Saswati Sen has known Pandit Birju Maharaj for over forty-five years. Gradually, she began to see the divinity in her talented master and decided to write a book on his life and work. Birju Maharaj: The Master Through My Eyes presents layers of the Kathak maestro’s personality as witnessed by one of his foremost disciples.It reveals how this icon of Indian dance, who is a mentor for thousands and an inspiration for countless people across the globe, is actually an unassuming, simple person outside his artistic world. Accompanied by rare and delightful photographs, this book, the author’s dream project, is a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Birju Maharaj—a man who, among his many achievements, spread awareness of Kathak, not only in India, but abroad, while touching innumerable lives along the way.
Reviews of Birju Maharaj
-In eight chapters, the book details the different stages in Birju Maharaj's life — from a childhood spent among the legends of the Lucknow Kalka-Bindadin gharana of Kathak to becoming the greatest exponent of the dance form. With numerous photographs of the dance maestro with his disciples, the coffee-table book unravels layers of his personality as witnessed by Sen in the last four decades—a dutiful family man, a zealous master, a great and unassuming artiste and a compassionate human being.
-Mint