Mamta Maharaj

🪔 About

Mamta Maharaj, born on August 11, 1969, is a highly renowned Kathak dancer, choreographer, and guru of the Lucknow gharana. She represents the eighth generation of this traditional dance form, inheriting a powerful lineage as the daughter and first female "ganda-bandh shagird" of the legendary Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj, under whom she received extensive training. Breaking traditional family norms that historically restricted women in her family from professional Kathak performance, Mamta Maharaj became the first female professional performer from the Kalka-Bindadin Lucknow Gharana. Her illustrious career has seen her perform extensively across India, in cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi, and Hyderabad, and internationally in countries including the USA, Canada, Malaysia, China, and Burma. She is celebrated for her expressive abhinaya and exquisite movements, and has also explored creative fusions, collaborating with other dancers to blend Kathak with Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi. As a dedicated educator, Mamta Maharaj teaches at Kalashram in New Delhi, an institution founded by her father to promote Kathak. She also established Brijshyam Kalakunj in Aundh, Pune, a premier institute for training in the Lucknow Gharana style of Kathak. Her teaching legacy extends internationally, having imparted her knowledge at the Fine Arts Temple in Perth, Australia, and regularly conducting lectures and demonstrations worldwide. Awards & Honours: Yuva Mahotsava Award.