Birju Maharaj wanted to be a mechanic!

Kathak legend Birju Maharaj says that during his childhood days, he thought of becoming a mechanic and repairing cars. Recalling his childhood days, Maharaj said, “When I was a kid, apart from practising dance, I used to spend time on mechanical work like repairing the old radio in our house, interacting with garage mechanics. Since my father passed away when I was just nine years old, I told my mother, ‘Amma, don’t worry. I will not keep you hungry. I will be a mechanic and will repair cars. I will earn money to buy our bread until I become a good dancer’.” 

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He adds, “I used to tell stories to my mother about becoming big one day. I always wanted to know what is there under the car, what all those mechanics do. Apart from that, my favourite thing was to fly kites from the rooftop and watch birds flying in the sky.” With time, that little boy danced his way into the hearts of many people across the globe. The artiste has received honours like the Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and National Awards. So, even today, at the age of 79, what excites him about dance? “There is a constant process of creating something in my head space. There are only seven colours, but their right combination creates some of the magical colours that a painter uses to express on his canvas,” he says. — IANS