Pandit Bajinath Prasad also known as Pandit Lachhu Maharaj (1901–1978) was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer of Kathak dance. He came from a family of illustrious Kathak exponents in Lucknow, and also worked as film choreographer, Hindi cinema, most notably Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Pakeezah (1972).
He was awarded the 1957 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest award for performing artists, conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. He was paternal uncle of Pandit Birju Maharaj.
Early life and training
He received extensive training from Pandit
Bindadin Maharaj, his uncle and the court dancer of the Nawab of Awadh, for nearly ten years. He also learnt the
Pakhavaj, the
Tabla and Hindustani Classical vocal music.
Career
Later, he moved to
Mumbai, where the emerging film industry helped him to bring Kathak to a far wider audience. Lachhu Maharaj was acclaimed for the choreography of dance sequences in movies like
Mahal (1949),
Mughal-e-Azam (1960),
Chhoti Chhoti Baten (1965) and
Pakeezah (1972)
[ Filmography IMDb.] as well as his ballets like
Goutam Buddha,
Chandravali and
Bharatiya Kissan. He was also the founder Director of the Kathak Kendra started by the
Uttar Pradesh Government in
Lucknow.
Awards
Among many prestigious awards he won were the Presidents' Award and the 1957 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest award for performing artists, conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.
Legacy
In September 2007, a two-day festival was organized in
Lucknow to celebrate his birth centenary, in presence of his wife Rama Devi, his disciples like Nalini and Kamalini, a book on him was also released and students of the dance institution he founded, Kathak Kendra staged a ballet,
Megh Malhar.
See also
External links
