The maestro who passed away on January 17 brought a chiselled form of kathak to the modern proscenium transcending all ‘gharanas’. Moreover, his grasp of the essence of his dance vocabulary enabled him to communicate across the north-south divide in India and globally.
Birju Maharaj lived as he died. He grew up with the ghungroo, tabla and harmonium striking rhythms of harmony and as took his last breath in the early hours of Monday his home was quite fittingly alive with the sound of music this time old songs he so loved.
Legendary Kathak dancer, Pandit Birju Maharaj passes away after suffering a heart attack. He was 83. He was at his home in Delhi. Brijmohan Mishra, fondly called Pandit-ji or Maharaj-ji by his disciples and legions of followers, he was one of India s best known artistes.
He romanced Kathak like few others ever did, his mastery over the classical dance form writing him into lasting fame as one of India's greatest performing artistes.
He was an immensely gifted man who made singing and teaching of Gurmat Sangeet, in its true classical form, his life-long mission. For him, wealth and worldly pursuits had little meaning, teaching gur