Pandit Dhruvatara Joshi (Dhrubatara Joshi) or Joshiji (1912–1993) was an exponent of

Hindustani Classical Music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, 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'' ...

. A sitarist, vocalist, scholar and composer, Joshi ji was trained in the traditions of the

Etawah Gharana The Etawah gharana is a North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music and named after a small town close to Agra where Imdad Khan (1848–1920) lived. It is also known as Imdadkhani gharana in the honour of its founder, Imdad Khan. Imdad K ...

and the

Agra Gharana The Agra gharana is a tradition of Hindustani classical vocal music descended from the Nauhar Bani. So far, Nauhar Bani has been traced back to around 1300 AD, during the reign of Emperor Allauddin Khilji of Delhi. The first known musician o ...

of the Hindustani Classical Music.

Early life

Born in

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

in India on 1 October 1912, he was the son of Taradutta Joshi and Dr. Manorama Devi. He held a master's degree in Philosophy from the

University of Lucknow University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is one of the oldest public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. LU's main campus is located at Badshah Bagh, University Road area of the city with a second ...

Career

Pandit Joshi shifted from Lucknow to Kolkata, to learn sitar under the tutelage of Ustad Enayat Khan of the

, after meeting the Ustad in an instrument shop. Ustad Enayat Khan, the father of Ustad Vilayat Khan, often referred to Joshiji as his eldest son. Pandit Joshi has been deemed a guiding figure for the young Ustaad Vilayat in the string tradition After Ustaad Enayat's untimely demise, he shifted to vocal music under the tutelage of Aftab-e-mausiqi Ustad

Faiyaz Khan Ustad Faiyaz Khan (8 February 1886 5 November 1950) was an Indian classical vocalist, an exponent of the Agra gharana of Hindustani classical music. Also Known as Aftab-E-Mausiqi meaning the Sun or sunshine of music. According to SwarGanga ...

as a "gandabandh shagird" as per instructions of Ustad Enayat Khan . Gradually he became a specialist in

Dhrupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music (for example in the Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampradaya), and is als ...

, Dhamar,

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

and

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, dram ...

, characteristic of the

. Pandit Joshi served the

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

(AIR) in the capacity of Deputy Chief Producer. His presentation on ''Experiments in Orchestration of Indian Music'' in the AIR music symposia has been preserved by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, in edited volume. Later, he joined the

Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya (IKSV), also Indira Kala Sangeet University, is a public university located in Khairagarh, Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh, India. History In 1956, Maharaja Birendra Bahadur Singh and maharani Padmavati ...

, Khairagarh as the pioneering Dean of the music faculty. Further, he served the Vishva Bharati University, in Shantiniketan, as the Head of the Department of Classical Music. Today, Joshiji's biography is taught in the university as a part of the C-XIV (Practical) course in Masters of Music in Hindustani Classical Music. He founded the Padmaja Naidu College of Music, at the

University of Burdwan The University of Burdwan (also known as Burdwan University or B. U.) is a public state university located in Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, India. It was established by the West Bengal Government as a teaching and affiliating university on 1 ...

Awards and Recognitions

Pandit Dhruvatara Joshi has composed numerous bandishes under the pen name of "Premrang", "Rasik Piya" in Hindi and "Junu Lakhanbhi" in Urdu. His notable compositions include the melancholy "बिन देखे जीयेरा नहीं माने" (Bin Dekhe Jiera Nahin Maane). Pandit Joshi has been a recipient of numerous accolades, awards and recognitions. Some notable mentions include "Sangeet Acharya" award by

Prayag Sangeet Samiti Prayag Sangeet Samiti is an institute imparting education in Hindustani Classical music, in Prayagraj Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh ...

, Fellowship of th
Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Academy
n 1974,

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, ...

Award in 1981, Bhuwalka Award of Sangeet Saurabh in 1984 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1979 by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. He has been awarded a Doctors of Letters (D.Litt.) by the Rabindra Bharati University and the University of Burdwan. Also, he has been invited to share his experiences in national broadcaster platforms including

Legacy

Pandit Dhruvatara Joshi passed away on 28 September 1993 in

Bardhaman Bardhaman (, ), officially Bardhaman Sadar, is a city and municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an a ...

, West Bengal, India. He is survived by his students including Vidushi

Naina Devi Mata Naina Devi is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. History According to legends and also written in Veds and Purans, Goddess Sati burnt herself alive in Yagna, which distressed L ...

, Vidushi

Subhra Guha Subhra Guha (born 1956) is a vocalist in the Hindustani classical music tradition from the Agra gharana style of singing. Her repertoire covers khyals, thumri and dadra. Biography Subhra Guha was born in Calcutta in 1956. Her family encouraged ...

, Prof.

Kalyan Mukherjea Kalyan Kumar Mukherjea (1943–2010) was an authority on Indian classical music, particularly the Senia Gharana, Senia Shahjahanpur Gharana (school) of Sarod. He was also a mathematician. Early life Mukherjea was born in Calcutta in 1943. His f ...

, Dr. Sharmishtha Sen, Professor Mohan Singh Khangura, Prof. Tapasi Ghosh, Ustaad Golam Imam, Prof. Sabyasachi Sarkhel. Randhir Roy (Esraj), Alpana Munshi, Shampa Reza.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joshi, Dhruvatara 1912 births 1993 deaths