| "And in that state of creation is bliss" says J. | | | | of their marriage her husband was diagnosed to have |
| Krishnamurti. Probably this is why a true artist is so | | | | lung tuberculosis. The family shifted to Dewas in |
| passionate about being innovative. Kumar Gandharva | | | | Madhya Pradesh for Kumar ji's treatment. Bhanumati |
| was such an artiste whose creative genius enthralled | | | | started working as Headmistress in a school. |
| the music lovers for a period of more than six | | | | It was appearing that the career of Kumar |
| decades. His experiments and innovations not only | | | | Gandharva had come to an end. He had to go |
| enriched the Raga Sangeet but also revived Bhakti | | | | through a very complicated lung surgery. But he |
| Sangeet and explored the fields of folk music. | | | | returned to the world of music in 1952 with a very |
| CHILD PRODIGY: | | | | distinctive style of gayaki which was very much his |
| Born on 8th April, 1924 in Sulebhavi near Belgaum in | | | | own and a deep insight in music which he had |
| the state of Karnataka, Shivputra Siddramaiyya | | | | developed from his study of folk music of Malwa |
| Komkali was gifted with an unusual talent at | | | | during his forced confinement to bed due to illness. |
| childhood. At the age of 7 he could reproduce the | | | | He joined classical music back to its roots of folk |
| renderings of the masters of classical music like Ustad | | | | music and enriched both. |
| Abdul Karim Khan, Ustad Faiyaz Khan and Pt. | | | | THE INNOVATIVE GENIUS: |
| Vazebua with incredible perfection. He was | | | | Kumar Gandharva is regarded as a rebel of Hindustani |
| affectionately nicknamed as Kumar Gandharva( the | | | | classical music. But his rebellion spirit inspired him to |
| celestial singer), the name which was to shine with | | | | experiment and explore the field of music. Instead of |
| the brilliance of the full moon in the sky of Hindustani | | | | following the beaten path he preferred to discover |
| classical music. | | | | new paths in the field of performing music. Though |
| Though Kumar's debut album containing Ragas | | | | he always came on the stage with a new set of |
| Durga("Sakhi Mori Run Jhun") and Bhairavi("Shyam | | | | bandishes, yet his presentations of old bandishes |
| Sundar Man Mohan") was released when he was only | | | | were equally refreshing and enchanting. Also he |
| 9, yet the eleventh year of his life proved to be a | | | | created many new ragas including Malvati, Ahimohini, |
| great success. In 1935 first he performed in the All | | | | Gauri Basant, Lankeshree, Lagan Gandhar, Sanjari, |
| India Conference of Music at Allahabad in front of a | | | | Madhwa, Madhsurja, Saheli Todi, Chaiti Bhoop, Sohni |
| large select audience of Pundits and musicologists | | | | Bhatiyar, Durga Kedar and Bhavmat Bhairav. In 1969 |
| including Aftab-e-Mausiqui Ustad Faiyaz Khan and the | | | | he paid his homage to Mahatma Gandhi with Gandhi |
| famous playback singer Kundan Lal Sehgal. Highly | | | | Malhar when the Nation was celebrating the Birth |
| impressed Sehgal invited him to Kolkata to perform in | | | | Centenary of the latter. |
| a music conference. In Kolkata the young lad sang a | | | | In 1961 his beloved wife Bhanu passed away. It was |
| thumri "Piya Bin Nahin Avat Chain" in raga Jhinjhoti and | | | | a great shock to him. Later he married to Vasundhara |
| almost held the audience spell-bound with his | | | | Shrikhande. She was herself a classical vocalist and |
| remarkable perfection and control. Later in 1936 he | | | | contributed selflessly in all innovations of her husband. |
| preformed in Jinnah Hall of Mumbai and the concert | | | | In 1965 the first volume of the book 'Anoop Raag |
| was again successful. Next day The Times of India | | | | Vilas' containing 136 compositions in 107 old popular |
| and other newspapers were filled with his praise and | | | | ragas, 17 his own and 12 complex ragas, was |
| acknowledged him as "a future genius". | | | | published. Kumar dedicated this to Bhanumati. |
| GROOMING OF A GENIUS: | | | | In 1966 he came out with a whole concert on the |
| Kumar Gandharva found his guru and mentor in Prof. | | | | theme of the rainy season-Geet Varsha. It was an |
| B. R. Deodhar, a doyen of the Gwalior Gharana and a | | | | unprecedented event in the realm of classical music |
| disciple of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. Under his | | | | of the period. He presented this programme with as |
| tutelage Kumar not only learnt various intricacies of | | | | many as 18 compositions including khayals, thumris, |
| Khayal gayaki and other genres of Hindustani music, | | | | tappas and bhajans. Then followed Triveni(1967), Mala |
| but also became an independent thinker on music. At | | | | Umajlele Bal Gandharva(1968), Geet Hemant (1968), |
| Prof. Deodhar's music school he enjoyed the privilege | | | | Thumri Tappa Tarana(1969), Malwa ki Lok |
| of meeting doyens of various Gharanas of classical | | | | Dhunen(1970), Geet Basant (1971), Tambe Geet |
| music including Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad | | | | Rajani(1973), Tulsi Ek Darshan(1973), Rituraj |
| Sinde Khan and Pt. Rajabhaiya Poonchhwale and | | | | Mehfil(1976), Gaudmalhar Darshan(1976), Tukaram Ek |
| listening to them. | | | | Darshan(1976), Surdas Ek Darshan and Hori Darshan. |
| On 24 April, 1947 he got married to a very beautiful | | | | He presented special concerts, each one devoted to |
| girl Bhanumati Kans. A postgraduate from St. Xavier | | | | his exposition of a particular raga like Malkauns, |
| College of Mumbai, Bhanumati herself was a classical | | | | Bageshree or Hameer. Generally he showed different |
| vocalist and remained the inspiration behind Kumar's | | | | facets of a single raga with as many as five or six |
| innovations. But she did not know that soon she | | | | bandishes-traditional as well as his own. For him a raga |
| would have to take the whole responsibility of the | | | | is as dynamic as a living being and has different |
| family on her young shoulders. Just after five months | | | | incarnations at different times. |