Birju Maharaj birth anniversary: A look at the dance maestro’s work, awards he won

Birju Maharaj died at the age of 83 in January, 2022. His demise led to an outpouring of grief in the country. (Image posted on Instagram by Ministry of Culture)

Legendary Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj enthralled audiences with his performances and choreography for more than 60 years. He was also a vocalist who practiced Hindustani classical music.

Born in British-ruled India in 1937, Birju Maharaj started off by performing at the concerts of his father, Kathak exponent Jagannath Maharaj. Birju Maharaj’s first solo performance took place in Bengal, when he was seven.

Birju Maharaj, who belonged to the Lucknow Kalka-Bindadin Gharana of Kathak, was only 13 when started teaching dance at the Sangeet Bharti in Delhi. Later on, he took up the role of the director of Kathak Kendra, a part of the Sangeet Natak Academy. He retired from Kathak Kendra in 1998 and opened his own dance school called the city, called Kalashram.

The iconic dancer performed outside India too, as part of the cultural groups that the government sent abroad.

Birju Maharaj has choreographed several memorable dance sequences in films like Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj ke Khiladi in 1977, Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Devdas (2002), Vishwaroopam (2012) Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Kalank (2019).

The iconic dancer won the National Film Award for his work in Vishwaroopam. He has also been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honours, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, among others.

Birju Maharaj died at the age of 83 in January, 2022. His death led to an outpouring of grief in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described Birju Maharaj’s demise as an irreparable loss to the world of art.  Birju Maharaj’s students and the film fraternity had also paid tributes to him on social media.​