Ganesh Balawant Nawathe, better known as

Pandit A Pandit ( sa, पण्डित, paṇḍit; hi, पंडित; also spelled Pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt.) is a man with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge whether it is shashtra (Holy Books) or shastra (Wea ...

Jitendra Abhisheki (21 September 1929 – 7 November 1998), was an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, composer and scholar of

Indian classical Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

, semi-classical, and devotional music. While he distinguished himself in Hindustani music, he is also credited for the revival of the Marathi musical theatre in the 1960s. Jitendra Abhisheki has been praised as being "among the stalwarts of Hindustani classical music who mastered other musical forms such as thumri, tappa, bhajan, and bhavgeet. His work in Marathi natyasangeet is well-known." An annual Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki Mahotsav is held, and the last was held in mid-October 2018 at the Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha in Kothrud, Maharashtra. In Goa, a Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki Music Festival held at the local Kala Academy also reached its 14th edition in 2018.

Early life and background

Jitendra was born in priestly Padye Karhade Brahmin family in

Mangeshi Mangueshi is a village in Priol, Ponda, Goa, India. Mangueshi/Mangueshim are other variations for the same name. Main Attraction The temple of Shri Mangesh is set amidst natural surroundings. Mangeshi, which is a little village along Goa' ...

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

. His family was traditionally attached to the Mangeshi Temple of

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. His father, Balawantrao aka Bikambhat, was a half-brother and a disciple of Deenanath Mangeshkar and the temple priest and a Kirtankar (performer of Kirtana, a devotional music style). Balawantrao taught Jitendra the basic principles 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, sita ...

. Jitendra received further training in vocal music from Jagannathbua Purohit of

Agra Gharana The Agra gharana is a tradition of Hindustani classical vocal music descended from the Nauhar Bani. So far, Nauhar Bani has been traced back to around 1300 AD, during the reign of Emperor Allauddin Khilji of Delhi. The first known musician of ...

, Azmat Hussain Khan of

Khurja Gharana The Khurja Gharana is a gharana, musical apprenticeship tribe of Hindustani classical music. Known for being Azmat Hussain Khan, Azmat Hussain Khan's and Jitendra Abhisheki, Jitendra Abhisheki's musical lineage, the gharana emerged from a family of ...

, and Gullubhai Jasdanwala of Jaipur Gharana. Abhisheki was also well known for his renditions of his

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

Natya Sangeet compositions like "Guntatá Hrdáya Hai", "He Suránno Chandra Vhá" and other songs/Marathi ghazals such as "Májhe Jívana Gáne", "Kaivalyáchya", "Sarvátmaka sarveshvara", "Kátá rute kunálá" etc.

Career

After receiving a degree in Sanskrit literature, he joined

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

(AIR) at

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 a brief period, when he came in contact with several musicians and also got an opportunity to display his musical talents by composing several pieces for radio programs. Around this time, he received a scholarship from the Indian Government for advanced training in

under

Azmat Hussain Khan Azmat may refer to: Given name * S. Azmat Hassan, Pakistani Ambassador * Azmat Rana (1951–2015), Pakistani cricketer Surname * Ali Azmat (born 1970), Pakistani musician * Sadia Azmat (born 1987), English stand-up comedian of Pakistani descent ...

. He composed the padas (songs performed live during play) for the Katyar Kaljat Ghusali play. He composed vocal as well as background scores for 25 Marathi plays. After receiving a Homi Bhabha fellowship in the late sixties, he taught at a music school run in the USA by sitarist

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 ...

. He maintained his ties to his homeland of Goa through his association with the Kala Academy, counseling and guiding students from that state.

Death

Abhisheki died on November 7, 1998 in Pune, after a prolonged illness related to diabetes that he was previously hospitalized for.

Legacy

The Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki Sangeet Mahotsav is held annually in Goa.

Students

Besides son

Shounak Abhisheki Pt. Shounak Abhisheki is an Indian vocalist, composer of classical, semi-classical, and devotional music. Profile Shounak Abhisheki, the son and disciple of Maestro Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki Ganesh Balawant Nawathe, better known as Pandit Ji ...

, Abhisheki's well-known musical disciples include

Asha Khadilkar Asha Khadilkar (born 11 January 1955) is a Mumbai, India-based Senior Vocalist who performs Indian (Hindustani) classical, semi-classical and devotional music including Natya Sangeet. Career Khadilkar is a regular singer on All India Radio. ...

, Devaki Pandit,

Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal (born 1 January 1959) is an Indian singer of Hindustani classical music. Her repertoire includes the genres of khyal, thumri, dadra, and Indian pop. She has received the Padma Shri in 2000. Early life Shubha was born in Allahabad ...

, Mohankumar Darekar, Hemant Pendse, Ajit Kadkade, Raja Kale,

Prabhakar Karekar Pandit Prabhakar Karekar (b 1944) is a Hindustani classical vocalist, born in Goa, India. He was awarded Tansen Samman in 2014 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the year 2016. Background Prabhakar Janardan Karekar was born in 1944, in what wa ...

Vijay Koparkar Vidyadhar Koparkar (born 1962) is a Hindustani classical singer. He himself is a guru and is a disciple of Pt. Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande and Pt. Jitendrabuwa Abhisheki. He sings khyal, tarana, thumri, tappa, dadra, bhajan, abhang and natyageet amon ...

Sameer Dublay Samir (variantly spelled Sameer) is a male name found commonly in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. In Arabic, Samir () means holy, jovial, loyal or charming. In Albanian, it translates literally as “so good” but the connotation is clo ...

, Dr. Hrishikesh Majumdar, Dr Mrs Madhuri Joshi,

Mahesh Kale Mahesh Kale ( Marathi: महेश काळे; born 12 January 1976) is an Indian Classical vocalist renowned for his specialization in Indian Classical ( Hindustani), Semi-Classical, Devotional music including Natya Sangeet. Mahesh Kale ...

Awards and recognitions

* Homi Bhabha Fellowship (1969) * Natyadarpan Award (1978) *

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

(1988) *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

(1989) *

Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivi ...

(1990) * Gomantak Marathi Academy Award (1992) * Balgandharva Award (1995) * Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Award (1996) *

Master Deenanath Smriti Award Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans * Grandmaster (chess), National Maste ...

(1996) * Lata Mangeshkar Award (1996) * Balgandharva Award (Natyaparishad, 1997) * Saraswati Award (Kailas Math Nasik, 1997)

References

External links

Official siteJitendra Abhisheki in the Vijaya Parrikar Library: Musical Traditions of IndiaPandit Jitendra Abhisheki on Saregama.com (music)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abhisheki, Jitendra Konkani-language singers 1929 births 1998 deaths Hindustani singers Konkani people People from North Goa district Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Marathi-language singers 20th-century Indian male classical singers Singers from Goa Bandish composers