Remembering the Maestro

Baabul mora,naihar chooto hi jaaye .... the lilting notes of this Wajid Ali Shah thumri came alive every time Pandit Bhimsen Joshi lent his vocals to it,singing it in his favourite raga the majestic Bhairavi.

Celebrated classical music exponents pay their tribute to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi

Baabul mora,naihar chooto hi jaaye …. the lilting notes of this Wajid Ali Shah thumri came alive every time Pandit Bhimsen Joshi lent his vocals to it,singing it in his favourite raga the majestic Bhairavi. One of Kirana gharanas best-known exponents,Joshi breathed his last in Pune yesterday,at the age of 88. The countrys best known musicians remember the man and the musician: I woke up to one of the saddest news possible. I was born in a family of Indian classical musicians and was exposed to different genres of classical music. But there was this other-worldly quality about his music. I met him in 1942 when I was a little boy. He sang Miyan ki malhar and I could feel the rain outside. In those days people would change conference dates according to his convenience to make sure that he could perform. I last met him in December at his house and he apologised for not making it to my concert because of ill-health.

Pandit Jasraj,vocalist,Mewati gharana

I am so overwhelmed that I havent been able to stop my tears since morning. I have lost my brother today. I can never forget the dinners at my place when he would come and say aaj tumhare haath ka bana khana khaunga. His music not only evoked the divine,but the divinity within. We have lost one of the best musicians the country has ever produced.

Girija Devi,Thumri singer

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I think we have lost the richest voice India has ever produced a voice that was loved by a range of generations. My fondest memory of him is when he saw my santoor for the first time and tried to tune it. He was at it for the next 30 minutes and did a wonderful job of it. He came to listen to my Pune concert in a wheelchair in December. I was completely overwhelmed.

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma,Santoor maestro

I can never forget the thin guy who came to learn music from my father once. The magic in the voice was there even then. He blossomed under kirana gharana and loved me like his son. He came to my performance in Pune once and garlanded me. I will cherish that memory for the rest of my life. Apart from being a great singer,he was a wonderful person who never spoke ill of any one. His humility is what made him a great artiste.

Ustad Iqbal Khan,Khalifa,Delhi gharana

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Remembering the Maestro

Baabul mora,naihar chooto hi jaaye .... the lilting notes of this Wajid Ali Shah thumri came alive every time Pandit Bhimsen Joshi lent his vocals to it,singing it in his favourite raga the majestic Bhairavi.

Baabul mora,naihar chooto hi jaaye .... the lilting notes of this Wajid Ali Shah thumri came alive every time Pandit Bhimsen Joshi lent his vocals to it,singing it in his favourite raga the majestic Bhairavi.