Omkarnath Thakur

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bombay, Maharashtra, India (present-day Mumbai)
GenresHindustani classical music
OccupationsProfessor, musicologist, composer
Instrumentssinging, israj, mridangam, harmonium
Years active1918–1960s

Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Lahore, and later went on become the first dean of the music faculty at Banaras Hindu University
.He also wrote book "sangeetanjli" vol 1 to 6

Early life and training

Thakur was born in 1897 in a village called Jahaj

sanyasi), leaving his wife to run the household, thus by the age of five Thakur started helping her out by doing various odd jobs, in mills, Ramlila troupe and even as a domestic help. When he was fourteen his father died.[3]

Impressed by his singing Thakur and his younger brother Ramesh Chandra were sponsored by a wealthy

Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a music school in Bombay, under classical singer Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.[4] Thakur soon became a singer in the style of the Gwalior gharana and started accompanying his guru and other musicians. Later in his career he developed his own distinct style.[4] Eventually, he made his concert debut in 1918, though he continued his training under his guru, Paluskar, until the latter's death in 1931.[2]

Career

Thakur was made the principal of a

non-cooperation movement of Mahatma Gandhi on a local level, as he became the President of Bharuch District Congress Committee of Indian National Congress.[4] His performances of patriotic song Vande Mataram were a regular feature of annual sessions of the Indian National Congress.[5] Thakur toured Europe in 1933 and became one of the first Indian musicians to perform in Europe. During this tour, he performed privately for Benito Mussolini.[6]
Thakur's wife Indira Devi died the same year and he began to concentrate exclusively on music.

Thakur's work as a performer and musicologist led to the creation of a music college at Banaras Hindu University that emphasized both, here he was first dean of the music faculty.[2] Thakur has composed the university anthem, the Banaras Hindu University Kulgeet.[7] He wrote books on Indian classical music and its history. Thakur's work is criticized in contemporary music literature as ignorant of the contribution of Muslim musicians, which he blamed for deteriorating classical music.[8][9]

Thakur performed in Europe until 1954 and received the Padma Shri in 1955[10] and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1963.[11] He retired in 1963 and was awarded honorary doctorates from Banaras Hindu University in 1963 and Rabindra Bharati University in 1964. Having survived a heart attack in 1954, he suffered a stroke in July 1965, which left him partially paralyzed for the last two years of his life.[2]

See also

  • List of people on stamps of India

References

  1. ^ a b "AIR Archives: Pt Omkarnath Thakur". Prasar Bharati.
  2. ^ a b c d "Omkarnath Thakur". Allmusic.
  3. ^ a b Wade, p. 258
  4. ^ a b c Wade, p. 259
  5. ^ "Omkarnath Thakur". Kamat, The Times of India, Bombay. 27 December 1992.
  6. ^ "Omkarnath Thakur & Benito Mussolini" Sruti 163 (April 1998) 19–21.
  7. ^ "Kulgeet on CD" (PDF). BHU News. June–August 2006. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 April 2007.
  8. ISBN 0333608003
    .
  9. ISBN 0521256593
    .
  10. ^ "Padma Awards". Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  11. ^ "SNA: List of Akademi Awardees – Music – Vocal". Sangeet Natak Akademi. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2009.

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Omkarnath_Thakur&oldid=1220918696"