Krishnarao Shankar Pandit

{{Infobox person

| name = Pt. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1894|07|26}}

| birth_place = Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1989|08|22|1893|07|26}}

| death_place = Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

| occupation = Musician
Vocalist

| known for = Gwalior gharana

| children = 3

| awards = Padma Bhushan
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Tansen Award
Sangeet Bhishmacharya
Akashwani Award
Shikhar Samman
Gaan Maharishi
Bhuwalka Award
Swar Vilas

}}

Gaan Maharishi Pt. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit (1894–1989) was an Indian musician, considered by many as one of the leading vocalists of the Gwalior gharana.{{cite web | url=http://davidphilipson.com/pages/krs_pandit.html | title=Pandit Krishna Rao Shankar Pandit | publisher=David Philipson | date=2016 | access-date=17 April 2016}} He authored several articles and 8 books on music and was the founder of Shankar Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a music college based in Gwalior.{{cite web | url=http://www.meetapandit.com/pt-krishnarao-shankar-pandit/ | title=Padma Bhushan Pt. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit | publisher=Meeta Pandit | date=2016 | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-date=28 February 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228232021/http://www.meetapandit.com/pt-krishnarao-shankar-pandit/ | url-status=dead }} The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1973, for his contributions to music.{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2016 |access-date=3 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }} He was also a recipient of several other honors, including the 1959 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the 1980 Tansen Award of the Government of Madhya Pradesh.{{cite web | url=http://www.iapa-usa.org/gwalior/krishnarao_shankar_pandit.htm | title=Pt. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit on IAPA | publisher=Indian Academy of Performing Arts | date=2016 | access-date=17 April 2016}}

Biography

Krishnarao Pandit was born on 26 July 1893 in Gwalior, a town known for its musical tradition, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, to a notable musician by name, Shankarrao Pandit.{{cite web | url=http://www.itcsra.org/tribute.asp?id=10 | title=Tribute to a Maestro | publisher=ITC Sangeeth Research Academy | date=2016 | access-date=17 April 2016}} His early music training was under his father as well as the father-son duo of Nathu Khan and Nissar Hussain Khan and learnt Khyal, Tappa, Tarana and Layakari genres of vocal renditions. After his debut performance aged 11, he started his solo career at the age of 14 as one of the younger musicians of the Gwalior durbar.{{cite web | url=http://www.mohannadkarni.org/end-of-an-era-krishnarao-shankar-pandit/ | title=End of an era: Krishnarao Shankar Pandit | publisher=Mohan Nadkarni | date=2016 | access-date=18 April 2016}} In 1914, at the age of 18, he founded Shankar Gandharva Mahavidyalaya,{{cite book|author1=Ameeta Gupta|author2=Ashish Kumar|title=Handbook of Universities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZKgM7P5iGwgC&pg=PA384|date=1 January 2006|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|isbn=978-81-269-0607-9|pages=384–}} a music college, which has since become a recognized music institution.{{cite web | url=http://www.punjabcolleges.com/52680-indiacolleges-Shankar-Gandharva-Sangeet-Mahavidyalaya-Gwalior/ | title=Shankar Gandharva Sangeet Mahavidyalaya | publisher=Punjab Colleges | date=2016 | access-date=18 April 2016}} Six years later, he was appointed as the State Musician of the Satara Principality but he returned to Gwalior after one year.{{cite web | url=http://www.mohannadkarni.org/virtuoso-pandit-krishnarao-pandit/ | title=The virtuoso: Krishnarao Pandit | publisher=Mohan Nadkarni | date=2016 | access-date=18 April 2016}}

Pandit was credited with designing the curriculum for vocal and instrumental music for which he wrote eight text books and several articles. He tutored many notable singers including his two sons, Laxman Krishnarao Pandit and Chandrakant Pandit, and Meeta Pandit, his grand daughter.{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/ongoing-legacy/article915171.ece | title=Ongoing legacy | newspaper=The Hindu | date=27 November 2010 | access-date=17 April 2016| last1=Chakra | first1=Shyamhari }}{{cite web | url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/375981/with-music-genres-tabs.html | title=With music genres on tabs | publisher=Deccan Herald | date=22 December 2013 | access-date=17 April 2016}} However, he continued his concerts without break and many of his renditions have been archived.{{cite web | url=http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=620 | title=Krishnarao Shankar Pandit on Parrikar | publisher=Parrikar | date=2016 | access-date=17 April 2016}}{{cite web | url=http://www.prasarbharatiarchives.co.in/pt.-krishnarao-shankar-pandit-91 | title=Akashvani Sangeet | publisher=Prasar Bharati Archives | date=2016 | access-date=18 April 2016}} In 1959, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani music{{cite web | url=http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/awards/akademi%20samman_suchi.jsp | title=Sahitya Akademi Award winners | publisher=Sahitya Akademi Award | date=2015 | access-date=28 May 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084937/http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/awards/akademi%20samman_suchi.jsp | archive-date=4 March 2016 | url-status=dead }} and Indira Kala Sangeet University honoured him with a doctorate, three years later. The Government of India included him the Republic Day Honours list for the civilian award of the Padma Bhushan in 1973, the same year as he received the Shikhar Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh. The state government honoured him again in 1980 with the Tansen Award. He is also a recipient of honours such as Akashwani Award, Swar Vilas title of Sursingar Samsad, Mumbai (1971), Gaan Maharishi title of the Jagatguru Shankaracharya Sankeshwar Peet (1975), Bhuwalka Award of Sangeet Saurabh (1982) and Sangeet Bhishmacharya title of the All World Marathi Sammelan, Mumbai (1989).

His disciples include his sons, Chandrakant Pandit and veteran Gwalior gharana vocalist, Pt. Laxmanrao Pandit, Pt. Sharatchandra Arolkar and granddaughter, noted torchbearer of the Gwalior parampara, Dr. Meeta Pandit.

Krishnarao Pandit, who was associated with All India Radio and Doordarshan as a producer, died on 22 August 1989, at the age of 96. His life has been documented in a biography, Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, a Doyen of Khayal, brought out by Neela Bhagwat.{{cite book|author=Neela Bhagwat|title=Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, a Doyen of Khayal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wsufAAAAMAAJ|year=1992|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7154-729-6}} Another book, written by M. Chary also details the life of Pandit. Recently, his granddaughter Meeta Pandit published a book, titled "India's Heritage of Gharana Music: The Pandits of Gwalior" in 2018, based on the life of the Pandit lineage and their invaluable contribution to the Indian classical music scene in all.

References

External links

{{cite web | url=https://sarangi.info/vocal/krsp/ | title=Krishnarao Shankar Pandit on Sarangi | publisher=Sarangi.info | date=2016 | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-date=14 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914203308/https://sarangi.info/vocal/krsp/ | url-status=dead }}

Krishnarao Shankar Pandit

Biography

See also

References

External links

Further reading