{"id":296,"date":"2011-12-04T14:53:33","date_gmt":"2011-12-04T22:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/?page_id=296"},"modified":"2020-08-16T15:17:22","modified_gmt":"2020-08-16T14:17:22","slug":"bhimsen-joshi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/?page_id=296","title":{"rendered":"Bhimsen Joshi"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bhimsen

Bhimsen Joshi
(1922-2011)<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

\u266b Raga Pooriya Dhanashree<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u266b Thumri in Raga Khamaj<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u266b Raga Patdeepaki (Pradeepaki)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

About Bhimsen Joshi<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

From G.N. Joshi’s Down Melody Lane<\/strong> (1984)
\npps 140-149<\/p>\n

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bhimsen Joshi, who is riding the crest of popularity and has
\nridden it for the last several years, is a musical marvel. His
\nsinging invariably provides listeners with a divine musical ex-
\nperience. Many of his rivals admit, though unwillingly, that
\ntoday there is no other vocalist comparable to him in the entire
\nnation.<\/p>\n

Bhimsen, who is now in his 60s, has attained proficiency and
\nfame that astound the musical world. His voice, like that
\nlegendary philosopher’s stone, turns every note into a golden
\none. Billions of notes that have receivd the golden touch of
\nhis voice have been freely showered by him on the teeming
\nmillions of his fans. His unswerving faith in an intense devo-
\ntion to his guru have been his keys to success.<\/p>\n

Bhimsen was born into a Brahmin family of Gadag in Kar-
\nnataka. His childhood was spent there. Even as a child he
\nwas crazy about music, to the chagrin of his father who desired
\nthat Bhimsen should get a sound education and qualify as a
\ndoctor or an engineer. But Bhimsen, neglecting his studies,
\npursued music instead. At last he could not control any more
\nhis yearning to leam music, and one day he ran away from home.
\nHe had heard that Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur in the North
\nwere the best places to learn classical music. Therefore his first
\ndestination was Gwalior.<\/p>\n

A few years of his youth were thus spent in the company of
\nwell known musicians at Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur, serv-
\ning them and learning as much as he could from them. His
\nfather, coming to know of Bhimsen’s fervent desire for know-
\nledge in music, abandoned his policy of opposition, fetched his
\nson back and made arrangements for him to learn under the
\nguidance of Sawai Gandharva of Kundol. This opportunity
\nopened the vaults of rich and rare musical treasures to Bhimsen.
\nBhimsen’s natural tuneful voice received further polish from his
\nguru. Like a diamond which sparkles all the brighter after it is
\nexpertly cut, Bhimsen’s voice began to shine with a new lustre
\nand brilliance which has dazzled and cast a spell on the entire
\ncountry.<\/p>\n

Maharashtra was then part of a province known as Bombay
\nPresidency that included Dharwad, Belgaum and Bijapur, which
\nare now parts of Karnataka. I therefore had to look after the
\nrecordings of artists in this Kannada-speaking region. As part
\nof my duty I was required to go on tours of places like Bijapur.
\nBelgaum, Bailhongal, Dharwad, Hubli and Gadag in search of
\nfresh talent and recording material. During one such tour
\nI came to know of young Bhimsen. Shortly afterwards, I got an
\nopportunity to see him and hear him sing. A Kannada dramatic
\ncompany came to Bombay to present Kannada plays. A show
\nwas arranged at the Podar College hall at Matunga, for the
\nbenefit of the Kannadigas residing in North Bombay. I did not
\nknow Kannada at all but I was prompted to go with the purpose
\nof hearing young Bhimsen on stage. Bhimsen was the hero in
\nthe play Bhagyashri. When I heard him sing I was convinced
\nthat the young man was a miracle, a genius, god’s own creation,
\nand would have a brilliant future. Even though Bhimsen’s
\nclassical singing had not yet reached a high standard, his style
\nof presentation greatly impressed me.<\/p>\n

I immediately negotiated with him for an H.M.V. recording.
\nHe sang two Hindi and two Kannada bhajans for his first re-
\ncording. This was in the year 1944. Soon afterwards I got him
\nagain and this time he recorded a beautiful poem Uttar Druv
\nDum composed by the well known Kannada-Maharashtrian poet
\nthe late D. R. Bendre, and also another poem written by the
\nKannada poet laureate Puttappa in bhavgeet style.<\/p>\n

With the great success of these recordings, which sold in very
\nlarge numbers in Kannada areas, Bhimsen began to cut more
\nand more records. By this time he had made the grade as a
\nclassical singer, so I got him to do a few classical pieces, which
\nalso were a great success. Thus, gradually Bhimsen became
\nwell-known and popular as a singer.<\/p>\n

With his increasing popularity Bhimsen started getting invita-
\ntions to sing at various cities and towns in Maharashtra and
\nKarnataka. To facilitate the keeping of these engagements, he
\nnow bought a big car and took to driving. The car was so big
\nthat it could easily accommodate him and his 4 accompanists
\nbesides two tanpuras and other instruments. In this car Bhim-
\nsen travelled extensively. One day he would go from Bombay
\nto Belgaum – then on to Bangalore the next day, and back
\nto Pune- only to go off again to Nagpur, Raipur or Bhilai.
\nBack again in Pune, he would rush off to Hyderabad, Solapur
\nand so on these whirlwind tours became a habit with him
\nand in a short while he became an expert driver.<\/p>\n

His unbelievably flexible voice enabled him to traverse at
\nterrific speed, the great range of 3 octaves. While at the wheel,
\nhe used the same technique as in singing. He ignored the possi-
\nbility of danger from bad or slippery roads, ditches, pot holes
\nand other obstacles such as oncoming cars and stray cattle. Only
\nfabulous luck saved him from a couple of very grave accidents.
\nThis toned down his recklessness. Another factor also lessened
\nBhimsen’s craze for fast motor driving. The spread of his fame
\nand popularity beyond the boundaries of Maharashtra brought
\nhim invitations from far off places like Jullundur, Jammu, Sri-
\nnagar, Delhi, Calcutta and Gauhati. Bhimsen, who had so far
\nmatched the speed and agility of his voice with the speed of his
\ncar, realised that a car after all has limitations and moves in
\nthe vilambit laya. As he began to accept numerous invitations
\nto far off places (he would have to be in Calcutta one night,
\nDelhi the next evening, Bombay the following day and Jullun-
\ndur immediately afterwards), he had to switch to air travel. The
\npilots of Indian Airlines and airport oficials came across
\nBhimsen so frequently that he was soon known as the ‘flying
\nmusician of India’.<\/p>\n

Sometimes as I sat at my table in the office, the phone would
\nring ‘Hello Govindrao! This is Bhimsen. I am coming to
\nBombay by the morning plane. I have to go to Calcutta by the
\nafternoon flight, please book my seat.’ At other times, Bhimsen
\nwould rush into my office unannounced and explain, ‘Had a
\nprogramme last night in Delhi. I have just arrived by the
\nmorning flight.’ ‘ Now I am off -to Pune but will be back to-
\nmorrow because I have an engagement in Calcutta the day
\nafter.’<\/p>\n

One can easily imagine the tremendous difficulties involved in
\ngetting hold of an ever-busy singer like Bhimsen for recording.
\nFortunately as his popularity increased rapidly, the recording
\ntechnique also improved for the better. 78 R.P.M. records were
\nnow replaced by the 45 R.P.M., extended play records and 33
\nR.P.M. long-playing records. Extended play records played
\ntwice as long as the 78 R.P.M. So the prices also were double.
\nThe long-playing microgroove records were also proportionately
\nhigher priced. These records gradually became the exclusive
\nprivilege of the affluent in society. Therefore I felt it would be
\na commercially profitable venture to cut EP records instead of
\nLP records for some time. Accordingly I got Bhimsen to sing on
\nEP discs. These included Zanak zanakuva in Raga Darbari.
\nPiya to manata nahee, a thumri, Jo bhaje hari ko sada, a
\nbhajan, and the most enchanting thumri – Piya ke milan ki aas.
\nThese records, when released, surprisingly and contrary to my
\nexpectations, did not show good results. I could not imagine
\nwhat had gone wrong. After making a study of the psychology
\nof the customers, I realized that those who were able to buy EP
\nrecords were usually fairly well-to-do and they could easily
\nspend the extra 20 to 25 rupees for an LP record. They would
\nrather buy an LP with a full 20 minute cheez; or a raga, than
\nan abridged version of the same on an EP record. So I decided
\nto put Bhimsen on LP records. I got him to do the same Ragas,
\nTodi, Darbari and Malkauns, which he had previously sung for
\nEP recordings, and these were a fantastic hit in the market. My
\nguess that people loved to listen to ragas sung by Bhimsen in their
\nfull form and splendour proved to be very correct.
\nEvery performer has his favourite items, in which he excels.
\nOn the strength of these- his mehfil becomes a memorable
\nexperience. Bhimsen is no exception. After hearing a number
\nof his concerts some people remarked that his prograrnmes are
\nrepetitive. It is a peculiar characteristic of our music that the
\ningenuity of a musician is known by his ability to unfold and
\ncreate new and novel facets of known raas. The same com-
\nposition, same notes in the same ragas, presented on successive
\noccasions can sound ever-new, fresh and enchanting and receive
\nenthusiastic approval from listeners and critics in the audience.
\nIt is very necessary therefore that the listeners should cultivate
\na knowledgeable interest and a musical ear to appreciate our
\nclassical music.<\/p>\n

I had got Bhimsen to record most of the ragas over which
\nhe had full command. After a year and half he appeared to be
\nreluctant to cut new discs. One day as we were chatting, I told
\nhim to do some more recordings and he said, ‘To tell you the
\ntruth, I really do not know just what to record now. I have
\nalready come out with most of my winning numbers. If I make
\nfresh recordings, they must have the same superior stamp of
\nquality and performance.’<\/p>\n

I admired him for the candid statement. I said, ‘All your
\nfans are waiting eagerly for you to come out with new things.
\nSurely you can think of something if you apply your mind
\nseriously to it.’ He merely smiled and promised to do so.
\nSoon after this my niece got married in Pune. Bhimsen was
\ninvited with his family to the ceremony and the lunch there-
\nafter, but to my disappointment he did not show up. In the
\nevening he came with his wife to the reception. He knew imme-
\ndiately that I was a little annoycd at his failure to come for
\nlunch. ‘We had a lot of guests today,’ explained his wife. ‘That’s
\nwhy we could not come.’<\/p>\n

I said, ‘Since you failed to come you will have to submit to
\nsome punishment.’<\/p>\n

He agreed. ‘What is the punishment?’<\/p>\n

I announced, ‘There are two, to be undergone one after the
\nother. First – you must finish all three dishes set before you,
\nand second – you must sing for us in the hall tonight.’
\nBhimsen sportingly accepted both the punishments. In his
\nperformance that night he presented two entirely new ragas
\nwhich I instantly liked. Even though he was not yet very
\nfamiliar with the raga composition, I could well imagine how
\nmarvellous the exposition would sound once it was perfected.
\nThere and then I decided to have the new ragas for his next
\nrecording. One was an admixture of Kalavati and Rageshri
\n(he had aptly named it Kalashri), and the other was a beauti-
\nful fusion of ragas Lalit and Bhatiyar. The recording of these
\nhowever could not be done before I left in July 1970 on an
\nextensive trip around the world.<\/p>\n

I returned after a period of 7 months and although I had offi-
\ncially retired from service I was prevailed upon to work for the
\ncompany again in the same capacity.<\/p>\n

As a matter of fact I did not need to work any longer. Both
\nmy daughters were happily married; my responsibilities were
\nover. There really was no need to saddle myself with a job,
\nbut I had been so used to working and to having the company
\nof artists for so many years, that without these my life would
\nhave been purposeless and monotonous. Hence I agreed to the
\nproposal in March 1971. Bhimsen had remained unrecorded for
\nnearly 3 years so I decied to get him as the first artist after
\nmy reappointment.<\/p>\n

I realized once again the truth that a genuine artist values
\nfriendship more than money. In just a month after I resumed,
\nI brought Bhimsen to the studio. He had agreed to make only
\none record that night. The news that Bhimsen was in our studio
\nleaked out, I don’t know how. I suppose one cannot hide frag-
\nrance. That night a number of artists arrived in our studio to
\nlisten to Bhimsen’s recording. Prominent among these were
\nveterans Kumar Gandharva and Sudhir Phadke. Sometimes the
\npresence of such knowledgeable colleagues is helpful. The singer,
\ninspired by the presence of such stalwarts, strives tc give his
\nbest. But at times such a presence has an adverse efct, too. In
\na mehfil a singer wanting to fulfil the expectations of the listeners
\nhas ample time and opportunity to show his prowess, but during
\na recording session a singer has to present a complete picture of
\na raga, in a most delectable form, in a short duration of time.
\nTherefore, while trying to do this the singer may come to regard
\nthe presnce of such knowledgeable friends as akin to that of
\na bunch of jurors. When he gets into this agitated and perturbed
\nstate of mind a coherent performance becomes very difficult.
\nThe recording session began at 9.30, but till midnight Bhimsen
\nwas tossing adrift in the cross-currents of notes of the raga Gaud
\nSarang. I therefore called for a coffee break. The disinguished
\nguests, sensing Bhimsen’s predicament discreetly left, and after
\nsome time we resumed the session. Now released from ten-
\nsion, Bhimsen, having already warmed up sufficiently, started
\nwith a bang and gave a very scintillating exposition of Raga
\nGaud Sarang. The replay of this recorded side had an electrify-
\ning effect on Bhimsen, and he who had struggled for over three
\nhours with the notes of a single raga, recorded in succession
\nfive more ragas with his uncanny and astounding imaginative
\nskill and rare artistry.<\/p>\n

The session that had begun early in the night came to a close
\nat 7.30 the next morning with six brilliant ragas to Bhimsen’s
\ncredit. An artist, when he gets into his element, is oblivious of
\neverything except his art. Bhimsen had come with the tacit
\nunderstanding that he would cut only one LP but had ended up
\nrecording material enough for three LPs. Besides the traditionally
\nknown Gaud Sarang, Brindavani Sarang, Puriya and Durga, he
\nimmortalized Ragas Kalashri and Lalit Bhatiyar, both of his own
\ncreation, which I had, as mentioned before, earmarked for re-
\ncording during his performance in Pune.<\/p>\n

While trying to persuade Bhimsen to come for the recording
\nI had strongly urged that he should also render devotional
\nMarathi items, like his previous hit seller Indrayani kathi, for
\nrecordings on extended play. Bhimsen had already, through his
\nregular concerts, made popular some more bhaktigets, which
\nreceived a terrific response. After that night’s marathon session
\nI did not dare to even mention the proposal for these devotional
\nrecordings. But, as if reading my mind, and pleased with his
\nsplendid innings of that night, Bhimsen said to me, ‘Well, shall
\nwe make Marathi devotional EPs also?’<\/p>\n

Would I have said ‘No’? We fixed the recording for that
\nafternoon. Feeling doubly blessed and very elated, I immediately
\nrequested our recording engineer and other staff to come back
\nto the studio by 12.30. Before parting Bhimsen promised to
\ncome to my residence to pick me up. Punctually at 12.30 Bhim-
\nsen was standing at my door. His boundless enthusiasm filled
\nme with admiration. Even before our recording engineer and
\nother staff arrived we were ready with the tanpuras tuned. The
\nnight long riyaz had given such a brilliance to Bhimsen’s voice
\nthat by the evening, instead of two, he recorded four Marathi
\nbhaktigeets. At my own very first recording I had recorded four-
\nteen songs instead of two. The late Panalal Ghosh made one
\nLP and four EPs in a single night, but Bhimsen broke all pre-
\nvious records by cutting six sides of 20 minutes each and four
\nsides of 7 minutes each within a short period of 20 hours. Such
\na splendid performance was possible only for a stalwart like
\nBhimsen. All the senior officers in our company were astounded
\nby this unbelievable feat.<\/p>\n

For the previous 3 years the company, the trade and his fans
\nhad eagerly awaited the issue of new LPs featuring Bhimsen.
\nI had succeeded in obtaining for them 3 LPs topped with a bonus
\nissue of 2 EPs in just 18 hours. I was congratulated on this
\nunique achievement, but I give all the credit for it to this giant
\ngem of an artist.<\/p>\n

Supreme confidence in his own abilities and unfailing loyalty
\nare two prominent qualities of Bhimsen. Every year he observes
\nthe punyatithi (death anniversary) of his guru Sawai Gandharva
\nwith a music festival at Pune. Those privileged to attend it are
\nindeed very fortunate, for the spectacle is one fit for the gods.
\nFor three consecutive nights about 10,000 people attend the
\nprogramme from 8 at night to 7 the next morning. Eminent
\nartists in the world of Indian classical music vie with each other
\nfor a chance to appear on the stage on this occasion. There are
\ntwo reasons for this. Firstly the programme is at the behest of
\na great fellow artist like Bhimsen, and secondly it is rare and
\nalmost impossible for a musician to get a chance to perform
\nbefore such a vast, discerning and appreciative audience.
\nDuring these celebrations, Bhimsen works like an ordinary
\nvolunteer. On occasion he is even noticed sweeping the stage.
\nbringing the instruments on stage and helping the artist to
\ntune the tanpuras perfectly. He looks after the comforts of the
\nartists and audience alike. He does this untiringly for three
\nsuccessive nights. One cannot help but admire him for his love
\nand reverence for his guru.<\/p>\n

I had made a number of 3 minute records of the late Sawai
\nGandharva in his life tirne. From these I selected 12 songs to
\nform one LP and got it released during the memorable 1969
\nsession of his anniversary arranged by Bhimsen. The late Sawai
\nGandharva was a disciple of Abdul Karim Khan. A galaxy of
\nveterans are among his disciples. They include top names like
\nGangubai Hangal, Hirabai Badodekar, Phiroz Dastur and
\nBhimsen, who is the youngest of them all. The characteristics
\nof the Kirana gharana are precision-oriented tunefulness (lagav
\nof swaras) presentation of a bandish with an impressively grace-
\nful style, and a disciplined, systematic and methodical raga de-
\nvelopment, punctuated with an elegantly elaborate alap and skil-
\nful decoration with the choicest forms of embellishments – taans.
\nWith the help of all these, Bhimsen makes such a terrific
\nfavourable impact on his audience right from the start of the
\nconcert that listeners remain glued to their seats till the last
\nnotes of his Bhairavi. Within a few minutes of his arrival in a
\nconcert hall Bhimsen measures correctly the pulse of the audi-
\nence. His discerning eye unfailingly recognizes the knowledge-
\nable in the congregation and, by the time the tanpuras are tuned,
\nand accompaniment arranged, he has decided on the musical
\nmenu he will dish out to achieve a resounding success.
\nBhimsen fully understands mass psychology. He gauges the
\nintellectual level of the listeners within minutes of the start of
\nthe mehfil and arrives at the point of sam in a totally unexpected
\nand startling but graceful style to receive their spontaneous en-
\nthusiastic ‘Wah, wah’. From then on the mehfil is under his
\ncontrol and, for the listeners, it is a delectable treat which carries
\nthem to celestial heights. He has made a very careful study
\nof where and how to utilize the beautiful phrases he has pre-
\nselected. Because of this his elaborations never appear artificial.
\nOn the contrary his performance proceeds in a most natural
\nand lucid style. He is blessed with an extremely sweet, flexible
\nvoice and with gruelling riyaz he has trained it in such a way
\nthat he can always achieve the musical effects he desires. His
\nvoice, at one moment flowing smoothly like a tranquil stream,
\nsuddenly takes a mighty leap of two or more octaves in the next
\navartana and then, with gradually diminishing vigour, reverts
\ngently back to sam, thus providing moments of supreme artistic
\npleasure. Bhimsen’s recitals are replete with many such beauti-
\nful moments. His full-throated voice can at his command take
\non a soft velvety texture, to the extreme delight of the listeners.
\nLike an aeroplane on a joy-ride, he flits from one octave to an-
\nother, from there to the next, back again to the second and again
\nto the third, all in one breath. The listeners hold their breath
\nin an agony of suspense, marvelling at his capacity, and when
\nhe glides gracefully back to the point of sam, the entire audi-
\nence breathes a sigh of happy relief. Along with his artistry,
\nthis feat of physical endurance and breath control is most im-
\npressive. Bhimsen believes that in classical music the poetic
\ncontent of the lyric is as important as thc notes of the raga. He
\nbecomes entirely absorbed with the sentiments of the bandish
\nand this emotional merger is appreciated by listeners of all ages
\nand levels. This is why Bhimsen’s classical singing has mass
\nappeal.<\/p>\n

Bhimsen is a versatile singer; he is an expert in khayal singing
\nbut he is also adept in the presentation of thumris, songs from
\nplays, or devotional compositions. His lilting thumris (Jadu
\nbhareli, Piya ke milan ki aas or Babul mora) and his innumerable
\npopular Abhangs composed by the saints of Maharashtra are
\ninstances in point.<\/p>\n

Bhimsen is a prodigy – unique – a divine miracle. We
\nshould admire his tremendous accomplishments in the realm of
\nmusic, revel in the heavenly experience of his gayaki and pray to
\nGod Almighty to bless this musical genius with a long life. In
\nthe whole of India there is no one else who has atained so
\nmuch and given so much to music lovers. Listeners in he U.S.A.
\nand the U.K. love and admire him. It is a pity that our Govern-
\nment has only bestowed a mere Padmashri on him, instead of
\nthe higher honours deserved by an artist of Bhimsen’s calibre
\nwho has received the greatest acclaim abroad.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u266b Raga Pooriya Dhanashree \u266b Thumri in Raga Khamaj \u266b Raga Patdeepaki (Pradeepaki)   About Bhimsen Joshi From G.N. Joshi’s Down Melody Lane (1984) pps 140-149 Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Bhimsen Joshi, who is riding the crest of popularity and has ridden it for the last several years, is a musical marvel. His singing invariably provides...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6,"menu_order":290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"pp_embeds":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/296"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=296"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2140,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/296\/revisions\/2140"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}