Legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj has died at the age of 83 due to cardiac arrest. He has left behind three daughters and two sons. Fondly called Pandit Ji and Maharaj Ji by his disciples and followers, he was one of the most famous dancers in the country, and his contribution to the art form is enormous.
Backstory: Pandit Ji was born on February 4th, 1937, to a family of dancers as Birj Mohan Nath Mishra. From a young age, he accompanied his father to perform and eventually earned the title of a guru (Maharaj). One of his many accomplishments is performing in the Darbar of the Rampur Nawab. At the young age of 28, he won the Academy Award for Drama. The Kathak centre was a subsidiary of the Music Drama Academy. Pandit Birju Maharaj was the head of the faculty at the Maharaj Sangeet Natak Academy. In 1998, he established the Kathak and Indian Fine Arts Academy as he retired.
In the Satyajit Ray directed movie Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Pandit Ji has produced the music and sang in them. Later in 2002, Pandit Ji choreographed the famous Kaahe Chhed Mohe from the movie Devdas starred Shah Rukh Khan.