Pt. Bhimsen Joshi
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Anybody
who has even a bit of interest in music is sure to have heard this
name - Bhimsen Joshi. A musical marvel, his singing invariably
provides listeners with a finest musical experience. Perhaps it
wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that today there aren't many
other vocalist comparable to him in the entire nation.
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, born in 1922 and now in his 60s, commands
proficiency and fame that amaze the musical world. His voice is
blessed by a magical spell that turns every note into a golden one.
Billions of notes have received the golden touch of his voice so
far, and have been honey to the ears for millions of his fans.
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Born
into a Brahmin family of Gadag in Karnataka, Bhimsen spent most of
his childhood there. Love for music started early in his life. With
Bhimsen being fond of music even as a little child. As opposed to
his father who desired that Bhimsen got a sound education and
qualified as a doctor or an engineer, Bhimsen, neglected his studies
and pursued music instead. Giving in to his yearning to learn music,
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. So the first destination he
hit in search of musical learning was Gwalior. |
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Consequently, quite a few years of his youth were spent in the
company of well-known musicians at Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur,
interacting with them and learning as much as he could from them.
His father, having realised Bhimsen's desire for knowledge in music,
gave up his policy of opposition and got his son back and made
arrangements for him to learn under the guidance of Sawai Gandharva
of Kundol. It was this opportunity that opened the world of rich and
rare musical treasures to Bhimsen.
Aversatile singer, Bhimsen is an expert in singing khayals, thumris
and Abhangs (composed by the saints of Maharashtra are instances in
point). If you haven't heard him ever, his voice is also heard in
the Doordarshan film for national integration - 'Mile Sur Mera
Tumhara…'.
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| Panditji
has been conferred with several prestigious awards such as the Sangeet
Natak Awards, the Mysore Sangeet Natak Academy Award, and the Padmashree.
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