#umdekar

[veenavenuartfoundation]

Pt.Balabhau Umdekar Kundalguru

Pandit Balabhau Umdekar Kundalguru, the esteemed founder of Chatur Academy of Indian Music, is celebrated for his extraordinary contributions to Indian classical music. A legendary maestro, his teachings and legacy continue to inspire and shape future generations, making him a monumental figure in the realm of traditional Indian music education.

Pandit Balabhau Umdekar was born on August 5, 1901, to the celebrated musician Pt. Nattubhaiya Umdekar. Tragically, he lost his father at the tender age of five, forcing him to embark on his musical journey alone. Despite the harsh conditions, including freezing mornings where he would use two puppies to keep warm on his way to training, he remained dedicated. He would leave early and return late, receiving rigorous training under legendary maestros such as the late Balasaheb Guruji, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan Saheb, and Pt. Mahadev Shastri.

Pt. Balabhau Umdekar was appointed as the court musician for the Gwalior Court of the Scindias, where he became one of the highest-paid musicians of his time. His house was filled with gold utensils, gold items, and jewelry, reflecting his success and prestige. His musical prowess was matched by his wife, Radhabai Umdekar, a proficient sitar player. They had six children, all of whom became accomplished musicians: Late Smt. Sangeeta Kathale (SumanUmdekar ), a famous vocalist; Late Smt.Vimal Belapurkar, a violin player; Late Smt.Indumati Telang, a sitarist; Late Smt.Kamal Mandal, a vocalist;Late Pt.Madhav Umdekar, a renowned vocalist; and Pt.Shriram Umdekar, a top-grade artist skilled in Rudra Veena, Surbahar, and Sitar. Today, Pt. Shriram Umdekar's daughter Dr.Radhika Veenasadhika first lady Vichitra Veena Player and Smt.Geetika Masurkar a known vocalist and granddaughter Miss Aarohi Budhkar Vichitra Veena Player continue Pt.Balabhau Umdekar "Kundalguru"'s legacy.

Pt.Balabhau Umdekar trained many famous students, including Pt.Sharadchandra Shridhar Paranjape, Pt.Bhaskarrao Sangit, Pt.Babu Shastri, Pt.Gangadhar Bhagwat, and Pt.Raghunandan Sant. In 1927, he founded the Chatur Academy of Indian Music and authored over 15 books. He also established the Chatur Sangit Mahavidyalay, contributing significantly to Indian classical music education. Pt.Balabhau Umdekar passed away on 8th June 1968 due to illness. His Chatur Academy's legacy lives on through the Veena Venu Art Foundation, continuing to inspire and nurture future generations of musicians. Even today, the Pt. Balabhau Umdekar Smruti Sangeet Samaroh is celebrated in his memory by his son, Pt. Shriram Umdekar.

Pt.Balabhau Umdekar (Kundalguru)was renowned for his sweet yet strong voice, powerful enough to be heard from 100 feet away. He was also known as "Kundalguru" due to his miraculous recovery from a severe illness after his wife received gifted kundals from a saint who was later nowhere to be found. These kundals made him fit within a day when medicines had failed. His remarkable life and contributions have left an indelible mark on Indian classical music. He remains to be an inspiration even today.

[drradhikaveenasadhika-blog]

A step towards creation of artists .. #launching #indianclassicalmusic #music #Veenavenuartfoundation #gurushishyatredition #Pt.Balabhau Umdekar #artists #training #trainingprogram https://www.instagram.com/p/B10qw6shTAi/?igshid=145jxkctzni6a

[arthubindia]

Conversations with Shashwati Mandal- A Gifted Artist

It is a rare feat to see artists who follows their roots and keep the rich tradition alive through music and consistent performance at this age of heavy modern influences. With the amazing fervor and vigor of keeping her family traditions alive, Shashwati Mandal has become a wonderful Hindustani classical performer and inherited the talent from her grandfather Pt.Balabhau Umdekar who was part of the royal court in Gwalior. Shashwati also had the training from her mother in music and follows the Gwalior gharana tradition with respect to her renditions. She is also an accomplished music teacher and worked at Mumbai university of music as well earlier. Currently, she has an own set of students whom she is teaching independently.

Speaking of her favourite raagas and her preferences in singing, she feels it to be quite difficult to pick one. “There are so many brilliant ragas which Indian Classical Music has and it would be overwhelming to just pick a few. However, I love to perform intense ragas like Malkauns, Todi, Bhairav, Bageshree and Poorvi any day on stage.”

Shashwati finds ArtHub to be quite a brilliant initiative and finds it to have a great potential for networking artists. She also expressed her will to spread the word to other artists and make it a massive artist repository. The vibrant artist finds ArtHub to be having a fantastic potential in bringing artists and organizers to one place. Shashwati has performed in several countries with recent performance at the Temple of Fine Arts on April 14th 2018.

Coming to her influences, Shashwati finds Kumar Gandharv to be her greatest influences in singing and finds it coming to her unknowingly. She also listens to Jaipur gharana which is an edge away from her foundation of Gwalior gharana. Shashwati is an exponent of Tappa, a difficult form of vocal musicand also loves to sing the semi classical forms such as ghazals and devotional numbers.

ArtHub finds it great to have a gifted artist like Shashwati Mandal as a member and wishes her the best in her musical pursuits.

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[drradhikaveenasadhika-blog]

Dear musicians & music lovers we are collecting the interviews,talks, music & experiences of the fans, friends,followers & students of late Pt.Balabhau Umdekar ji court musician of Gwalior and exponent of Gwalior Gharana for our upcoming Book and Ebook . We request you to contact us if you have something to share about Pt.Balabhau Umdekar Kundalguru. Dr.Radhika Umdekar Granddaughter Pt.Balabhau Umdekar Director Veena Venu Art Foundation #Ragsumanmala #indianclassicalmusic #Indianmusic #Raga #Pt.Balabhauumdekar #drradhikaveenasadhika Radhikaveenasadhika #callformusicians https://www.instagram.com/p/BzukFncBiCp/?igshid=diu9f6t5dc56