Pandit Raghunath Prasanna (1913 – 6 June 1999) was a distinguished Indian classical musician and is regarded as one of the pioneering figures of the Indian flute tradition. Renowned for his mastery of both the shehnai and the bansuri (bamboo flute), he brought a unique dimension to flute playing by incorporating shehnai techniques and the nuanced aesthetics of vocal music. His innovative style lent his performances a richly expressive and lyrical quality that set him apart in the world of Hindustani classical music. Raghunath Prasanna Tripura Bansuri

Personal life and family

Raghunath was born in 1913 in

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He was married to Saraswati Devi. They had seven children, Pandit Ravi Shankar Prasanna (Flute and Violin player), Pandit Rajendra Prasanna (flute and shehnai player), Pandit Rakesh Prasanna, Omkar Prasanna. Raghunath Ji's seven grandsons are in the field of music playing bansuri. Rajesh, Rishab Prasanna, Rishab, Ritesh, Rajat, Rohit, Rajeev and Rohan Prasanna are taking ahead the great legacy. Pandit Raghunath Prasanna was born in 1913 in

, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He was married to Saraswati Devi, and together they had seven children. Among them were Pandit Ravi Shankar Prasanna, an accomplished flautist and violinist, and Pandit Rajendra Prasanna, a renowned maestro of both the flute and shehnai. Other sons, including Pandit Rakesh Prasanna and Omkar Prasanna, also contributed to the family's rich musical tradition. Raghunath Ji’s legacy continues through his seven grandsons—Rajesh, Rishab Prasanna, Rishab, Ritesh, Rajat, Rohit, Rajeev, and Rohan Prasanna—all of whom are active in the field of music and are dedicated to carrying forward the family's illustrious Bansuri (flute) tradition.

Career

Raghunath Prasanna got his musical training from his father Gauri Shanker, a shehnai player, and from Dauji Mishra from Varanasi. He was the first person in the family to introduce the art of flute (tripura bansuri and Krishna bansuri) in the family tradition, known until then for shehnai playing. At an early age, Prasanna worked as a Staff Artiste at various All India Radio stations, including Lucknow, Allahabad and Ranchi. Afterwards, he attended Banaras Hindu University and eventually received a seat in the Song and Drama Division of the Government of India. He was also the founder of the Prasanna style of Bansuri playing, a distinctive gharana deeply rooted in the musical traditions of Varanasi. The Prasanna family remains the only traditional lineage of Bansuri players in India that continues to uphold and carry forward this rich legacy. Some of the most renowned Bansuri maestros, including Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Pandit Rajendra Prasanna, were disciples of this illustrious musical family. His techniques have been adopted by his younger brothers and disciples Vishnu and Bholanath Prasannas, his sons Rakesh and Rajendra Prasannas, Niranjan Prasad, and Bhanu Majumdar and Ronu Majumdars. Alain Daniélou has recorded his shehnai and tripura bansuri on the album ''Anthology of Indian Classical Music – A Tribute to Alain Daniélou, Anthology of Indian Classical Music'' in 1955. Prasanna received the Sangeet Natak Academi Award (1996).

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prasanna, Raghunath 1913 births 1999 deaths Indian male classical musicians Musicians from Varanasi Bansuri players Shehnai players Banaras Hindu University alumni Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 20th-century Indian male classical singers 20th-century Indian flautists