Panditji and me: Shankar Mahadevan
My career started with a project in which Panditji (Bhimsen Joshi) and Lata Mangeshkar were singing together in an album called "Ram Shyam Gungaan", in which I was playing the veena.
January 24, 2011 / 19:20 IST
By Shankar Mahadevan
My career started with a project in which Panditji (Bhimsen Joshi) and Lata Mangeshkar were singing together in an album called "Ram Shyam Gungaan", in which I was playing the veena. I was just eleven at the time, so come to think of it, my career started with a blessing by Panditji.Which Indian musician would not have been influenced by him? He was our guru and such a warm personality. His name said it all. His aura, his presence and his voice itself was enough. If your remember the video, "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara", there were about 20 to 25 artistes in that video, but when you think of that song, it is Panditji that you think of first. That proves what he was all about.A Bhimsen Joshi is not born everyday - the minute you mention the word "Hindustani classical music" you think of him, he had that much of a hold on his art. And even though he used to sing classical music, which is supposedly not meant for the masses, his voice was such that even a man who didn't know a note of Hindustani classical music knew who Panditji was, and connected with that voice. He was popular far beyond the classes, especially because of his abhangs and bhajans. When I played the veena for his album, he wasn't there, but later, the composer, Srinivas Khale, told me that he really appreciated it, which was a big compliment for kid like me. Later, I had a chance to meet him several times, and each time, was awed by him. I remember watching him perform in Thane nine years back. There were 50,000 people there to watch him perform abhangs with Ustad Zakir Hussain. I remember thinking, how is he going to sustain such a long evening, and how will he perform? But the minute the first note left his throat, you knew that it would be a magical evening.It all ends with Bhimsen Joshi. The rest of us are just trying to imitate him. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
