Musical tribute to Pt Lachhu Maharaj
Atwo-day cultural event Naman was organised to pay tributes to kathak legend Pt Lachhu Maharaj. The event was held at Sant Gadge Auditorium of UP Sangeet Natak Academy as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav.
Traditional kathak performances and Sufi-kathak presentations were held in memory of the maestro to celebrate his birth anniversary. Many of his disciples were part of the presentation and were thrilled to back on stage after several months.
Performances on Maithili Sharan Gupt’s Bharat Bharati and Bikram Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Vande Mataram brought the stage alive with the memories of preindependence era. The two-day festival was also streamed live on SNA’s online platforms.
Aditi Thapliyal student of Dr Kumkum Dhar along with Amisha Tiwari, Ranjana Sharma presented a beautiful act which was musically composed by Sangeeta K Kulkarni and was ably supported by well-known tabla artiste Arun Bhatt. Later, Dhar also shared a number of anecdotes and instances related to her guru. She says, “For Pt Lacchu Maharaj his art was his life. His art has and will always keep him alive among us for years to come.”
Another soulful treat Alakh Azadi Ki was staged by kathak exponent Manisha Mishra where she was supported on tabla by her father Pt Ravinath Mishra and her son Ardhaya Praveen. Song recital for the act was rendered by classical singers Manjusha and Piyush Mishra. It was a day to remember for the artistes as they not only got to pay rich tributes to the legend but also perform together as a family after a long time.
“I am blessed to be able to present a tribute to Pt Maharaj and that too along with my family as it’s because of him kathak as a dance form has achieved new heights,” says Manisha.
Later, under the direction of Shruti Sharma, students of the academy came with a beautiful act on Vandana Mantra. The performers included Shivangi, Shrishti, Vidhi and others. The event was inaugurated by SNA secretary Tarun Raj.