Kanthe Maharaj Biography
Kanthe Maharaj, a famous Indian Vadya Shiromani of the Banares Gharana, was born in the year 1880 in the Kabir Chaura Muhallah of the Varanasi city. And he has passed away at 1st August in the year 1970 (at his 90) in the Varanasi as well. He was very professional tabla player of the India and had performed at many places all over the India as well as outside the country. He was trained by the most renowned celebrity, Baldev Sahaya. Along with the Baldev Sahaya, he was a court musician of the Nepal. He lived most of the time of his life in the Calcutta city. Later, he taught his tabla playing activity to his many disciples named Badri Maharaj, Krishna Kumar Ganguli, Nanku Maharaj, Ashutosh Bhattacharji, Ramnath Misra, Kishan Maharaj, Shamta Prasad (also known as Gudai Maharaj), Nanhe Sahaya and Sital Misra.
Kanthe Maharaj Tabla
He got the tabla playing property through his generation as his father named Pandit Daleep Mishra, was also an outstanding tabla player. His father taught him all the important lessons of the tabla playing and later he was taught by the Baldev Dahayaji. It is considered as; the Kanthe Maharaj was the first tabla player who has presented the stuti means the praise of Lords through his Tabla. Around 70 years he entertained the whole world with his great tabla plying. In 1954, he made a tabla playing record for about two and half hours. He was very famous personality, always renowned for playing the different style tabla. He was the great tabla maestro who could generate unique and wonderful variety of tones from his tabla for any type of rag. It is also considered that he was practicing daily with a slow ‘Na Dhin Dhin Na’ whenever he wanted to be concentrated. He is still and will always be remembered by the people as a great tabla maestro.
Awards and Recognitions
- He was awarded with the Sangeet Natak Academy award in the year 1961.
- He made a record of playing tabla for about 2 and ½ hrs in the year 1954.
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