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Legendary Kathak Dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj Passes Away

Pandit Birju Mahara || Photo: Collected

Pandit Birju Mahara || Photo: Collected

Kathak legend Pandit Birju Maharaj died at the age of 83 in Delhi, after suffering a heart attack on Monday. 

According to reports, Birju Maharaj was playing with his grandsons late on Sunday night when his health deteriorated and he became unconscious. He was taken to hospital where he was declared dead.

"He was with us when this happened. He had his dinner and we were playing 'antakshari' because he loved old music. He was lying down... and suddenly his breathing became uneven. We think it was cardiac arrest as he was also a heart patient.

"This happened between 12.15 and 12.30 am. It must have been just a minute or so. We rushed to the hospital but unfortunately, we could not save him. He died before reaching the hospital," Birju Maharaj's granddaughter Ragini, a Kathak dancer herself, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The Kathak exponent had been suffering from a kidney ailment and was under dialysis treatment.

A recipient of the country's second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, he was fondly called Pandit-ji or Maharaj-ji by his disciples and legions of followers and was one of India's best-known artists.

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