"Padmashree" , "Padmabhushan, Pt. Kishan Maharaj is one of the finest Tabla players of our time. Born on the auspicious day of Sri Krishna Janamashthami in the year 1923, in the holy city of Varanasi, his career spans over half a century and began at the tender age of eleven years, accompanying the principal artistes of the day.
Pt. Kishan Maharaj, whose ancestry boasts many professional musicians, also has an illustrious pedigree of teachers. His father Pandit Hari Maharaj first taught him. After the untimely death of his father, his training was taken over by his uncle, Pt. Kanthe Maharaj, one of the great old masters and himself a disciple of Pt. Baldeo Sahai. Pt. Baldeo Sahai was the son of Pt. Bhairav Sahai who was the son of Pt. Ram Sahai, the founder of the great Banaras gharana.
Pt. Ram Sahai learnt Tabla from Ustad Modu Khan of Lucknow and that is why Banaras gharana is considered a branch of Lucknow or Poorab gharana. It is generally accepted that there are six gharanas in Tabla, each with a distinct style of its own. Banaras gharana is the youngest of these six traditions.
Pt. Kishan Maharaj’s ability to play cross rhythms and produce complex calculations, particularly in tihai patterns has made him one of the most respected and popular Tabla players of his time. He has immense versatility with regard to playing any kind of accompaniment, be it with the Sitar, Sarod, Dhrupad, Dhamar or dance. He plays in his own distinctive style. The Tabla world follows him and his style.
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