Saswati sen biography for kids

Shambhu Maharaj

Sunder Prasad

The senior Gurus of Lucknow and Jaipur Kathak were such familiar figures during my early years at Kathak Kendra, that I didn’t consider their mortality.

Saswati sen biography for kids

I never stopped to think, that some day they would not be in their classroom when I returned to the Kendra after a trip home to the United States. Sunder Prasad-ji passed away on May 30, 1970 and Shambhu Maharaj-ji passed away a few months later, on November 4, 1970.

I had been fortunate to observe both of their classes during my early years at Kathak Kendra starting in 1967, but I wish I had seen more of their teaching style and known enough Hindi to understand their piquant sense of humor and pointed comments about their art.

I was impressed by the serious drill in executing chakkurs (pirouette turns) given by Shambhu Maharaj-ji to his older son Kishan Mohan. And I had once watched Sunder Prasad-ji rehearsing his star students Devi Lal and Durga Lal when they returned to his classroom after th