Bharataratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi
By Dr. Nagarajarao Havaldar
If Sawai Gandharva sang the same raga ten times it would be like decorating the idol of Devi in ten different ways during Navaratri, said Pt. Bhimsen Joshi paying tribute to his Guru. Those who have listened to him singing Malkauns or Puriya or Darbari would have felt the same way about the versatility of Panditji also.
Dr. Nagarajarao Havaldar, a renowned musician, takes us through the illustrious career of Bhimasena who as a young boy without a pie in his pocket sets out seeking a Guru and ultimately lands himself under the tutelage of Ramabhau Sawai Gandharva in Kundagol near Gadag, the birth place of Panditji. During his musical journey spanning over seven and half decades, he travelled in bullock carts to remote places, drove his own car at breakneck speed, and flew so frequently to different countries. Phula Deshpande, well-known writer and humorist, called him “Havai Gandhrva”!
Several books and essays have been written about him in Kannada, Marathi and English highlighting different aspects of this foremost artiste of Kirana Gharana. Havaldar’s is an absorbing book brought out as a result of interacting with many of Panditji's contemporaries, members of his family and the author’s own close association with his guru Madhav Gudi who spent long years with Pt. Bhimsen Joshi in the true Gurukula system.
Despite strict adherence to classicism, Bhimsen Joshi was not averse to singing abhangs in his own inimitable style by which he became a household name all over Maharashtra. His Dasavani and Santavani performances attracted full houses all over.
Piyush Pande former Ranji cricket player of Rajasthan, who wrote the song “Mile Sur Mera Hamara” on national integration recalls how thrilled he was when Pt. Bhimsen Joshi who was by then a legend sang in it, to be joined by the likes of Lata Mangeshkar and Balamurali Krishna. Bridge music provided by Louis Banks has lent additional charm to this ever green song.
Havaldar’s adoration for the maestro does not forbid him from referring to Panditji’s weakness for alcohol which had almost ruined his musical career. Fortunately, he comes out of it in quick time by undergoing a process of detoxification and continues to enthral music lovers.
The chapter dealing with the finer aspects of Panditji’s rendering of different ragas in his recordings is of immense value to students of music. It is an object lesson on music appreciation.
