Ganesh Balawant Nawathe, better known as

Pandit A Pandit ( sa, पण्डित, paṇḍit; hi, पंडित; also spelled Pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt.) is a man with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge whether it is shashtra (Holy Books) or shastra (Wea ...

Jitendra Abhisheki (21 September 1929 – 7 November 1998), was an Indian vocalist, composer and scholar of Indian classical, semi-classical, and devotional music. While he distinguished himself in Hindustani music, he is also credited for the revival of the Marathi musical theatre in the 1960s. Jitendra Abhisheki has been praised as being "among the stalwarts of Hindustani classical music who mastered other musical forms such as thumri, tappa, bhajan, and bhavgeet. His work in Marathi natyasangeet is well-known." An annual Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki Mahotsav is held, and the last was held in mid-October 2018 at the Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha in Kothrud, Maharashtra. In Goa, a Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki Music Festival held at the local Kala Academy also reached its 14th edition in 2018.

Early life and background

Jitendra was born in priestly Padye Karhade Brahmin family in

Mangeshi Mangueshi is a village in Priol, Ponda, Goa, India. Mangueshi/Mangueshim are other variations for the same name. Main Attraction The temple of Shri Mangesh is set amidst natural surroundings. Mangeshi, which is a little village along Goa' ...

, Goa. His family was traditionally attached to the Mangeshi Temple of Lord Shiva. His father, Balawantrao aka Bikambhat, was a half-brother and a disciple of Deenanath Mangeshkar and the temple priest and a Kirtankar (performer of Kirtana, a devotional music style). Balawantrao taught Jitendra the basic principles of Hindustani classical music. Jitendra received further training in vocal music from Jagannathbua Purohit of

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 of ...

, Azmat Hussain Khan of Khurja Gharana, and Gullubhai Jasdanwala of Jaipur Gharana. Abhisheki was also well known for his renditions of his

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

Natya Sangeet compositions like "Guntatá Hrdáya Hai", "He Suránno Chandra Vhá" and other songs/Marathi ghazals such as "Májhe Jívana Gáne", "Kaivalyáchya", "Sarvátmaka sarveshvara", "Kátá rute kunálá" etc.

Career

After receiving a degree in Sanskrit literature, he joined All India Radio (AIR) at Mumbai for a brief period, when he came in contact with several musicians and also got an opportunity to display his musical talents by composing several pieces for radio programs. Around this time, he received a scholarship from the Indian Government for advanced training in Hindustani classical music under Azmat Hussain Khan. He composed the padas (songs performed live during play) for the Katyar Kaljat Ghusali play. He composed vocal as well as background scores for 25 Marathi plays. After receiving a Homi Bhabha fellowship in the late sixties, he taught at a music school run in the USA by sitarist Ravi Shankar. He maintained his ties to his homeland of Goa through his association with the Kala Academy, counseling and guiding students from that state.

Death

Abhisheki died on November 7, 1998 in Pune, after a prolonged illness related to diabetes that he was previously hospitalized for.

Legacy

The Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki Sangeet Mahotsav is held annually in Goa.

Students

Besides son

Shounak Abhisheki Pt. Shounak Abhisheki is an Indian vocalist, composer of classical, semi-classical, and devotional music. Profile Shounak Abhisheki, the son and disciple of Maestro Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki Ganesh Balawant Nawathe, better known as Pandit Ji ...

, Abhisheki's well-known musical disciples include

Asha Khadilkar Asha Khadilkar (born 11 January 1955) is a Mumbai, India-based Senior Vocalist who performs Indian (Hindustani) classical, semi-classical and devotional music including Natya Sangeet. Career Khadilkar is a regular singer on All India Radio. ...

, Devaki Pandit,

Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal (born 1 January 1959) is an Indian singer of Hindustani classical music. Her repertoire includes the genres of khyal, thumri, dadra, and Indian pop. She has received the Padma Shri in 2000. Early life Shubha was born in Allahabad ...

, Mohankumar Darekar, Hemant Pendse,

Ajit Kadkade Ajit Kadkade is a devotional singer in Goa and Maharashtra, India. He was born in Bicholim city of Goa on January 11, 1951. He learnt Hindustani classical music from the famous singer Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki. Kadkade specializes in singing Marath ...

Raja Kale Pandit Rajaram alias Raja Kale is an Indian vocalist, composer, and scholar of Indian classical, semi-classical, and devotional music. He is a senior disciple''6th edition of Pt Jitendra Abhisheki Sangeet Mahotsav to be held from Jan 7–9'', Tim ...

Prabhakar Karekar Pandit Prabhakar Karekar (b 1944) is a Hindustani classical vocalist, born in Goa, India. He was awarded Tansen Samman in 2014 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the year 2016. Background Prabhakar Janardan Karekar was born in 1944, in what wa ...

, Vijay Koparkar, Sameer Dublay, Dr. Hrishikesh Majumdar, Dr Mrs Madhuri Joshi, Mahesh Kale

Awards and recognitions

Homi Bhabha Fellowship Homi may refer to: People * Homi Adajania * Homi Billimoria, Ceylonese architect * Homi F. Daji * Homi J. Bhabha (1909–1966), Indian nuclear physicist * Homi J. H. Taleyarkhan * Homi K. Bhabha * Homi Kharas, British economist * Homi Maneck Meht ...

(1969) * Natyadarpan Award (1978) * Padma Shri (1988) *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

(1989) *

Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivi ...

(1990) *

Gomantak Marathi Academy Award Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to th ...

(1992) *

Balgandharva Award Narayan Shripad Rajhans, popularly known as Bal Gandharva, (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967) was a famous Marathi language, Marathi singer and a stage actor. He was known for his roles in female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not ...

(1995) * Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Award (1996) * Master Deenanath Smriti Award (1996) * Lata Mangeshkar Award (1996) *

(Natyaparishad, 1997) *

Saraswati Award Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hinduism, Hindu Devi, goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Sa ...

(Kailas Math Nasik, 1997)

References

External links

Official siteJitendra Abhisheki in the Vijaya Parrikar Library: Musical Traditions of IndiaPandit Jitendra Abhisheki on Saregama.com (music)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abhisheki, Jitendra Konkani-language singers 1929 births 1998 deaths Hindustani singers Konkani people People from North Goa district Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Marathi-language singers 20th-century Indian male classical singers Singers from Goa Bandish composers