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Gwalior Gharana singer Pt Mohanrao Karve dies at 90

In 1934, Karve conquered hearts as a child artiste in film Bhakta Prahlad.

mohanrao kharve, mohanrao kharve dead Pandit Mohanrao Karve (left) with Pandit Jasraj and Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan.

A renowned name in the field of Hindustani classical music Pune-based Gwalior Gharana vocalist , Pandit Mohanrao Karve, passed away on Thursday. He was 90 years old and is survived by wife Sulabha and four daughters. One of his daughters Manjari Alegaonkar is a well-known classical singer. His funeral took place late in the evening at Vaikuntha Crematorium the same day.

“For the past few months he was not keeping well. About two days ago, he fell down at home and was hospitalised at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. He was supposed to undergo a surgery but before the surgery could be performed, he died,” said city-based musician Chaitanya Kunte who is not only a disciple of the late musician but also a family friend of the Karves. Kunte took lessons in vocal under Karve for about seven years.

From an early age, Karve had a keen interest in music which he had inherited from his parents. While his mother was a skilled harmonium player, his father, though worked as a government official, had a good ear for classical music. The couple encouraged Karve thoroughly to follow his passion.

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At a young age, Karve joined the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya — a well known music institute in Pune. Interestingly, he was one of the few students who passed out from the first batch of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.

In 1934, he worked as a child artiste in the film Bhakta Prahlad, which was produced by Saraswati Cinetone. As the era lacked technology in playback singing, the young Karve was required to sing as well as act in the film that was directed by KP Bhave.

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“His role was appreciated a lot and even the songs of the film became very popular. They were well-received especially by women audience as the songs were devotional in nature. After the film, he became popular as Master Mohan,” said Kunte.

After the release of Bhakta Prahlad, he was trained by various stalwarts like Gayanacharya Ramkrishnabua Vaze, Late Haribhau Ghanghrekar, Baburao Phadke, Phatak Bua, Babanrao Kulkarni, Bhave Bua, Navneet Bhai Patel and Vamanrao Deshpande to name a few.

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During those days, Kunte said, Ravivar Mandal also known as Sunday Club, established by late Ganukaka Katre, was a prestigious music club in Pune.

The venue witnessed performances by eminent artistes such as Pt Kumar Gandharva, Bal Gandharva, Nivruttibua Samaik, Pt Mallikarjun Mansoor, Ahmedjan Thirakwa Saheb and also Karve, who performed as a solo as well as an accompanying artiste. Besides, Karve was also a recognised artiste by All India Radio.

City-based musician Ustad Usman Khan, who knew him closely, said, “His devotion to his art was commendable. He never compromised when it came to teaching his students. He was also a great human being.”

For his contribution in Hindustani classical music, he was felicitated with many awards and recognitions such as Pt. Jasraj Mitra Mandal Puraskar, Kalashree Mandal Puraskar, Vivekananda Puraskar, Abasaheb Mujumdar Puraskar, Vishnu Digambar Puraskar by Gandarva Mahavidyalaya and so on. Some of the musicians who have trained under him include Varsha Tendulkar, Kamlabai Vijapurkar, Anand Parkhi, Shekhar Mahajan and Krishna Joshi among others.

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“He was extremely kind and loving as a teacher to all his students,” said Kunte.

First uploaded on: 10-01-2015 at 04:04 IST
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