His rendition of ‘abhangas’ in both Marathi and Kannada lifted the listerns to a truly divine experience. Although an exponent of Hindustani classical music, he evolved an appraoch that sought to achieve a balance between traditional values and mass-culture to make him the most popular vocalist of his times.
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was born on February 4, 1922 into a Kannadiga family in Gadag in noth Karnataka. His father was a school teacher and Bhimsen was the eldest of 16 children.
The quest for a guru
As a child, Pandit Bhimsen's craving for music was evident to his family as he managed to lay his hands on a 'tanpura' used by his 'Keertankar' grandfather, which had been kept away from his gaze at home. Music had such a magnetic pull over him that a bhajan-singing procession or just azaan from a nearby mosque was enough to draw him out of house.
Once, yyoung Bhimsen heard a recording of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan's thumri, which inspired him to become a musician. In 1933, the 11-year-old child left Dharwad for Bijapur to find a master and learn music, and later landed in Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra.
He then moved to Gwalior, which was the seat of Hindustani classical music, and got into Madhava Music School, a school run by Maharajas of Gwalior, with the help of famous Sarod player Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan.
Not content with the training, he traveled for three years around North India, including in Delhi, Kolkata, Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur, trying to find the perfect guru. In Jalandhar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi took to rigorous physical exercises and acquired a strong physique which held him in good stead for vigorous riyaz throughout his life.
Eventually, Bhimsen returned home to find his guru, Pandit Rambhau Kundgolkar (better known as Sawai Gandharva), in 1936. Bhimsen Joshi stayed at Gandharva’s house in the traditional guru-shishya tradition, gleaning knowledge of music from his master as and when he could, while performing odd-jobs in his house. Gangubai Hangal, was a co-student of Bhimsen during this time. Joshi continued his training with Sawai Gandharva till 1940.
The master-disciple would travel on many consort tours and soon Pandit Bhimsen Joshi began giving mini-concerts in Dharwad, Sangli, Miraj and other places.
Achieving fame
Joshi moved to Mumbai in 1943 and worked as a radio artiste. He first performed live at the age 19. His debut album, containing a few devotional songs in Kannada and Hindi, was released by HMV when he was 22.
But it was a concert in Pune in January 1946 on the occasion of the 60th birthday of his guru that gave Pandit Bhimsen Joshi a real break, catapulting him to fame as he cast a hypnotic spell on his listeners.
He never looked back after this concert and was flooded with invitations from leading musical institutions in prominent places from all over the country.
In the forays he made outside the classical fold, Joshi lent is voice as a "dhrupad" singer for a Bengali film based on the life of Tansen and later sang as a playback singer for Marathi film Gulacha Ganapati, produced and directed by celebrated Marathi humorist Pu La Deshpande in addition to Hindi movies Basant Bahar and Bhairavi.
But it was his 'Sant Vani' recitals, which bore the flair of Marathi 'Bhakti Sangeet' that added immensely to his popularity in both Maharashtra and Karnataka which have had a long succession of saint-poets.
Joshi was a rare artiste whose music was hailed by both the critics and the masses. His performances were marked by spontaneity, accurate notes, dizzyingly-paced taans which made use of his exceptional voice training, and a mastery over rhythm.
He was considered a purist and did not dabble in experimental forms of music, except for a well-known series of Jugalbandi recordings with the Carnatic legend M Balamuralikrishna.
For the younger generations, Bhimsen Joshi is known for his terrific performance in the 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' music video (1985), which highlights the diversity of Indian culture. He also sang for the Bharat Bala production of the Indian National Anthem music video in 2000.
Car driving a passion
Car driving was a passion for Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, who was also an expert swimmer, a keen enthusiast of yoga and a football player in his younger days. He had acknowledged his weakness for alcohol but left it in 1979 after it started affecting his career.
Honours and awards came his way — Padma Shri (1972), Sangeet Natak Akademi award for Hindustani vocal music (1975), Padma Bhushan (1985) and Madhya Pradesh government's “Tansen Samman” in 1992. The ‘Bharat Ratna’, the highest award of the land, bestowed on him in 2008 was but a tribute paid by a grateful nation to a genius.
Panditji's public performances had dwindled in the last few years owing to age. But everybody was in for a pleasant surprise when during the 2007 "Sawai Gandharva" festival the maestro appeared on the stage on a wheel chair and sang to avid audience that treasured the moment. That,incidentally turned out to be his last public engagement.