Noted tabla player Lachchhu Maharaj dies of cardiac arrest
Noted tabla player Lachchhu Maharaj (73) of the Banaras Gharana died of a cardiac arrest at a private hospital here on Wednesday.
He was the only player whose performance had reflection of all four tabla gharanas. Several foreigners learned tabla under his tutelage. Besides, many of his students are now part of Bollywood. His younger brother Rajendra Prasad Singh said the Centre had decided to give him Padma Shri in the 70s which he refused saying that no award was bigger than appreciation from the audience. He was very close to former PM Chandrashekhar.
Renowned tabla player Lachchhu Maharaj (73) of the Banaras Gharana died of a cardiac arrest at a private hospital here on Wednesday.
His younger brother Rajendra Prasad Singh said, “Maharaj was rushed to a hospital when he complained of severe chest pain. Doctors diagnosed that the cause of pain was heart attack and gave him treatment. But late in the night he passed away.”
Singh said, “His real name was Lakshmi Narayan Singh and he started playing tabla at a tender age of 10 under the guidance of our father Vasudev Singh, who was also a renowned tabla player. Starting from ‘tak dhin dhhinaa’, he picked up the nuances fast and attained perfection.”
“He had utmost perfection in tabla playing since beginning. His unique style coupled with perfection earned him fame and Lakshmi Narayan became Lachchhu Maharaj. His performance drew attention of the connoisseur of performing arts and music lovers from across the country,” Singh said. Bollywood actor Govinda is his nephew.
Famous for his pure Banarsi style and affable nature, Maharaj developed spiritual and philosophical tunes which he used to play often during his practice sessions (riyaaj).
He reached the zenith of his fame in 1971. Maharaj along with Sitar player Padma Shri Abdul Halim Zafar Khan and classical dancer Laxmini Panigrahi toured 27 countries for 40 days in 1972.
Singh said the Centre decided to give him Padma Shri in the 70s which he refused saying that no award was bigger than laurels from the audience. He was very close to former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar.
One of his students Lucky Upadhyay said, “Maharaj’s style of playing was entirely different. His ‘tak dhin dhinna’ performance was extremely popular among the audience. For him, tabla was a way for spiritual elevation. Maharaj used to be so engrossed in ‘riyaaz’ that it would continue for hours daily.”He was the only player whose performance had reflection of all four tabla gharanas. Several foreigners learned tabla under his tutelage. Besides, many of his students are now part of Bollywood.Maharaj’s nephew, Prashant Singh, said his wife Teena and daughter, who are in Switzerland, were informed about his death. “They are likely to arrive on Friday. Thereafter, the last rites would be performed at Manikarnika Ghat,” he added.