Pandit Basavraj Rajguru (24 August 1920 – 1991) was a leading

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 no ...

vocalist in the

Kirana gharana Kirana gharana is one of the Indian classical khyal gharanas, and is concerned foremost with perfect intonation of notes (swara). Singing style The central concern of the Kirana style is swara, or individual notes, in particular precise tunin ...

(singing style).

Early life and training

Basavraj was born into a family of scholars, astrologers and musicians in Yaliwal, a village in the north Karnataka district of

Dharwad Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...

, a great centre of classical music. He was initiated into classical music at an early age by his father, who was himself a renowned

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the 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, and Sri Lanka. It is ...

ian trained in

Tanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

. Basavaraj was fond of music from a very young age. He would try to persuade drama producers and actors to let him sing in their plays, and first became known while singing for Vamanrao Master’s traveling drama company. When he was 13 years old, he lost his father. His uncle became concerned about his future in drama. Around this time Panchakshari Gawai discovered Basavraj and took him into his tutelage. In 1936 at the 600th anniversary of the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...

Hampi Hampi or Hampe, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hampi town, Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th&n ...

, Basavraj gave his first concert with his guru Gawai. After the passing away of Gawai in 1944, Basavraj moved to

Bombay 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-m ...

and had the chance to learn from the Kirana musician and teacher Sawai Gandharva. But Sawai Gandharva was suffering from paralysis and had to leave Bombay, so he told Sureshbabu Mane, another Kirana musician, to teach Basavraj. After learning from him, Rajaguru's quest took him to the North West of Pakistan, where he learned from Waheed Khan, Gawai’s guru. In Karachi he learnt from Latif Khan for six months.

Career

Basavraj's repertoire ranged from the pure classical,

Khyal Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with romantic poetry, and allows the perfo ...

, to

Vachanas Vachana sahitya is a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada (see also Kannada poetry) that evolved in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th century, as a part of the Sharana movement. Madara Chennaiah, an 11th-century cobbler-saint who live ...

, Natyageet,

Thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dr ...

, and Ghazal (different styles of Indian music) spanning eight languages.

Awards

The Government of India awarded him the

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

in 1975 and the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 1991. He also received

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 ...

awards from central and state governments. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the Karnataka University, Dharwad.

Death

Basavraj died in July 1991, one of three illustrious Dharwad musicians to do so during this period (

Kumar Gandharva Pandit Kumar Gandharva (pronunciation:, Kn: ಕುಮಾರ್ ಗಂಧರ್ವ; 8 April 1924 – 12 January 1992), originally known as Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath was an Indian classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style ...

died in January 1992 and

Mallikarjun Mansur Pandit Mallikarjun Bheemaraayappa Mansur (Kannada: ಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾರ್ಜುನ ಮನ್ಸೂರ), (31 December 1910 – 12 September 1992) was an Indian classical singer from Karnataka, an excellent vocalist in the khyal style in th ...

in September 1992).

Awards

Pt Basavaraj Rajguru Memorial National Award

The first Pt. Basavaraj Rajguru Memorial National Award was conferred on vocalist Pt. Ullas Kashalkar of Kolkata on 23 August 2011 during the 91st birth anniversary of Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru. The national award carries a cash prize of Rs. 100,000 and a citation. On the occasion two young musicians Jayateerth Mevundi and Sangeeta Katti were conferred the Pt. Basavaraj Rajguru Memorial Yuva Puraskars which carry a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 each and a citation.

References

Nachiketa Sharma

* ttp://www.musicalnirvana.com/hindustani/basavraj_rajguru.html#Profile Pt. Basavraj Rajguru* ttp://www.dharwad.com/rajguru.html Dharwad Home Page* *
Pt. Basavaraj Rajguru Memorial National Award

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajguru, Basavaraj 1920 births 1991 deaths Hindustani singers Kannada people People from Dharwad Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts 20th-century Indian male classical singers Kirana gharana Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Singers from Karnataka 20th-century Indian composers 20th-century Khyal singers Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award