Vasundhara Komkali | |
|---|---|
 Vasundhara receiving Padma Shri. | |
| Born | (1931-05-23)23 May 1931 |
| Died | 29 July 2015(2015-07-29) (aged 84) |
| Resting place | Dewas 22°57′48.6″N76°02′44.8″E / 22.963500°N 76.045778°E /22.963500; 76.045778 |
| Other names | Vasundhara Shrikhande |
| Occupation | Classical musician |
| Years active | 1943–2015 |
| Known for | Hindustani vocals |
| Spouse | Kumar Gandharva |
| Children | Kalapini Komkali |
| Awards | Padma Shri Sangeet Natak Akademi Award |
Vasundhara Komkali (1931–2015), popularly known asVasundhara Tai, was an Indian classical musician and one of the leading exponents of theGwalior gharana, an oldKhyal tradition ofHindustani music. She was the wife of renowned musician,Kumar Gandharva,[1] and was a recipient of the 2009Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.[2] The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri, in 2006, for her contributions to Indian classical music.[3]
Vasundhara Komakali, née Vasundhara Shrikhande, was born on 23 May 1931 in a music loving family inJamshedpur, the largest city in the Indian state ofJharkhand.[4] Her early years were inKolkata where she metKumar Gandharva when she was 12 years old, at the All India Music Conference and informed him of her desire to learn classical music under the renowned musician.[5] Gandharva asked her to come to Mumbai but theWorld War II had already begun which prevented her from moving to Mumbai.[6] Staying in Kolkata, she learnt music and started performing for the Kolkata station of theAll India Radio. After the war, she moved to Mumbai in 1946 and started training underB. R. Deodhar, a prominent vocalist and musicologist, as Gandharva could not find time to teach her during that time.[6] Later, she returned to Gandharva for training and married the musician in 1962.[4]
Vasundhara performed as a vocal accompanist to Kumar Gandharva for the next thirty years[7] and took up solo performance only after the latter's death in 1992.[4][8] Adhering to thekhyal tradition of theGwalior gharana of which her guru, Deodhar was known for, she performed in various stages in India. She received theSangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani vocals in 1998.[2] Six years later, the Government of India honoured her again with the civilian award of thePadma Shri in 2006.[3]
Vasundhara Komkali died on 29 July 2015, at the age of 84, following a cardiac arrest, at her residence inDewas ofMadhya Pradesh[9] and her last rites were performed in Dewas.[10][11] Her daughter,Kalapini Komkali, is a noted vocalist of Hindustani music.[12]
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