Every stage was a canvas for Pandit Birju Maharaj, painter of rhythm

The Kathak maestro revitalised the dance form, enthralling audiences over decades

A complete artist who lived music in its entirety, Kathak legend transcended to a heavenly stage on Monday, leaving behind a rich legacy.

Inspired by the rhythm of nature, every time he took the stage, it seemed the Almighty was dancing through him. Be it the movement of ants, a river in spate, a bird feeding its young or the Earth’s motion on its axis, there was nothing that escaped the Kathak maestro’s dancing eyes. Pandit Birju Maharaj’s eloquent facial expressions remained unmatched.

For the Padma Vibhushan, Kathak was not limited to the parans and chakkars. The stage was a canvas for Maharajji, as he was popularly called, where he would etch paintings of Krishna and Radha’s divine romance that would dissolve in space only to be replaced by a new one.