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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 30 March 2005 |
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Bhimsen Joshi
Acknowledged as the leading light of the Kirana gharana, Bhimsen was on 14  February 1922 born into a Brahmin family of Gadag an idyllic village in Dharwad district of Kar- nataka. His childhood was spent
there as a conservative school master’s son Even as a child he was crazy about music, to the chagrin of his father who desired
that Bhimsen should get a sound education and qualify as a doctor or an engineer. But
Bhimsen, neglecting his studies, pursued music instead. At last he could not control any
more, his yearning to learn music, and one day he ran away from home. He had heard that
Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur in the North were the best places to learn classical music.
Therefore his first destination was Gwalior. At a young age he was deeply moved by a recording of Abdul Karim Khan, a great master of the Kirana gharana, from where started his rigorous training under Pandit Rambhan Kundgolkar, also known as Sawai Gandharva at Kundgol, who himself was a pupil of Abdul Karim Khan for 10 to 12 years.
A few years of his youth were thus spent in the company of well known musicians at
Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur, serving them and learning as much as he could from them.
His father, coming to know of Bhimsen's fervent desire for know- ledge in music, abandoned
his policy of opposition, fetched his son back and made arrangements for him to learn
under the guidance of Sawai Gandharva of Kundol. This opportunity opened the vaults of
rich and rare musical treasures to Bhimsen. Bhimsen's natural tuneful voice received
further polish from his guru. Like a diamond which sparkles all the brighter after it is
expertly cut, Bhimsen's voice began to shine with a new luster and brilliance which has
dazzled and cast a spell on the entire country.
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi has added his own distinctive style, excelling in gamakar, meend and tanakriya and adapting characteristics from other gharanas to create a unique vocal idiom. His seemingly effortless performances are the result of relentless riyaz. He earned his first platinum disc in 1986. He has been honoured with the Padma Shree in 1972, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1985.
For over four decades Pandit Bhimsen Joshi has led the renaissance  of Indian classical music with the passion and power of a one-man chorus. It is an epic saga of struggle, of a single-pointed thirst for music. Perhaps that is why Pandit Bhimsen Joshi has been a daredevil, a risk-taker for most of his life. Through his amazing absorption of the soul of various gayaki styles, he has created a unique blend, adding his own introspective aesthetic sense. His narrative and structure is never inaccurate and he presents his music where the listener finds the raga engulfing him from all sides.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 23 April 2006 )
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