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Renowned tabla player Kishan Maharaj passed away late on Sunday, May 4, 2008 in Varanasi following a brief illness. He was admitted to a private hospital at Khajuri after suffering a paralytic attack last week. Kishan Maharaj suffered the attack at the time when noted Sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan along with his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali were visiting him. The famous tabla maestro was eighty four.
Kishan Maharaj started playing the tabla at the tender age of eleven and learnt the art under the watchful eyes of his father Pandit Hari Maharaj. His career as the finest tabla player of the country spanned over half a century. He was honored with a number of awards. Maharaj received the Padamshree in 1973, the Kendriya sangeet Natak Award in 1984 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2002. The tabla maestro was extremely versatile and was known to play along with any accompaniment, be it Sarod, Sitar, Dhrupad, dance or dhamar.
