The unforgettable roar of Bhimsen Joshi

The vocalist, whose birth centenary celebrations have begun, redefined his gharana, and appealed to a wide range of listeners

If a lion’s roar could be tamed, it would become the voice of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. The Kirana gharana maestro had a voice that was majestic, expressive and sublime. The Bharat Ratna award conferred on him bears testimony to his wide appeal.

Bhimsen Joshi was born in 1922 in Gadag district of Karnataka. He was fascinated by music from an early age. He took lessons from a few teachers in his childhood but his thirst for learning was not satisfied. At the age of 11, he left home in search of a guru. He wandered around the country for three years, finding none. His father then brought him home, and put him under the tutelage of Pandit Rambhau Kundgolkar (or, Sawai Gandharva), doyen of the Kirana gharana.

Bhimsen Joshi’s distinctive voice was a deviation from his gharana’s template. Both his guru Sawai Gandharva and grand-guru Ustad Abdul Karim Khan had voices that were soft and effeminate. Bhimsen Joshi was the first singer from the gharana with a deep and resonant voice. He worked meticulously to use it to his advantage, modulating the tenets of the Kirana style without compromising on its essence. Along with his senior Gangubai Hangal, he reshaped the vocalism of his tradition. Their contributions to the world of Hindustani music are immeasurable.

Purity of sur is the mainstay of Kirana gayaki. There is no better manifestation of this than the fabled sur of Bhimsen Joshi. Whether in his robust and extensive alaaps or in his lightning taans, his sur never faltered from the intended tonality and weight. He used the precision of sur with deceptive ease to convey the essence of his chosen ragas.

Bhimsen Joshi’s recording career began in the early 1940s, initially with a series of devotional songs. He also started performing on radio and in concert halls. His performance for Sawai Gandharva’s 60th birthday celebrations in 1946 won him accolades and his fame began to spread. By the 1950s, he came to be recognised as a formidable force in Hindustani music. He was at the peak of his performance prowess. His vocal wizardry was seemingly without limits. His phirat (the ability to deliver fast-paced intricate musical phrases) was the envy of the entire singing world. It is not hard to imagine why, when we listen to recordings such as the one of raag Multani from the prestigious Harvallabh Sangeet Sammelan in 1957.

Although the staple format of Bhimsen Joshi’s presentation was a vilambit ektaal khayal followed by a drut teentaal bandish, he really enjoyed singing in other taals like jhaptaal. The odd-even beat distribution gives Jhaptaal a lilting gait and sometimes it seemed like he liked it even more than ektaal! There are many excellent jhaptaal renditions one can think of, but his Abhogi and the Puriya Dhanashree renditions stand out.

Bhimsen Joshi created a number of new raagas such as Kalashree, Lalit Bhatiyar, and Marwa Shree which signify a keen musical intellect. In performance, however, he saved the best for his core repertoire of perhaps 20 ragas, taking them to new heights and exploring new depths in their interpretation. Some of his best renditions are in ragas Ramkali, Todi, Brindavani Sarang, Puriya, Shuddha Kalyan, Yaman, Shankara, Darbari and Miyan Ki Malhar. He does have fine recordings of rarer melodies like Yamani Bilawal, Shuddha Kedar, Chhaya Malhar, and Bhairav Bahar also.

In addition to strict classicism, the style of Bhimsen Joshi subsumes romanticism in its purest form. Almost anything that he sings has instant emotive appeal even to the untutored listener. Perhaps this is the reason his foray into lighter forms such as Kannada and Marathi devotional music has won him the adulation of millions of listeners. His evocative renditions of the Purandaradasa krithi ‘Bhagyada Lakshmi baramma’, and the Sant Eknath abhanga ‘Majhe maaher Pandhari’, are prime representatives of the respective genres in the collective consciousness.

He has had a fairly long though infrequent association with films and his songs are outstanding. One of his most enduring songs is the duet with Manna Dey from Basant Bhar, ‘Letaki gulab juhi champak ban phule’. His ‘Indrayani kathi’ for the Marathi film Gulacha Ganapati is so mesmerising that people often mistake it for a traditional abhang. In the Kannada film Sandhya Raga, he sings ‘Nambide ninna naada devataye’ with great emotion. His bhajans for Sant Tulsidas and Ankahee are iconic. Also his bhajan album with Lata Mangeskhar ‘Ram Shyam Gun Gan’ was extremely well-received. And his pivotal parts in the two national-integration pieces ‘Mile sur mera tumhara’ and ‘Desh raag’ are unforgettable.

As we enter the centenary year of his birth, we realise we are in the shadow of a giant. Bhimsen Joshi was one of the most recorded artists of his time, and music lovers are grateful for the treasure trove of his renditions. He has inspired and continues to inspire generations of younger singers. We remember him fondly, and with reverence.