Born into a family of hereditary dancers, the extraordinary genius of Pandit Birju Maharaj needs no introduction. This great Kathak exponent is the son and disciple of the famous Pandit Achhan Maharaj and is the torchbearer of the Kalka-Bindadin gharana of Lucknow. Besides being a superb dancer he has a wonderful voice, having remarkable command over thumri, dadra, bhajan etc. and is also a commendable percussionist. Having successfully trained a number of students in India and abroad he is also known for his experimental dance dramas and choreography all over the world.

Hindustan classical vocalist and resident guru at the ITC SRA, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty too is a household name amongst lovers of this genre. A history of sorts was created when both he and the kathak maestro came together in a rare duet providing the grand finale to the ITC Sangeet Sammelan held at Kolkata in November 2002.

In spite of his sixty plus years, Maharajji showed rare flexibility and finesse and held the overflowing crowds in complete sway. He presented some brain teasing tihais, gintis and compositions, where the young tabla player from Mumbai, Yogesh Samsi showed remarkable skill. The next part had Maharajji singing thumris to which Saswati Sen, his best known disciple, danced with exuberance and grace. The third part had Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty rendering a thumri in Pilu, followed by the well-known dadra “Tirichi Nazariya Ke Baad”. This prompted Saswati to break into a spontaneous dance, much to the delight of both Ajoy and the audience. The last part of the event had both Ajoy and Maharaji occupying centre stage. Together, they kept the audience spellbound, rendering bandishes and thumris in unison punctuated with Maharajji’s superb, awe-inspiring abhinaya. Among the compositions presented were “Bada Jodi Nahi Re” and “Badi Der Hui, Ghar Jaane De”. Roshan Ali on the sarangi, Debashish Sarkar on the harmonium and vocals and Chandrachud Bhattacharya on the sitar provided the accompaniment at this much awaited program.

Here is a short clip from the programme.