Luchchu Maharaj

Baijnath Prasad, affectionately called Luchchu, as he was very naughty in his boyhood, was the second son of Kalika Prasad. In his early days he was trained by his father and on his death by his elder brother Achchan Maharaj. He started giving public performances from ten years of age and continued to do so till he was about 60. He preferred to stay at Bombay, where he lived for a long time and started his school of dancing by the name of "Nutan Nritya Niketan". He composed a number of ballets in Kathak technique. A few ballets he composed for Menaka. He trained his daughter Kaushalya, among others, who became famous as a dancer at one time. He won the Sangeet Natak Akademy, New Delhi award for Kathak dance in 1957. Luchchu Maharaj also earned fame as a cinema-dance and music director in the film world. He worked in the same capacity, among others, in Mahal, Kale Badal, Tamasha, Ghar Ki Laaj and Shikwa, Some of his dance compositions, such as Bharaliya Kisan, Gandhi Ki Amar Kahani, Madya Nishedh etc., became very popular. Besides Kathak he had fair knowledge of other dance styles as well.
 

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