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Pandit Birju Maharaj in Dhaka

Kathak workshop begins at Shilpakala Academy

Zahangir Alom
Once the legendary Kathak artiste and dance guru Pandit Birju Maharaj and his foremost disciple Shaswati Sen stepped into the rehearsal room of National Music and Dance of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), a number of artistes of Nrityanchal greeted the duo with a performance to the Tagore song “Tomar Ananda Oi Elo Dwarey". They also showered the legendary dancer with flowers.
Pandit Birju Maharaj is now in Dhaka to conduct a five-day Kathak workshop at BSA. Bangladeshi dance troupe Nrityanchal, in association with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), has arranged the workshop that is being held from June 21 to 25 at BSA. A press conference in this regard was held at BSA on June 20.
Pandit Birju Maharaj;
Shaswati Sen; Director General of BSA, Liaquat Ali Lucky; coordinator of Nrityanchal, Muhammad Jahangir; and directors of the troupe, Shibli Mohammad and Shamim Ara Nipa spoke at the conference. Daughter of Pandit Birju Maharaj and a Kathak dancer, Mamta Maharaj; accompanying instrumentalists, Chandrachur Bhattacharya (sitar), Utpal Ghosal (tabla) and Umesh Mishra (sarangi) were present at the press conference as well.
Liaquat Ali Lucky presented
bouquets to Pandit Birju Maharaj and his accompanying troupe members while Muhammad Jahangir adorned them with uttario.
Welcoming all, Shibli Mohammad said, “This is a memorable moment and an unforgettable day in the history of Nrityanchal.” Shamim Ara Nipa expressed her elation, saying, "Sky is the limit. The sky has descended on earth today.”
“I cannot express my joy today in words. I have heard many tales about the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj, and I'm meeting him for the first time. I hope Bangladeshi artistes will
be enlightened through this workshop,” said Liaquat Ali Lucky.
Shaswati Sen who has been receiving tutelage on Kathak for the last 43 years under Pandit Birju Maharaj, first came to Bangladesh in 1997. She regards the aesthetics of dance as a visual poetry.
“The honour that I received today will remain ever fresh in my memory. This is my first time in Dhaka. I'm very happy to learn that my disciples are doing very well in Dhaka,” said Pandit Birju Maharaj.
Later, the Pandit elaborated on the nature of Kathak, and
its many aspects -- lay a, taal, chitradarshan, tehai, jyoti and more. His sense of humour, wit and outstanding ability to connect and see everything through dance mesmerised all.
A number of Kathak artistes from across the country are taking part in the workshop. Upon conclusion of the workshop, participating artistes will present a Kathak piece, directed by Pandit Birju Maharaj, at the National Theatre Hall of BSA on June 25 at 7 pm. Pandit Birju Maharaj and Shaswati Sen will also perform in the second half of the
programme.
Kathak is a well-known classical dance genre of the Indian subcontinent. The dance form maintains the guru-shishya parampara (master-disciple tradition). Kathak has gained much popularity in postindependence Bangladesh.
Today there are several accomplished Kathak artistes in Bangladesh. Nrityanchal director duo — Shibli Mohammad, the first Bangladeshi student of Pandit Birju Maharaj, and Shamim Ara Nipa -- has taken Kathak to new heights in Bangladesh.
Brijmohan Mishra, popularly known as Pandit Birju Maharaj (born February 4, 1938), is currently the leading exponent of the Lucknow Kalka-Bindadin gharana of Kathak dance in India. He is a descendant of the legendary Maharaj family of Kathak dancers, including his two uncles, Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj, and his father and guru, Acchan Maharaj. Even though dancing is his first love, he also has an excellent command over Hindustani classical music and is an accomplished vocalist as well. He took Kathak to new heights by choreographing new Kathak dance dramas. He is also the founder of Kalashram. He has toured extensively across the globe, given thousands of performances and held hundreds of workshops for Kathak students.