THE GURU
A genuinely dedicated teacher, Birju Maharaj explains the technique in detail with the help of similes and metaphors until the student gets the nuance right. The result is the uniformity of style in his disciples. Time is never a constraint, with the classes going on well past the stipulated time limit in order to achieve excellence. He has hundreds of disciples who are actively pursuing Kathak all over the world. He has four Gandaband Shaagird and their names are Shri Pratap Pawar, Shri Munnalal Shukla, Sushri Prabha Marathe & Sushri Saswati Sen.
Gandabhandhan is a ceremony in which a devoted and dedicated disciple is tied a sacred thread by the Guru, with the blessings to carry forward the mantle of the Gharana, Guru and the style.
In earlier times, usually this tradition was restricted to family members only, but now the Guru chooses a few selected disciples as the ones expected tO devote their life to the pursuit of the art.
Gandabhandhan is a ceremony in which a devoted and dedicated disciple is tied a sacred thread by the Guru, with the blessings to carry forward the mantle of the Gharana, Guru and the style.
In earlier times, usually this tradition was restricted to family members only, but now the Guru chooses a few selected disciples as the ones expected tO devote their life to the pursuit of the art.
Pt. Birju Maharaj is fond of relating stories and anecdotes from his life. He has an inimitable style and narrates some favourite ones even on the stage during lecture-demonstrations. Many are stories from his childhood, about how he went miles on foot for his first tuition, he used to trouble his father by putting ice on his stomach, how the two uncles analyzed his dancing style, etc.
One is about a performance in Jhansi where he had to make up compositions on the Rani of Jhansi galloping on a horse, in order to keep the audience interested. On one instance, he played the tabla and harmonium during a Radio programme. Another one is about his brush with the supernatural and many about the spirits in old Lucknow.
His description is so vivid that it makes the spine tingle. Some are humorous while others have a message to convey.
One is about a performance in Jhansi where he had to make up compositions on the Rani of Jhansi galloping on a horse, in order to keep the audience interested. On one instance, he played the tabla and harmonium during a Radio programme. Another one is about his brush with the supernatural and many about the spirits in old Lucknow.
His description is so vivid that it makes the spine tingle. Some are humorous while others have a message to convey.
In his words
Brijshyam Kahe
This is my maiden effort of bringing to the readers a small collection of my poems titled ‘Brijshyam Kahe’. My grandfather Shri Bindadin Maharaj wrote 5000 compositions consisting of Thumri, Dadra, Pad, Kavitta, Bhajan, etc. It is with his inspiration and blessings that I have made the effort of writing these compositions. The present book is a collection of mixed compositions. Even in the future, I wish to publish my work for the benefit of the readers.
Anubhuti
It is necessary for everybody to laugh, be happy in life. Keeping this in mind, I have expressed through the medium of poetry, many of the experiences that I have had. I hope readers will feel happy reading it.
This is my maiden effort of bringing to the readers a small collection of my poems titled ‘Brijshyam Kahe’. My grandfather Shri Bindadin Maharaj wrote 5000 compositions consisting of Thumri, Dadra, Pad, Kavitta, Bhajan, etc. It is with his inspiration and blessings that I have made the effort of writing these compositions. The present book is a collection of mixed compositions. Even in the future, I wish to publish my work for the benefit of the readers.
Anubhuti
It is necessary for everybody to laugh, be happy in life. Keeping this in mind, I have expressed through the medium of poetry, many of the experiences that I have had. I hope readers will feel happy reading it.
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