Ashit Desai ( gu, આશિત દેસાઈ; born 16 May 1951) is an Indian composer, vocalist, musician and music director. He composes scores for films, TV serials, dance productions and dramas. He is known as Gujarati Sugam Sangeet artist.

Early life

Ashit was born in 1951 to Kunjbihari and Mayuriben Desai in

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

Bombay State Bombay State was a large Indian state created at the time of India's Independence, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding Sou ...

(now Vadodara,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

). Initially he learned music from his parents. He graduated in Commerce and took a Diploma in vocal music from M. S. University of Baroda and migrated to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

for career opportunities.

Career

Ashit has composed scores for dramas, dance ballets, TV serials & films. The Sitar Maestro Pandit

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...

had enlisted him in composing music for the Asiad and placed him in charge of overall coordination of cultural events. His has won wide acclaim for the music direction in the Hindi Television serial

Chanakya Chanakya (Sanskrit: चाणक्य; IAST: ', ; 375–283 BCE) was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya o ...

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

. The devotional songs for

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisio ...

's film ''

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

'' are sung by him. In 1988, he conducted

orchestral compositions at the closing ceremony of the Festival of India in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. In 1989, He assisted Ravi Shankar as orchestra conductor and singer in his ballet ''Ghanashyam''. He has given music in Hindi film '' Viruddh... Family Comes First'' produced by

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

Awards

# All India Radio's Best Singer Award in 1969 (At the Age of 18) # Gujarat State Award in 1976 # Asiad Jyoti Medal by the President of India # "Pt. Omkarnath Thakur Award." of Gujarat State in 1989 # 2017 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Category : Music for Dance) # Award for Best Music Director for the Gujarati TV serial "Shraddha"

Personal life

He is married to

Hema Desai Hema may refer to: * Hemā (mythology), a figure from Polynesian mythology * HEMA (store), a Dutch chain of stores * Hema (supermarket) (盒马), a supermarket chain in China * Hema maps, an Australian map publisher * Hema people, an ethnic group ...

who is also singer. Their Son Alap Desai is also a music artist, whose album ''Pehchan'' was Nominated under the category of Best Gazal Album in Global Indian Music Academy Awards-2016.

Discography

Music Composer

#Yoga Unveiled (2004) #Hanuman Vandana (2007) #Ballet "Ganaga" (2019) starring

Hema Malini Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successful ...

. #Ballet "Geet Govind " (2014) starring

. #Songs of Narasinh Mehta (1996), Navaras Records. #Jai Jai Shrinathaji (1995), Navaras Records.

Soundtrack

#Rock Band (Video Game 2007)

Producer

#Pehchaan (2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Ashit Living people Indian male playback singers 1951 births Indian composers Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award