Birju Maharaj

2021-04-19T09:08:50Z

2405:204:A702:BF89:7F74:A2BA:B31:4953: Correct info

{{Short description|Indian dancer}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Birju Maharaj
| image = Pandit Birju Maharaj.jpg
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1938|2|4}}
| birth_place = [[Handia, Uttar Pradesh|Handia]], [[United Provinces (1937-50)|United Provinces]], [[British India]]
| death_date =
| genre = [[Hindustani classical music|Indian classical]]
| occupation = Dancer, [[composer]], singer
| instrument =
| years_active = 1951{{endash}}present
| label =
| associated_acts =
| website = {{url|birjumaharaj-kalashram.com}}
}}

'''Brijmohan Mishra,''' (born 4 February 1938) popularly known as '''Pandit Birju Maharaj,''' is an exponent of the [[Lucknow]] ''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.<ref name=enc>{{cite book|last=Kaui|first=Banotsarg-Boghaz |editor=Subodh Kapoor|title=The Indian encyclopaedia: biographical, historical, religious, administrative, ethnological, commercial and scientific. Volume 3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bfyA327hG8EC&q=Kathak+Kendra&pg=PA915|year=2002|publisher=Genesis Publishing|isbn=81-7755-257-0|page=198}}</ref>

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.<ref>[[#Ma|Massey, p. 29]]</ref>

==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 State|Raigarh]] princely state.<ref>[http://maestroesclassicaldancers.weebly.com/achchan-maharaj.html Achchan Maharaj]</ref> 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.<ref name="life">{{cite web|title=Birju Maharaj – Kathak personified |work=Deccan Herald|author=Buddhiraja, Sunita |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/mar072004/sh6.asp |access-date=25 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041210171521/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/mar072004/sh6.asp |archive-date=10 December 2004 }}
</ref>

==Career==
Maharaj started teaching the dance form at the 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<ref name="retires">{{cite web
| title = Birju Maharaj retires
| publisher = Indian Express
| author = Bhattacharya, Santwana
| url = http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19980610/16151124.html
| access-date = 25 March 2007}}
</ref> 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 [[Devdas (2002 Hindi film)|2002 film version]] of novella ''[[Devdas]]''.<ref>{{IMDb name|1195424}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
* 1964 - [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
* 1986 - [[Padma Vibhushan]]<ref name="Off" />
* 1986 - Nritya Choodamani Award by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://krishnaganasabha.org/kgs_old/nrityachoo.html |title=Nritya Choodamani Awardees List |website=Sri Krishna Gana Sabha |access-date=2019-07-22}}</ref>
* 1987 - [[Kalidas Samman]]
* 2002 - [[Lata Mangeshkar]] Puraskar<ref name="CI">{{Cite web |url=https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-dance/dancers/pandit-birju-maharaj.html |title=Pandit Birju Maharaj |website=www.culturalindia.net |access-date=2019-07-22}}</ref>
* [[Honorary doctorate]] from [[Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya]]<ref name="CI" /><ref name="Off">{{Cite web |url=http://www.birjumaharaj-kalashram.com/the-dancer.html |title=The Dancer |website=Official website |access-date=2019-07-22}}</ref>
* Honorary doctorate from [[Banaras Hindu University]]<ref name="CI" />
* Sangam Kala Award<ref name="CI" />
* Bharat Muni Sammaan<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Art/Hema-Malini-selected-for-Bharat-Muni-Samman/Article1-972233.aspx |title=Hema Malini selected for Bharat Muni Samman – Hindustan Times |work=hindustantimes.com |year=2012 |quote=The earlier recipients are Thankamani Kutty, Pandit Birju Maharaj, |access-date=28 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213233446/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Art/Hema-Malini-selected-for-Bharat-Muni-Samman/Article1-972233.aspx |archive-date=13 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://wonderwoman.intoday.in/story/hema-malini-receives-bharat-muni-samman/1/102372.html |title=Hema Malini receives Bharat Muni Samman: Wonder Woman – Who are you today? |work=wonderwoman.intoday.in |year=2012|quote=The earlier recipients are Thankamani Kutty (Bharatanatyam), Pandit Birju Maharaj (kathak), |access-date=28 December 2012}}</ref>
* Andhra Ratna<ref name="Off" />
* Nritya Vilas Award<ref name="Off" />
* Adharshila Shikhar Samman<ref name="Off" />
* Soviet Land [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]] Award<ref name="Off" />
* National Nritya Shiromani Award<ref name="Off" />
* [[Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award]]<ref name="Off" />
===Film Awards===

* 2012 - [[National Film Award for Best Choreography]] for ''Unnai Kaanaathu'' ([[Vishwaroopam]])<ref name="60thaward">{{cite press release|title=60th National Film Awards Announced|url=http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2013/mar/d2013031801.pdf|publisher=Press Information Bureau (PIB), India|access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref>
* 2016 - [[Filmfare Award for Best Choreography]] for ''Mohe Rang Do Laal'' ([[Bajirao Mastani]])

==See also==
* [[List of Kathak dancers]]
* [[Māni Mādhava Chākyār]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book|last=Massey|first=Reginald |title=India's kathak dance, past present, future |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFXkPk3zMeYC&q=Kathak+Kendra&pg=RA1-PA29|year=1999|publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=81-7017-374-4|ref=Ma}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Birju Maharaj}}
* [http://www.birjumaharaj-kalashram.com/ Pandit Birju Maharaj] (Official Website)
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126163657/http://rediff.com/millenni/birju.htm |date=26 November 2009 |title=Kathak maestro Birju Maharaj on top Indian dancers }}

{{Padma Vibhushan Awards}}
{{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}}
{{National Film Award Best Choreography}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maharaj, Birju}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts]]
[[Category:Kathak exponents]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]]
[[Category:Indian choreographers]]
[[Category:Indian film choreographers]]
[[Category:Artists from Lucknow]]
[[Category:Teachers of Indian classical dance]]
[[Category:Performers of Indian classical dance]]
[[Category:Indian classical choreographers]]
[[Category:Dancers from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dancers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:Educators from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Filmfare Awards winners]]
[[Category:Best Choreography National Film Award winners]]

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Birju Maharaj