Pandit Birju Maharaj Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
Pandit Birju Maharaj Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
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Quick Infoā
Death Date: 17/01/2022
Death Cause: Heart Attack
Age: 83 Years
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| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Birth Name | Dukh Haran |
| Full Name | Pandit Brijmohan Nath Mishra |
| Nickname | Birju |
| Pen Name | Brij Shyam |
| Profession(s) | Kathak Dancer, Music Composer, Singer, Poet |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 5' 5" (165 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Salt and Pepper (Semi Bald) |
| Career | |
| Awards & Honours | ā¢ 1964: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award ā¢ 1986: Padma Vibhushan  ā¢ 1986: Nritya Choodamani Award by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha ā¢ 1987: Kalidas Samman ā¢ 2002: Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar ā¢ 2012: Bharat Muni Sammaan ā¢ 2012: National Film Award for Best Choreography for Unnai Kaanaathu (Vishwaroopam)  ā¢ 2015: Wajid Ali Shah Award (by Lucknow Literary Festival) for his contribution to keeping the art alive  ā¢ 2016: Filmfare Award for Best Choreography for Mohe Rang Do Laal (Bajirao Mastani) ā¢ 2017: Newsmakers Achievers Award ā¢ 2018: Banga Bibhushan Award for his contribution to the field of Indian classical dance  ā¢ Honorary doctorate from Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya ā¢ Honorary doctorate from Banaras Hindu University ā¢ Sangam Kala Award ā¢ Andhra Ratna ā¢ Nritya Vilas Award ā¢ Adharshila Shikhar Samman ā¢ Soviet Land Nehru Award ā¢ National Nritya Shiromani Award ā¢ Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award Note: He has many more accolades to his name. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 4 February 1938 (Friday) |
| Birthplace | Handia, district Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh |
| Date of Death | 17 January 2022 |
| Place of Death | Delhi, India |
| Age (at the time of death) | 83 Years |
| Death Cause | Heart Attack |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Autograph |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Delhi, India |
| College/University | ā¢ Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi ā¢ Khairagarh University, Khairagarh ā¢ The University of Central Lancashire, England |
| Educational Qualification | ā¢ Graduation at University of Central Lancashire, England ā¢ Doctorate Degrees in Classical Dancing & Singing |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Brahmin |
| Food Habit | Vegetarian |
| Controversy | Allegations of Sexual Harassment In 2022, after his demise, his various disciples shared their experiences in the #MeToo movement. His disciples said that Maharaj used to harass them sexually. check sources Indie Journal |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status (at the time of death) | Widower |
| Marriage Date | Year, 1956 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Annapurna Devi (died on 29 January 2008)  |
| Children | Son(s)- 2 ā¢ Jai Kishan Maharaj (Kathak dancer)  ā¢ Deepak Maharaj (Kathak dancer)  Daughter(s)- 3 ā¢ Kavita Maharaj (Kathak dancer)  ā¢ Anita Maharaj (Kathak dancer, painter) ā¢ Mamta Maharaj (Kathak dancer)  |
| Parents | Father- Jagannath Maharaj aka Pandit Acchan Maharaj (Kathak exponent, court dancer of the royal family of Raigarh)  Mother- Mahadai aka Amma Ji Maharaj (deceased)  |
| Siblings | Sister(s)- Vidyavati, Saraswati, and Chandravati |
| Other Relative(s) | ā¢ Paternal Grandfather- Pandit Birju Maharaj (Kathak maestro, court dancer of Mirza Wajid Ali Shah, the last King of Awadh)  ā¢ Grandfatherās Brother- Bindadin Maharaj (founder of Lucknow Gharana of Kathak dance)  ā¢ Uncle(s)- Pandit Bajinath Prasad aka Pandit Lachhu Maharaj, and Pandit Shambhu Maharaj (Kathak dancers)   ā¢ Cousin(s)- Rammohan Maharaj (son of Shambhu Maharaj, Kathak dancer)  |
| Family Tree |   |
| Favourites | |
| Actor(s) | Jackie Chan , Sylvester Stallone |
| Actress | Madhuri Dixit |
| Snack(s) | Kachori, Chaat, Golgappe |
| Food | Biryani |
Ā Some Lesser Known Facts About Pandit Birju Maharaj
Pandit Birju Maharaj started his training in Kathak when he was four years old, he started his training under his uncles Pandit Bajinath Prasad (also known as Pandit Lachhu Maharaj) and Pandit Shambhu Maharaj.
When he was seven years old, he started performing in shows along with his father.
The first big event in which he performed live was at the celebrations of the Bengali biographer Manmath Nath Ghosh.
He went on to perform in many events and theatre plays. He performed at the Art Theatre of Rashtrapati Bhavan for global dignitaries multiple times.
He was associated with the Lucknow āKalka-Bindadinā Gharana of Kathak dance in India.
Apart from India, he performed in various other countries like Europe, Russia, Japan, UAE, France, Germany, Italy, Burma, and the United States of America.
After the demise of his father, he shifted to Delhi along with his uncles.
In Delhi, he started teaching Kathak at Sangeet Bharti, Delhi. At that time, he was 13 years old. He used to get Rs 150 as salary there.
While he was in Delhi, he used to practice Kathak in morning and then he used to visit a Coffee House in Connaught Place, and in the evening, he used to visit Sangeet Bharti in Delhi on his bicycle.
He then worked at Bharatiya Kala Kendra (later Kathak Kendra) in New Delhi under his uncle Pandit Shambhu Maharaj. After his uncle, he became the head of the academy and retired from there in 1988.
Pandit Birju Maharaj in his younger days
In the same year, he started a Kathak school named Kalashram Kathak School in New Delhi. Later, its branch was started in the US. At the school, apart from Kathak, training in various musical instruments, yoga, painting, Sanskrit, dramatics, and stagecraft is provided.
Some of the famous disciples of Maharaj are Mohan Mishra, Uma Sharma, Munna Shukla, Pratap Priya Pawar, Saswati Sen, Durga Arya, andĀ Madhuri Dixit .
He loved to perform kathak on the narrations of Krishna-Radha and Shiva-Parvati.
His ginti ki tihais (a percussive phrase where the syllables of dance are replaced by counts) became very popular.
Some of his popular Kathak songs are Makhan Chori, Phaag Bahar, Krishnayan, Roopmati Baajbahadur, Darbar-e-Salaami, Shaahi Mehfil, and Anamya.
Pandit Birju Maharaj perfroming at an event
He also penned down the song āBhari Bhari,ā which was sung byĀ Shreya Ghoshal Ā and Rajeev Mahavir.
Once two Chinese women visited Maharaj to learn Kathak. However, due to the language barrier, he could not explain to them the syllables of Kathak. He then used words such as āpum-pum or āchin-chinā while showing his hand and foot and taught them the dance form.
He used to practice dance in a dark room with minimum light which in which he could see his shadow. He used to consider it the best place to practice as it created a good sound and he could focus on his dance without distractions.
In 2014, he was invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
He choreographed many Indian actors for various filmsā songs. Some of such actors are Madhuri Dixit Ā in Devdas (2002),Ā Kamal Haasan Ā in Vishwaroopam (2012),Ā Deepika Padukone Ā in Bajirao Mastani (2015), andĀ Alia Bhatt in Kalank (2019).
Pandit Birju Maharaj with Madhuri Dixit on the sets of Devdas
Apart from dancing, he was also a renowned singer. He lent his voice to many Bollywood songs like āKanha Main Tose Haariā from Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977), āKahe Chhed Moheā from Devdas (2002), āJagaave Saari Rainaā from Dedh Ishqiya (2014), and āMohe Rang Do Laalā from Bajirao Mastani (2015).
He used to sing Thumris which became very popular. He used to perform thumris in various events like Saptak Annual Festival (2019), and Anubhav Festival at Vrindaban Gurukul.
He once shared that he had a dream of singing for All India Radio. In 1967, he got an offer to live his dream and he sang thumris on the radio channel.
He was an expert in playing various musical instruments like tabla, flute, and dholak. He was well-versed in playing string musical instruments like Sitar, Sarod, Violin, and Sarangi.
He performed along with various other musicians like Zakir Hussain ,Ā Yogesh Samsi,Ā Anindo Chatterjee,Ā Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, and Ajoy Chakrabarty at various events.
Pandit Birju Maharaj with Zakir Hussain
He was a renowned poet. He used to write poetries under the pen name Brij Shyam. His poetry titled āAnubhutiā was released in 2013 by PM Narendra Modi .
In 2020, his poetries book āBrij Shyam Kaheā was published.
Pandit Birju Maharajās poetry
In an interview, he said that had he not become a Kathak dancer, he would be a mechanic.
On 16 January 2022, while Pandit Birju Maharaj was playing antakshari with his family and disciples, he started having breathing issues. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.
In 2022, in the memory of Maharaj a stamp titled āIndia 2022 Kathak Dancer Maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj Music Special Coverā was issued.
Pandit Birju Maharajās exclusive stamp released in 2022
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