Renowned classical singer Prabha Atre, doyen of Kirana Gharana, dies at 92

Prabha Atre: The Hindustani vocalist who defied stereotype, followed no tradition

Renowned classical singer Dr Prabha Atre passed away following a cardiac arrest at her residence in Pune at the age of 92 early on January 13.

Atre, who represented the Kirana Gharana of the Hindustani classical music, had been honoured with all three of Padma awards by the Indian government.

"Atre suffered a cardiac arrest during her sleep at her residence. She was rushed to a private hospital in Kothrud area of the city, where she was declared dead at 5.30 am," a source told news agency PTI.

Since some of the close family members of Atre live abroad, her funeral will be performed once they arrive, the source added.

Born on September 13, 1932, Atre was known as a multi-faceted personality. Besides being a classical vocalist, she was also an academician, researcher, composer and author. A science and law graduate, she had a doctorate in music.

She is known for her contribution in popularising Hindustani classical vocal at a global level. Adept at styles like Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, geet, Natyasangeet, and bhajans, Atre had been giving private lessons to students since the last five decades.

Also Read | Prabha Atre: The Hindustani vocalist who defied stereotype, followed no tradition

Atre established the Swarmayee Gurukul to teach students all over the world in both traditions – 'guru-shishya parampara' and institutional. She strongly felt that it was important to bridge the gap between these two systems.

She was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the nation's second-highest civilian honour, in January 2022. She was earlier honoured with the Padma Shri award in 1990 and the Padma Bhushan in 2002. She was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1991.

The world of Hindustani classical music has lost two of its most precious voices this week – Atre and Ustad Rashid Khan, who died in Kolkata after a four-year battle with prostate cancer on Tuesday.

Also Read | Music maestro Ustad Rashid Khan dies at 55 after battling prolonged illness

With PTI inputs