A voice that will be heard forever

Music lovers have got the blues ever since we heard the news of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi's death. CS tells you more about the classical vocalist and Bharat Ratna awardee:u00a0

>>u00a0A member of the Kirana Gharana, he was renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his bhajans and abhangs.

>>u00a0He was born into a Marathi family in the town of Ron which was then in Gadag, Karnataka. He was the eldest in a family of 16 siblings.

>>u00a0Pt Joshi heard a recording of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan's Thumri 'Piya Bin Nahi Aavat Chain' in Raag Jhinjhoti when he was a child, which inspired him to become a musician.

>>u00a0Until the first half of the 20th century, Khayal was principally taught in the Guru Shishya tradition. In 1933, the 11-year-old Pt Joshi left Dharwad for Bijapur to find a master and learn music. With the help of money lent by his co-passengers in the train, Bhimsen reached Dharwar, Pune and then Gwalior where he joined a music school. He traveled for three years around North India trying to find a good guru. Eventually, his father succeeded in tracking him down in Jalandar and brought him back home.

>>u00a0In 1936, Pt Rambhau Kundgolkar agreed to be his guru.

>>u00a0Pt Joshi moved to Mumbai in 1943 and worked as a radio artist. He first performed live at the age 19. His debut album that had songs in Hindi and Kannada was released when he was 22.