Jagannathbuwa Purohit (12 March 1904 – 1968), also known as Pandit Gunidas, was a singer and a teacher of
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, si ...
. He studied under
Vilayat Hussain Khan
Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan (1895–1962) was an Indian classical singer and teacher belonging to the Agra gharana (singing style).
Vilayat composed bandishes in many ragas under the pen name "Pran Piya".Agra Gharana. Buwa's colophon was 'Gunidas'.
''Agra Gharana''
Buwa's was the oldest ''gharānā'' of the Mughal courts. His style is said to be authentic with a focus on correctness and precision. His origins were in Dhrupad-Dhamar gayaki.
C. R. Vyas
Chintaman Raghunath Vyas (9 November 1924 – 10 January 2002), popularly known as C. R. Vyas, was an Indian classical singer. He was known for singing khyal style.
Early life
Vyas was born in Osmanabad, Maharashtra, into a family of San ...
Tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
artist Pt Bhai (Suresh) Gaitonde, Farukhabad gharana, received his initial training from him.
Buwa was devoted to his teachers during a period when teachers were known to be whimsical. One of them praised him for his devotion and said, "You are a real ''Gun-das'' (worshiper of virtue)" and from this statement, he acquired his pen name Gunidas.
Early life
He was born into a Karhade
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
family in the
Nizam
The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
state of
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
. He obtained his primary education in his mother tongue of Marathi. His musical talent was carefully nourished through an age old custom: living with one's teacher, or
guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...
. This created a bond between teacher and disciple. In Hyderabad certain musicians were patronized by the ruler.
Jagannath chose many teachers to learn his trade. The custom was not to pay for tuition but rather to serve one's teacher.
He learned the Tabla, an Indian percussion instrument from Ustad Thirkawa, eventually becoming a Master. His musical training continued until he landed in the house of the Agra dynasty's major singer, Ustad Vilayat Husain Khan. He received excellent training and eventual admiration from Vilayat Khan. Jagannath was a fine vocalist and composer of Hindustani original themes, known as 'Cheej'.
Career
After Indian independence, Jagannath's patronage income vanished and he was forced to move from city to city. He remained celibate.
One of his disciple from Pune said about Jagannath's musical philosophy:
While in Mumbai, he was admired by music lovers and found generous supporters, including V V Gokhale and his younger brother, Va Va Gokhale of Dadar. He was a regular performer at Dadar-Matunga Music Club.
Personal life
He died at Dombivli on a Diwali day in 1968. He was cremated at Dadar.
When he was given funds by well-wishers in 1962, India was engaged in a war with China. After the war ended, he contributed generously to the Relief Fund for soldiers.
Legacy
A music festival named after him (Gunidas Sammelan) was started by his disciple, C R Vyas, in 1977 and is held every year in Mumbai as well as in other major Indian cities.