18 Jan Pandit Birju Maharaj : A kathak legend
Pandit Birju Maharaj : A kathak legend- Today current Affairs
Context : A Kathak legend Pandit Birju Maharaj has passed away by 17th February 2022 . He has left a rich legacy behind him
Introduction : A complete artist Pt Birju Maharaj who lived music in its entirety transcended to a heavenly stage on Monday . He spread Kathak to the entire world .
What is kathak : The Hindu Analysis
- Kathak is a classical dance of India among 8 forms of classical dances . The Kathak term is derived from kathakar (Storyteller) . A style of dance in which the expression of the face tells the story . This style of dance had developed during Bhakti period and the people dances in front of the god on the rhythm of bhajans
- The stories related to Indian folks , epic are communicated through this style of dance . The rhythmic foot movement , hand gesture , facial expression and the eye work are the means through which dancers explain about the story .
- This performing art is related with the period of Mahabharata and it is popular mainly in Northern India . There are various schools related to kathak called gharana like Jaipur Gharana. Banaras gharana and the Lucknow gharana
About Pt Birju Maharaj : The Hindu Analysis
- Birju Maharaj was born in Handia (Allahabad Dist , Uttar Pradesh ) in 1938. During his life he was awarded various awards like Padam Vibhushan, Kalidas Samman etc. He received honorary doctorate from various universities of India including Banaras Hindu University . He was related with the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak
- He was inspired by the rhythm of nature . Every time he took the stage , It seems that the almighty was dancing through him .
- Be it the movement of ants , a river in spate , a bird feeding its young or the earth motion on its axis , there was nothing that escaped the kathak maestro’s dancing eyes
- His face expression and the movement of eyes during dance was ultimate
- The stage was a canvas for Pt Birju Maharaj where he painted the Krishna and Radha’s divine romance that would dissolve in space only to be replaced by a new one
- He was trained by his father Achchan Maharaj and uncles Lachhu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj . He also taught in Bhartiya Kala Kendra and in Kathak Kendra ,
- The journey from Brij Mohan Nath Sharma to Birju Maharaj was not easy , in fact for this he had to work hard and he had to refine the dance form and took it out of the narrow lanes of Aminabad to international proscenium
- He would often cycle to teach at Sangeet Bharati and perform for hours in private gatherings
Conclusion
The death of the Pt Birju Maharaj is the loss of the entire Art family . He was a legend and carried forward this traditional art to next generations . He was not only an artist but a good person also> He served Indian art for his entire life and protected cultural Heritage . Definitely he made kathak popular in the entire world . The credit to revive kathak in modern India definitely should go to Maharaj Ji. He was a person who painted a divine romance on stage . The vacant place of Pandit ji in the field of art can not be fulfilled
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GS paper I : Art and Culture
Source The Hindu
Plutus IAS Current Affairs Team Member
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