Agencies
New Delhi, Nov 5: One of the greatest exponents of Hindustani classical music Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi has been chosen for the country's highest civilian award the Bharat Ratna for 2008.
The award was announced in a late night communique from Rashtrapati Bhavan. The one line announcement said: “The president has been pleased to award the Bharat Ratna to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.”
Interestingly, it was after a gap of seven years that the government has selected a performing artist for the highest award, the last recipient being shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan.
Hailing from Karnataka, the 86-year-old Joshi has already bagged several prestigious honours including the Padma Vibhushan in 1991, the Padma Bhushan in 1985 and the Padma Shri in 1972. Joshi, who belongs to the kirana gharana, caps a distinguished career spanning more than seven decades since he first performed at the age of 19.
Born in Gadag district on February 19, 1922, Joshi is particularly renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his bhajans. His guru is Sawai Gandharva. In 1933, the 11-year-old Bhimsen left his home on his own to learn singing through the Guru-Shishya tradition.
He spent three years in Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur trying to find a good guru. His father succeeded in tracking him down and brought him back home. In 1936, Rambhau Kundgolkar, popularly known as Sawai Gandharva, agreed to be his guru. Joshi stayed with him from 1936 to 1940. He then left his guru and set out on his own.