Legendary Kathak Dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj Passes Away at 83 in Delhi:
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Pandit Birju Maharaj, the doyen of the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak, died at his home in Delhi in the early hours of Monday, his granddaughter said. He would have been 84 next month.
Maharaj-ji, as he was popularly known, died surrounded by his family and disciples.They were playing ‘antakshari’ after dinner when he suddenly took ill, Ragini Maharaj told news agency PTI. The Kathak exponent, one of India’s best-known artistes, had been suffering from a kidney ailment and was under dialysis treatment. He probably died of a cardiac arrest, his granddaughter saidWe took him to the hospital immediately but we could not save him, she said. A recipient of the country’s second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, he was born Brij Mohan Nath Mishra on February 4, 1937, in a well-known Kathak dancing family.Last year, a book on his life, titled Nritya Samrat Pt. Birju Maharaj, was launched. The book is a compilation of 96 (22 in English and 70 in Hindi) short essays written by his disciples, associates, admirers and senior artistes, associates, and well-wishers from around the world. It has been put together by Nandkishore Kapote, a senior disciple of Birju Maharaj.