Birju Maharaj Kathak Maestro

Imagine a little boy who was classical dancer at the Nawab’s darbar. Those were the times when he would prefer top sleep than perform before the nobility. Six decades down the line the little boy rose to become the unrivalled supreme maestro of the Kathak dance form in the country. Birju Maharaj hails from the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak and is the sixth generation of the family to have adopted Kathak as a full time vocation. As is well known, Pandit Birju Maharaj is a versatile personality: a singer, choreographer, dancer and teacher all rolled into one.


National Network of Education (NNE)‘s team easily managed to get an appointment with Maharaj for a t`ete –a –t`ete . One hot day in June went down to his residence in the posh Shahjahan Road area. Happening to lose our way a bit, we are startled to discover that few people in the locality know that they have a celebrity residing in their midst.

We approach the house, set in the midst of a little garden; hurriedly scrawled alphabets on a piece of paper fixed on a tiny green letter box fixed next to the main door announces the presence of the maestro within. A young bahu of the house ushers us into the living room, where Panditji is seated on a divan, comfortably clad in kurta – pyjama, with dishevelled salt & pepper hair, and chewing paan masaala. He welcomes us with cordiality, and there ensues a conversation, smooth and easy, like the tinkling of his ghungroos…………………We approach the house, set in the midst of a little garden; hurriedly scrawled alphabets on a piece of paper fixed on a tiny green letter box fixed next to the main door announces the presence of the maestro within. A young bahu of the house ushers us into the living room, where Panditji is seated on a divan, comfortably clad in kurta – pyjama, with dishevelled salt & pepper hair, and chewing paan masaala. He welcomes us with cordiality, and there ensues a conversation, smooth and easy, like the tinkling of his ghungroos…………………

Trace your family’s long associations with Kathak ?

I represent the sixth generation of the Kalka-Bindadin Gharana, of Lucknow, though we hailed originally from Haria (in the vicinity of Allahabad-Varanasi). The legendary Wajid Ali Shah of Avadh (Lucknow region) invited my ancestors to become dancers in his court. In the aftermath of the Sepoy Mutiny in1857,our family moved to Bhopal and enjoyed the patronage of the erstwhile Begum Sahiba. My baaba (Grandfather) was the late Kalka Maharaj who had composed nearly 5000 dadra, thumri and bhajans. Unfortunately termites destroyed them; there are no copies or traces of them whatsoever. I began my training under the tutelage of my father Achchan Maharaj, who died when I was barely ten years old. Thereafter my training continued under my uncle Shambhu Maharaj. At the age of five I was appointed a dancer at the royal court of Rampur (UP) on a monthly salary of Rs15/! I hated to dance in front of the Nawab, who often summoned me at odd hours. I had to perform under duress when all I wanted was to sleep!!!! We moved to Delhi when Babuji (my father) took up an assignment at Hindustan Music Academy which is now famous as the Sangeet Bharati, (Mandi House) New Delhi.Babuji’s student Smt KapilaVatsayan helped us a good deal. I was associated with the Bharatiya Kala Kendra for nearly 12-15,years after which I moved to the Kathak Kendra. I have been there ever since. I also run another institution Kalashram, to impart training in dance.

The masses generally frown upon dance, even so, why did you take it up as a profession?

Mass opinion does not make any difference to me. I was born into a family of dancers; in fact classical dance runs in our blood. It was a foregone conclusion. Ours was a long lineage of dancers, so there was no option for other or me boys in the family but to take up dance. Classical dance is perennial; it has always been there, it will always be there, no matter what some people think.

Dance forms appear to be prevalent more among women than men. Being a man, did you not feel odd taking it up as a your profession.?

Not really. In case you did not know, men have been performing classical dance since time immemorial. In fact the early Kathak dancers were temple priests who used this dance form to narrate stories ( kathas) to the audience. In fact the origin of Kathak may be ascribed to the ecstasy which the devotees felt for the Lord Gradually women dancers made their foray into this arena and honed their skills to outshine men in certain cases. Even otherwise, classical dance is an amalgamation of male and female elements, i.e. Tandav and Laasya respectively.

What is your definition of beauty?

Beauty lies in an individual’s heart. One who is gentle in thoughts, words and deeds, someone who is utterly devoid of jealousy and malice can be beautiful. I have found even some very ugly girls to be beautiful within.

What is the difference between the attitudes of the people, towards classical dance&music, now and in the bygone era?

Previously, people relished classical music and dance. Nowadays their interests have veered towards fusion and other kinds of experimentations with dance and music. I feel fusion music is all confusion ( laughs). I have nothing against the diverse experimentations with music and the genre s of music that are popular nowadays. I am only apprehensive about the cultural erosion that is taking place. Kehne ka matlab hai, the youth are losing interest in Hindustani classical music, which is pure and eternal. For this phenomenon, I blame the parents to a great extent. Arre bhai bacchey agar bazaar mein chaat khaaatey hain,thik hai magar unko yeh bhi sikhao ki who apney ghar ka daal–roti ko naa bhool jayen.

Do you feel Hindustani classical music is losing its popularity?

Certainly not. Hindustani classical music has no dearth of connoisseurs (qadardaan). This brand of music cannot and will not die out. You can compare a classical musician to a vendor of kesar (saffron) or kasturi (musk) which are rare commodities, subtle and invaluable. Their demand may be extremely limited but will never be reduced to naught.

The elders believe that everything old is good and innovations /new things are bad, which creates a wide generation gap. Your comments.

This is a misconception. Not everything old is good, not everything new is bad. Good and bad is subjective, a matter of individual perception. In this world good and bad coexist. In a garden there will be weeds among herbs. Do you know, even I have incorporated modernistic elements into Kathak? For instance, in close cooperation with Louis Banks, lately we performed Romeo & Juliet in Kathak style. This nritya naatika (ballet/dance drama) transcended all barriers of language, culture etc because there was no dialogue or conversation in it but only pure music. It was a roaring success and got rave reviews. We produced and performed yet another interesting piece, File Katha, which was a satire on the somnolent bureaucracy and red-tapeism.

What does dance mean to you?

It is everything to me. It is my life my life, my breath, the throbbing of my heart. Dance essentially comprises of abhinaya (action/movement) bhaav (emotions and feelings) and Ras ( sweetness). During the entire span of my dancing career, I have maintained and upheld the quintessence and purity of Kathak; I have never stooped or made any compromises. Though I have let my imagination soar high into the realm of fantasy, yet I have confined myself to the set parameters. Never overstepped the limits.

Is music an integral part of human life ?

Indeed it is so. The Hindu pantheon depicts the gods and goddess as playing and appreciating music. Sangeet prem ka shringaar hai. Sansar ka srishti hai. Music is the embodiment of Ananda or pure bliss. Music purifies and cleanses the soul. Without music a person cannot exist. In other words, Swar, taal and laya are essential ingredients of life.

How do you feel about the remixes of old, popular numbers?

I think they are rather crude and depict very bad tastes.

To be a good disciple what are the qualities, which a person should have?

Dedication, a vast fund of patience, desire to achieve something, eagerness to learn etc. He/she must have a set objective, must be willing to work hard; an individual’s heart and mind ought to be in proper coordination. A dancer must necessarily be a good singer.

How does it feel to be a celebrity?

It does not make much of a difference to me. You know, some people feel complacent when they become gurus. They feel they have achieved everything. The moment they begin to think so, they stop absorbing good ideas within them. Unki toh mano ho gayi chutti. This is not so in my case. People may well hail me as a guru, but in my heart of hearts, I feel I am still a shagird (pupil). I will keep learning and imbibing elements within me as long as I live……

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(As told to Ruchira Ghosh & Piyu Aich)