बिरजू महाराज से साक्षात्कार

1. Introduction: Whenever Kathak is mentioned, Birju Maharaj comes to mind. He inherited the art, and his life had ups and downs like the notes of a raga. A group of children introduce him to us through their questions.

2. A childhood of struggle: Birju Maharaj says his family was once very rich, but after his father's death money became scarce. Sometimes they borrowed, sometimes they burnt old zari saris to sell the gold and silver threads, and on many nights there was no dinner. His mother was his greatest support and kept telling him never to stop practising, whatever there was to eat.

3. Teachers and the ganda ritual: His teachers were his father and two uncles. Because Kathak filled the home, he learnt by watching even before formal training began. At the start of training a guru ties a sacred thread (ganda) and the student offers a gift. His father asked for the gift, and his mother gave the earnings of two of his performances. Today Birju Maharaj reverses the custom — he ties the ganda only after years of teaching, when he sees true dedication in the student.

4. Studies and art together: He says it depends on one's capacity; one of his students is an IAS officer and also a fine dancer. He himself dances, sings, plays and composes music for dance-dramas. When he took up a job, his uncle warned that the dancer in him would not fully grow, but he resolved to work hard enough to become a true 'Maharaj'.

5. Kathak's tradition and gharanas: Kathak is very old; it is mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Earlier it was an informal way of telling stories in temples. The ancestors of the Lucknow gharana came from Hariya village between Banaras and Allahabad, home to many kathiks. A folk verse about the 'Bairagiya nala' tells how three robbers forgot everything, lost in the dance of nine kathiks. After Lucknow came the Jaipur and then the Banaras gharanas; Maharaja Chakradhar of Raigarh also had his own style.

6. The importance of rhythm: Singing, playing and dancing are all parts of music, and rhythm is its life. He gives the example of a grass-cutter: if the rhythm of his sickle slips even a little, he can cut his hand. Rhythm keeps balance in every task, in dance and in life. For him, dance is a discipline of body, attention and devotion.

7. New experiments in Kathak: He kept the old tradition but changed the presentation. He added the striking standing postures and gestures of his father and uncles, and blended the teaching of all three into a new form. He also created Kathak pieces on works of Tagore, Tyagaraja and others. On language differences he recalls a viewer in France who did not know Yashoda; he explained that every mother on earth is Yashoda and every little child is Krishna. Tradition, he says, is like a tree giving shade to all, while a new tree grown from its seed takes shape from the air and water it receives.

8. Then and now: Earlier there were no stages; dance took place on a white sheet spread on the floor with the audience all around. Sandal paste was the make-up and paan coloured the lips. Dancers used to show every detail of a scene, such as the whole episode of the gopis and Krishna at the village well; now a hint is given and the rest is left to the audience's imagination.

9. Childhood memories: He started playing the tabla very young; his uncle said the boy had rhythm in his hands. By five he was playing the lahra on the harmonium and singing film songs. Once his sisters dressed him up with a bindi and a scarf and he danced for a long time to a film song; when his uncle arrived, he threw everything off in fright and hid.

10. Folk, classical and the different styles: Folk dance is collective; people dance to shed tiredness and for pleasure. In classical dance one dancer is enough, and it is meant for an audience. The storyteller was first a folk dancer; once the style became fixed, the dance became classical. He names Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Odissi and Manipuri as the main styles. Kathak's gestures come from daily life and Bharatanatyam's from sculpture. In Kathak the neck moves gently like a lamp's flame and the fingers very slowly — which brings back his uncle's funny scolding: 'Are you lifting a veil or a tent?'

11. Free time and hobbies: He says he is never idle. He loves machines — had he not been a dancer, he might have been an engineer. He keeps a screwdriver and small tools in his briefcase and repairs his own fan and fridge. Watching his daughter and son-in-law, both painters, he too took up painting, often late at night.

12. A message for parents and children: He requests parents to let a child who is interested 'play with rhythm', since it develops balance, a sense of time and the mind. His sisters were not taught Kathak, but he taught his daughters well. Girls, he says, must have education or a skill so they can stand on their own feet. Music brings peace of mind, discipline, balance and the spirit of working together.