‘Blessed to have spent time with him’: Papon recalls his meeting with Pandit Birju Maharaj(Pic Credit: IANS)
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Pandit Birju Maharaj transcended generations and geographies to touch a chord with different artistes in different ways. One of them is the singer and composer Papon, which is how the world knows Angaraag Mahanta.
The artist took to social media and posted a heartfelt tweet after hearing about Maharaj ji’s demise.
In his quest to popularise Assam’s Xatriya dance form, Papon spent time with Pandit Birju Maharaj and drew an immediate warm response from the maestro, which he has recorded in the second episode of his YouTube series, ‘The Land of the Sacred Beats’.
On Monday, Papon tweeted, “Blessed to have spent time with this greatness of a personality with a heart of a child.” He added that he regretted not being able to meet Maharaj ji again “for what I dreamt with him”.
He was referring to a possible collaboration with Maharaj ji to bring the Xatriya dance into the mainstream. Papon ended his tweet in Assamese: “Xaanti paok teur aataamai! (May your soul rest in peace!)”
Blessed to have spent time with this greatness of a personality with a heart of a child and a huge loss for me to that we couldn’t meet again for what I dreamt with him. Xaanti paok teur aataamai! 🙏🏼 #PanditBirjuMaharaj ji. pic.twitter.com/Xv8ig4x4i0
