Vasantrao Deshpande (2 May 1920 – 30 July 1983) was a

Hindustani classical Hindustani classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' literally means classica ...

vocalist renowned for his contribution to

Natya Sangeet ''Sangeet Natak'' ( Marathi for 'musical drama') is a form of drama which combines prose and poetry in the form of songs to convey the story, similar to musicals. They have played a vital role in the development of Marathi theater and cinema, ...

(musical dramas).

Early life

Vasantrao Deshpande was born into a

Deshastha Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hinduism, Hindu Brahmin caste, subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Brahmins a ...

family in Murtizapur,

Akola District Akola district (Marathi pronunciation: �kolaː is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city of Akola is the district headquarters. Akola district forms the central part of Amravati Division, which was the former British Raj Ber ...

, in the

Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the west Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati Division, Amrav ...

region of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

in India. At the age of eight, Vasantrao Deshpande's ability was observed by

Bhalji Pendharkar Bhalji Pendharkar (3 May 1897 – 26 November 1994) was an Indian film director and producer, and a recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the most prestigious award in the field. Early life and family He was born to Radhabai and Gopal Pendha ...

, who cast him in the role of Krishna in the Hindi movie '' Kaliya Mardan'' (1935). He obtained his PhD in Music.

Training

Vasantrao Deshpande got trained under several gurus, in various different schools of singing. He began his musical training with Mstr. Shankarrao Sapre of

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

, a disciple of V. D. Paluskar, in

Nagpur Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...

. His training was alongside C. Ramchandra under their Guru Master Shankarrao Sapre. After this, he studied under several musicians including Sureshbabu Mane (son of

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (Devanagari: उस्ताद अब्दुल करीम ख़ान, Persian: ) (11 November 1872 – 27 October 1937)Kirana gharana The Kirana Gharana is a Hindustani music apprenticeship tradition (''gharana'') made popular by Bande Ali Khan in the 19th Century and his cousins Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan. Evolved from the instrumental and vocal Gauharbani dhru ...

, Asad Ali Khan of Patiala gharana,

Aman Ali Khan Ustad Aman Ali Khan ‘Amar’ (1888–1953) was an Indian classical vocalist and composer from the Bhendibazaar Gharana. He brought many Carnatic ragas into Hindustani classical music. Aman Ali was the son of Chhajju Khan, one of the founder ...

and

Anjanibai Malpekar Anjanibai Malpekar (22 April 1883 – 7 August 1974) was an Indian classical singer, belonging to the Bhendibazaar gharana of Hindustani classical music. In 1958, she became the first woman to be awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, ...

Bhendibazaar gharana The Bhendibazaar gharana is one of the vocal gharanas of Indian classical music, which originated in Bhendi Bazaar area of Mumbai in 1890. The founders of the gharana originally belonged to the Moradabad area of Uttar Pradesh. Upon migrating to ...

, and

Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze, also known as Vazebuwa, (28 November 1871 – 5 May 1945) was a Hindustani Classical musician of the Gwalior tradition known for his impact on popularizing classical music and its impression on Natyageet in the early half ...

(Vazebuwa) of the Gwalior gharana.

Dinanath Mangeshkar Deenanath Mangeshkar (; 29 December 1900 – 24 April 1942) was an Indian actor, Natya Sangeet musician and, Hindustani classical vocalist who was active in Marathi theatre. He is the father of well-known singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, ...

, a direct disciple of Vazebuwa, had a particularly strong influence over Deshpande, who is regarded as Mangeshkar's musical heir, having adopted his signature mercurial and dramatic style of singing.

Career

Deshpande performed classical and semi-classical music, appearing in movies including '' Kaliya Mardan'', '' Dudh Bhaat'', and ''

Ashtavinayak Ashtavinayaka () is a Sanskrit term which means "eight Ganeshas". The Ashtavinayaka Yatra refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in the state of Maharashtra, India, centered around the city of Pune. The eight temples house eight d ...

''. He issued several commercial releases under his name, and created raga Raj Kalyan, a variant of Yaman without pancham. Deshpande's students included

Chandrakant Limaye Pandit Chandrakant Limaye (चंद्रकांत लिमये) (born 19 August 1950) is a Hindustani Classical Singer from India, and the successor disciple of the well known vocalist Late Dr.Vasantrao Deshpande. Chandrakant Limaye is ...

, Vijay Koparkar and Pt Padmakar Kulkarni.

Family

His grandson,

Rahul Deshpande Rahul Deshpande (born 10 October 1979) is an Indian classical music singer and actor. He is the recipient of a National Film Award, Filmfare Awards Marathi And Maharashtra State Film Awards for his work in '' Me Vasantrao''. He is the grandson ...

, is also a singer, and has also reprised some of his roles on stage and screen, such as Khansaheb in '' Katyar Kaljat Ghusali''.

has portrayed Vasantrao in a film entitled '' Me Vasantrao'', that is based on Deshpande's life.

Legacy

A foundation, the Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande Pratishthan, organizes '' Vasantotsav'', an annual music festival at

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

in his memory. The annual festival is held over three days during January. During the festival, two awards, the "Vasantotsav Youth Award" for Promising Artists and the "Vasantotsav Award" for veteran artists, are given out. In 2011, a three-day music and dance festival in

was organized by the Indian government's South-Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC) in Deshpande's memory. A film entitled '' Me Vasantrao'', based on Deshpande's life, was scheduled to be released on 1 May 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Later it was released on 1 April 2022. Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist and distinguished Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal alumni, Pandit Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande, left an indelible mark on Natya Sangeet with his exceptional talent.

Awards

* 1982 –

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

Filmography

Film

Theatre

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deshpande, Vasantrao Hindustani singers 1920 births 1983 deaths People from Akola district Marathi-language singers Marathi playback singers 20th-century Indian male classical singers Indian male musical theatre actors Male actors in Marathi theatre Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 20th-century Indian male actors Patiala gharana Singers from Maharashtra 20th-century Khyal singers