The Maestros
The musicians who shaped the Hindustani classical tradition — their voices, instruments, lives, and legacies. From the great vocalists of the 20th century to the instrumentalists who took the tradition to the world.
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
पंडित भीमसेन जोशी
cake1922, Gadag, Karnatakacandle2011, Puneaccount_treeKirana Gharana
The voice that made the whole of India weep — Kirana's greatest gift to the world
auto_storiesBiography
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was born on 4 February 1922 in Gadag, a town in the Karnataka district, into a family with no musical tradition. His encounter with a gramophone recording of Abdul Karim Khan — founder of the Kirana gharana — at age eleven produced such a powerful effect that he ran away from home to find a music guru. His peripatetic search took him across North India: Gwalior, Lucknow, Rampur, and numerous other music centres. He was repeatedly turned away or found teachers who did not meet his inner standard. The journey lasted years and included periods of genuine poverty.
queue_musicSignature Raags
albumNotable Recordings
Considered by many the greatest thumri recording ever made.
HMV recording; the definitive 20th-century document of this monsoon raag.
His landmark Bollywood collaboration with Mohammed Rafi — a classical khayal sung on film.
Often cited as his finest studio recording — an evening raag of extraordinary depth.
workspace_premiumAwards & Honours
history_eduLegacy
Bhimsen Joshi established the Kirana gharana as the most widely recognised school of khayal singing in the 20th century. His recordings have introduced more people to Hindustani classical music than almost any other artist, and the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival he founded continues to shape the landscape of Indian classical music performance.
lightbulbDid You Know?
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He ran away from home at age eleven after hearing a gramophone recording of Abdul Karim Khan — travelling across North India for years in search of a guru before finding Sawai Gandharva.
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His duet recording with Mohammed Rafi for the film Basant Bahar (1956) required Rafi to match Joshi's classical phrasing — Rafi reportedly spent weeks studying the recordings before the session.
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Bhimsen Joshi learned to drive at age 70 and became famous for driving himself to concerts well into his old age, often arriving at festivals unannounced through the performers' entrance.