On February 4, Pandit Pants Birju Maharaj gathered in Kalashram in New Delhi under his senior student watch Saswati Sen to pay homage to King Kathak at the 84th anniversary of his birth.
On the same day, Hindustan’s classical music world was directed at launching an event a year to mark a hundred birth legendary vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.
Both of them share their birthdays.
Both of them died in January, 11 years apart.
Great loss and remember the maestros many students living in small cities, whose lives have changed because of the ‘taleem’ they received from the teacher.
“I was in class VII when I first saw Pandit Birju Maharaj appeared on stage at an event organized by Saptak,” said Sandhya Bhargav, a student of Panditji and Princess Teacher Kathak who was famous in the city of Madan Pande.
“My father has become my teacher until then.
I told him that I wanted to learn from Maharajji,” he said.
That’s when he finished his XII class that his father asked him to appear for the All Indian scholarship exam held by Sangeet Natak Academy.
“I cleaned the exam and went to Delhi where I was taught Kathak by Gurui,” he said.
Madan Pande has studied Kathak from Kundanlal Gangsani in Jaipur.
“I have taken Sandhya to Delhi in the hope that he will also learn from him.
But unfortunately, that in 1984, Kundanlalangi died and as Providence would have it, Birju Maharaj took it under his supervision,” Pande Toi said.
Unlike his daughter who spent years in Kendra in Delhi and learned from a famous teacher, Pande used to accompany his teacher when he visited his student homes to teach them to dance in Jaipur, the way back in the sixties.
“Most of what I learned is to watch and observe my teacher.
This continues for three years and then I returned to Nagpur and established the Kendra Kendra Swapoorti,” said Pande who had taught Kathak to more than 1,000 students in the city.
Then, Sandhya joined him to do classes.
“When my daughter returned and began teaching at my school, I looked at it as an artist and not a form teacher Pandit Birju Maharaj, in Nagpur.
“In 1987, he had traveled to the Soviet Union with Maharaji during Bharat Mahotsav, I want my students and friends here in the city to watch his appearance,” he said.
Expand Panditji as a god of Kathak, both father and son said that Birju Maharaj had a very clear imagination and an extraordinary sense of music found expression through his dance.
“Panditji is a careful teacher, he will say that Bhav, Mudra, even Thai-Amad is simple, must tell a story.
I can take this feel when I study through Teacher-Shishya Paramara that allows a student to spend hours at hours Teacher company.
This creates a very deep bond between teachers and Shishaya, “Sandhya said.
Praised countless hospitality, he added, “he found the use of teenagers oak doh, in a tihai not a bol.
His brilliance shows in a way where he can change worldly ballads to flow freely clear like time he takes topics like Cricket And Kho Kho and represent them through Kathak “.
Both Kathak exponents felt that the legendary teacher had students who were ready to devote time and dedicate their lives to study the shape.
“Today, a handful will have patience to learn this way.
Now, with online learning trends even the need to find time has been removed.
People learn at their convenience.
Panditji also gradually uses technology and sometimes it will show some Bhav above The lap to his students around the world, “Sandhya said.
Agree Pande who stopped taking classes because some misery on his knees and legs.
“But now one of my students who lives in the US has given me a laptop and encourages me to take online classes,” he added.
Teacher-Shishya Paramara and the bond created it
