IANS
Mumbai, Dec 21: Kathak legend Birju Maharaj says that during his childhood days, he thought of becoming a mechanic and repairing cars.
He is here on a two-day visit for the Kalashram Kathak Contest at the Tata Theatre, National Centre of Performing Arts. The contest winner will earn the ‘Pandit Birju Maharaj Crown’. Young Kathak dancers from across the country participated in the contest, which has been curated by Birju Maharaj. The finalists will perform here Thursday evening.
Recalling his childhood days, Maharaj said here: “I always take interest in gadgets, especially in the present time. There are so many varieties now. I see people shot in tiny light-weighted cameras with such good picture quality. “When I was a kid, apart from practising dance, I used to spend time on mechanical work like repairing the old radio in our house, interacting with garage mechanics. Since my father passed away when I was just nine years old, I told my mother, ‘Amma, don’t worry. I will not keep you hungry. I will be a mechanic and will repair cars. I will earn money to buy our bread until I become a good dancer’.” “I used to tell stories to my mother about becoming big one day. I always wanted to know what is there under the car, what all those mechanics do. Apart from that, my favourite thing was to fly kites from the rooftop and watch birds flying in the sky.”
With time, that little boy danced his way into the hearts of many people across the globe. The artiste has received honours like the Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and National Awards.
“There is a constant process of creating something in my head space. There are only seven colours but their right combination creates some of the magical colours that a painter uses to express on his canvas. “Similarly, there are nine emotions and a few gestures that we have in Kathak. But with their right combination, creates thousands of new dance pieces. They are more nuanced. This keeps me alive,” said Birju Maharaj.
Over the years, he teamed up with actors like Madhuri Dixit, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone for Indian films as a choreographer but Madhuri remains his favourite. Asked why he can’t find anyone better, he replied: “Because she read me and the rest followed me. No, no, I am joking. There is a difference between a trained dancer and an enthusiast.”
