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Kalashram, a school of dance and fine arts in New Delhi, was started by:
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Answer: Option B — Pandit Birju Maharaj
Detailed Solution
Explanation
Kalashram, an institution for the teaching of Kathak and other arts, was founded by the great Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj in New Delhi in 1998, after he retired from the Kathak Kendra. It trains students in Kathak, music, yoga, painting and other subjects related to the arts.
Pandit Birju Maharaj (1938-2022), born Brijmohan Nath Mishra, was the most famous Kathak dancer of modern India. He was born in Lucknow into the Kalka-Bindadin family, the leading family of the Lucknow gharana of Kathak. His father, Achchan Maharaj, and his uncles, Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj, were famous dancers. He was known for his graceful movements, his brilliant footwork, his expressive storytelling, and his skill as a singer, drummer and poet. He headed the Kathak Kendra in Delhi for many years and trained a large number of dancers. He choreographed dances for films such as Satyajit Ray's "Shatranj Ke Khilari" (1977), "Devdas" (2002) and "Bajirao Mastani" (2015), and he won the National Film Award for Best Choreography for "Vishwaroopam" (2013). He received the Padma Vibhushan in 1986 and the Kalidas Samman.
Several great dancers founded famous institutions. Rukmini Devi Arundale founded Kalakshetra (1936) in Chennai, Mrinalini Sarabhai founded the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts (1949) in Ahmedabad, and Kumudini Lakhia founded the Kadamb School of Dance and Music (1967) in Ahmedabad.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kumudini Lakhia founded Kadamb in Ahmedabad.
- ✗Mrinalini Sarabhai founded Darpana in Ahmedabad.
- ✗Rukmini Devi Arundale founded Kalakshetra in Chennai.
- ✗None of them founded Kalashram.
💡 Exam tip
Match dancers with their institutions: Kalashram (Birju Maharaj), Kalakshetra (Rukmini Devi), Darpana (Mrinalini Sarabhai) and Kadamb (Kumudini Lakhia).💬 Discussions on this question
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Art & Culture Personalities — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Art & Culture Personalities, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the people behind India's art and culture: classical and folk dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists, painters, sculptors, theatre and film personalities, and the gurus who founded or revived art forms. Questions also cover the art form each person is known for and the honours they have received. Exams typically name a person and ask for their art form, or name an art form and ask who popularised it. Recent Padma award winners from the arts appear often, so link each name to the field and state the award was given for. Since award lists change every year, always revise from the latest official list rather than relying on older notes. Practise the art and culture personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.