Biography of "Birju Maharaj"

Born: 4 February 1938, Handia

Brij Mohan Nath Mishra, famously known as Birju Maharaj, is the most eminent Kathak dancer of recent times. Birju Maharaj was born in 1937 and learnt dancing from his father. By the age of seven, Birju performed Kathak in his hometown Lucknow. It was the first recital of his life. After the death of his father, he was taught by his uncle. Later on, he became a teacher of Sangeet Bharati in Delhi. He composed many dance dramas like 'Gobardhan Leela', 'Makhan Chori', 'Malti-Madhav' and Kumar Samvay and gained extensive fame all over the country.

He received a national award from the Sangeet Natak Academy. In 1986, he was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan by the government of India. He has also been awarded the 'Kalidas Samman', the highest award in the area of fine arts instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government. In addition, he is also a recipient of the Nehru Fellowship'. Apart from being a Kathak dancer, he is an excellent music composer, choreographer, and poet.