Artists pay tribute to Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj

Lucknow: Artists paid tribute to Pandit Birju Maharaj by showcasing performances on his fourth death anniversary at Kalka Bindadeen Deori on Sunday.The programme was organised by the UP culture department. Kathak dancer and brother of Birju Maharaj, Ram Mohan Maharaj said, "Birju maharaj always wanted that more and more people should learn Kathak of Lucknow gharana which is unique in its own way and I'm making efforts to draw attention of youngsters to their traditional dance form instead of running behind western dance".The programme began with ‘Guru Vandana' in which artists performed on ‘Natwari' (rhythmic composition). Second performance, was performed on a thumri ‘meri suno shyam' written by Birju maharaj.Third performance showed the magic of Kathak on tarana and teentaal, while the last performance was performed on a thumri. An Artist Rini Bharadwaj said, "I'm very fortunate that I got the opportunity to perform at a place where maestros of Kathak used to dance and practice".Incharge of Kalka Bindadeen Deori Dhananjay Singh said, "Such programmes promote the Lucknow Kathak gharana."