Pandit M. Venkatesh Kumar (born July 1, 1953) is an Indian
Hindustani vocalist. He is best known for his rendition of devotional songs composed by
Swami Haridas
Swami Haridas (1480—1573) was a spiritual poet and classical musician. Credited with a large body of devotional compositions, especially in the Dhrupad style, he is also the founder of the Haridasi school of mysticism, still found today ...
. Kumar belongs to the
Kirana and
Gwalior Gharana.
Early life and musical training
Kumar was born in Lakshmipura in the Bellary region of northern Karnataka.
Kumar's late father Huleppa was a Janapada folk singer and
leather puppeteer. In 1968, when he was 15 years old, Venkatesh was taken by his uncle Belagallu Veeranna to the Veereshwara Punyashrama in
Gadag
Gadag-Betageri is a city municipal council in Gadag district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Gadag District. The original city of Gadag and its sister city Betageri (or ''Betgeri'') have a combined cit ...
, run by the
Veerashaiva
Veerashaivism is a sect within the Shaivism fold of Hinduism. According to tradition, it was transmitted by ''Panchacharyas'', ( kn, ಪಂಚಾಚಾರ್ಯರು, paṃcācāraya from sa, पंचचार्य, pañcācārya), or five ...
saint and
Hindustani musician Puttaraj Gawai. For the next 12 years, he lived at the ashram and learned Hindustani singing in the
Gwalior
Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...
and
Kirana styles under Gawai. Kumar blends these styles in his presentations, though he admits to influences beyond these gharanas, chief among them being
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (2 April 1902 – 23 April 1968) was an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist, from the Patiala gharana.[Patiala gharana
The Patiala ''gharana'' (, ) is one of the vocal (tradition, school, or style of music) of Hindustani classical music, named after the city of Patiala in Punjab, India where it was established. The ''gharana'' was founded in the mid to late 19th ...]
.
His guru was also trained in
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
, and as a result, there are traces of Carnatic elements in Pandit Kumar's music, especially in his
sargam patterns.
Career
Kumar got his first break in 1993, 14 years after he left the ashram, when he received an invitation from
Bhimsen Joshi
Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi BR (; ; 4 February 1922 – 24 January 2011), also known by the honorific prefix Pandit, was one of the greatest Indian vocalists from Karnataka, in the Hindustani classical tradition. He is known for the '' khaya ...
to perform at the
Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav
The Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav (formerly known as the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav and simply known as Sawai) is an annual Indian Classical music festival held in Pune since 1953. The festival is hosted by the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Man ...
in Pune.
However, he had to wait almost ten more years before he became a regular on the national festival circuit. Since then, he has been featured in many national musical programs, and has been an "A top" grade artist of
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 ...
since 1988.
In devotional music, Kumar is most acclaimed for his Kannada vachana and dasara pada singing.
He has recorded multiple devotional and classical CD albums.
Teaching
Kumar began his teaching career at Vijay Mahantesh Arts College near Gadag, where he taught for one-and-a-half years. He has also taught in Mukunda Kripa in Udupi.
He received a postgraduate degree in music from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.
He authored the textbook of music prescribed for the examination conducted by the government of Karnataka.
Kumar taught at the University College of Music, Dharwad, for 33 years.
This commitment regularly required him to turn down concerts, but he refused to quit the job that offered him stability at a time when concerts were hard to come by. He retired in 2015.
Awards
Kumar has received awards and titles including:
* Karnataka Rajyotsava Award (1999)
* Karnataka Sangeet Natya Academy Award (2007)
* Vatsala Bhimsen Joshi Award (2008)
* Krishna Hangal Award (2009)
*
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
History
It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...
Award (2012)
* Honorary Doctorate from Karnataka University, Dharwad (2014)
*
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, ...
Award by the Government of India (2016)
* Gangubai Hangal National Award (2017)
* Kalidas Samman by Madhya Pradesh government. (for the year 2017. Awarded in 2021).
*Honorary Doctorate from
Sri Sathya Sai university
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is a ''deemed-to-be-University'' located in Sri Sathya Sai District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was founded by Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 22 November 1981. There are four campuses of the university, three ...
for human excellence, Muddenahalli (2022).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Venkatesh
Hindustani singers
Living people
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
1953 births
People from Dharwad district
Singers from Karnataka
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
20th-century Indian male classical singers