Rajshekhar Mansur (born 16 December 1942 death 1 May 2022) was an

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 of the

Jaipur-Atrauli gharana The Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana (also known as Jaipur Gharana, Atrauli-Jaipur Gharana, and Alladiyakhani Gayaki) is an Hindustani music apprenticeship fraternity (''gharana''), founded by Alladiya Khan in the late-19th century. Evolved from the dhrup ...

. He was the son and disciple of vocalist

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 ...

Early life and education

Mansur was born to singer

, one of the leading singers of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. At the age of 18 he won the gold medal in the Sangeet Visharad exam and went on to take first prize in the

AIR The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

Youth Music Competition. He completed his M.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in linguistics from the

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

on a British Council Scholarship.

Career

Rajshekhar Mansur started accompanying his father in concerts at age 20, however his father insisted upon him to have a regular job instead of being a full-time musician. Mansur taught literature and linguistics for nearly 35 years and retired as a Professor and Chairman of the English Department,

Karnataka University Karnatak University is a public state university in Dharwad district of Karnataka state, India. The university is recognized by University Grants Commission and accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). As of 2014 ...

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 ...

. He also taught English at P.G.Centre Gulbarga. At the same time, he continued to sing, giving vocal support to his father and performing independently at various prestigious music festivals and for the All India Radio. He had performed in many prestigious music festivals throughout the country. The Karnataka Government had recognised his contributions to music by awarding him the

Rajyotsava Award The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Awards, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India are conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November celebrated as t ...

(1997). He was nominated as the chairman of Karnataka Sangeet Nrutya Akademi (2005–2008). He is also the recipient of Karnataka Kalashri Gaurav Award (2009). His music has been preserved in the archives of Indira Gandhi Manav Sangrahalaya in Bhopal. On 7 September 2009, he released his music album, ''In The Footsteps and Beyond'' to coinciding with his 60th birthday. In 2012, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest award for performing artists, conferred by the

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 ...

, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. In 2016, he was conferred the Ustad Bismillah Khan and Pandit Sanna Bharamanna Smarak Rashtriya Puraskar by the Tansen Academy of Music, Chennai

References

External links

Structure and balance
''The Hindu''
The Jaipur gharana
(includes sound samples) at

ITC Sangeet Research Academy ITC Sangeet Research Academy is a Hindustani classical music academy run by the corporate house, ITC Ltd. It is located in Kolkata, India. Noted musicians associated with the academy include Ulhas Kashalkar, Falguni Mitra, Ajoy Chakrabarty, U ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur, Rajashekhar 1949 births Living people Hindustani singers People from Dharwad Alumni of the University of Wales Karnatak University faculty 20th-century Indian male classical singers Thumri Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Singers from Karnataka 21st-century Indian male classical singers