everyday life and social issues. He used dance to share these messages. His special ginti ki tihaais were very famous. These are powerful dance phrases repeated three times. Many Kathak students studied his unique style.
Birju Maharaj worked with other famous artists. These included tabla player Zakir Hussain. He also worked with singers Rajan and Sajan Mishra. Some of his students became great dancers too. These include Saswati Sen and Aditi Mangaldas.
Choreography in Films
Birju Maharaj also created dances and music for many Indian movies. He choreographed dances for famous actors. He worked with Saswati Sen in Shatranj ke Khiladi (1977). He also choreographed for Madhuri Dixit in Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Devdas (2002).
He created dances for Kamal Haasan in Vishwaroopam (2012). He also worked with Deepika Padukone in Bajirao Mastani (2015). His last film work was with Alia Bhatt in Kalank (2019).
His dance work in Vishwaroopam won him an award. He received the National Film Award for Best Choreography in 2012. For Bajirao Mastani, he won a Filmfare Award for Best Choreography in 2016.
Awards and Recognition
Birju Maharaj received many important awards. He was one of the youngest artists to get the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. He received it when he was only 28 years old. In 1986, he was given the Padma Vibhushan. This is India's second highest civilian honor.
Other awards he received include:
- 1964 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
- 1986 - Padma Vibhushan
- 1986 - Nritya Choodamani Award
- 1987 - Kalidas Samman
- 2002 - Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar
- Honorary doctorate from Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya
- Honorary doctorate from Banaras Hindu University
- Sangam Kala Award
- Bharat Muni Sammaan
- Andhra Ratna
- Nritya Vilas Award
- Adharshila Shikhar Samman
- Soviet Land Nehru Award
- National Nritya Shiromani Award
- Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award
Film Awards
- 2012 - National Film Award for Best Choreography for Unnai Kaanaathu (Vishwaroopam)
- 2016 - Filmfare Award for Best Choreography for Mohe Rang Do Laal (Bajirao Mastani)
Personal Life
Birju Maharaj was married and had five children. In his later years, he had some health issues. He had kidney disease and diabetes. He passed away from a heart attack at his home in Delhi. This happened on 16 January 2022, just before his 85th birthday.
