Pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

S. Ballesh Bhajantri (born Ballappa Sanna Bharamappa Bhajantri) is a popular Indian classical Hindustani

shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a type of oboe from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end. It was one of the nine instruments found in the royal court. The shehnai is sim ...

player. He is a disciple of shehnai player

Ustad Ustad, ustadh, ustaz or ustadz (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language, Persian ''ustād'') is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages, incl ...

Bismillah Khan Ustad Bismillah Khan (born Qamaruddin Khan, 21 March 1916 – 21 August 2006), often referred to by the title ''Ustad'', was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, a reeded woodwind instrument. His virtuosity made him a le ...

, he is benares gharana shehnai player and a patiala gharana hindustani vocalist,

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

singer, Indian

playback singer A playback singer, as they are usually known in South Asian cinema, or ghost singer in Western cinema, is a singer whose performance is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and the performers lip-sync the ...

and musician, Ballesh is credited with popularizing the shehnai, a reeded

woodwind instrument Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and ...

. He is also a

Prasar Bharati Prasar Bharati (abbreviated as PB) () is India's state-owned public broadcaster, headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament. It comprises Doordarshan, the television broadcaster, and Al ...

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) and

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

'TOP' Grade shehnai artist and hindustani vocalist. In 2022, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, in the field of Art. He is the second classical musician of India after

Ustad Bismillah Khan Ustad Bismillah Khan (born Qamaruddin Khan, 21 March 1916 – 21 August 2006), often referred to by the title ''Ustad'', was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, a Reed (mouthpiece), reeded woodwind instrument. His virtuos ...

to receive the award as a shehnai player. He has also worked for

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...

and

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...

Early life and education

Ballesh was born to Shehnai player Sanna Bharamanna and Yellamma in M.K.Hubli,

Kittur Kittur or Kitturu, historically known as Kittoor, is a town and a taluk in the Belagavi district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It was part of Bailhongal taluka but was declared as an independent taluka on 23October 2012 by the Chief Minist ...

Belgaum district Belagavi district, formerly also known as Belgaum district, is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The district is known as the sugar bowl of Karnataka with hectares being used for commercial production. It has overtaken Mandya distri ...

, Karnataka. He started learning Shehnai from his father, and later continued from his (uncle) father's elder brother Dodda Bharamanna and with musicians such as D.P. Hiremath, and Pt. Puttaraj Gawai. he was also a Bismillah Khan's disciple,

once remarked that Ballesh will be the "assurance for the future of Shehnai in Indian classical music".

Musical career

Shehnai

Ballesh plays various styles on the shehnai: aalaapi and aakaar like

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 ...

singing,

jhala Jhala (Hindi: झाला, ) is a term in Hindustani classical music which denotes the fast-paced conclusions of classical compositions or raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a mus ...

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

and

sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

, tatkar like

kathak ''Kathak'' is one of the eight major forms of Classical Indian dance, Indian classical dance. Its origin is attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as ''Kathakar'' ("storyteller"), who communicated stories from the ...

dancers,

meend In Hindustani music, ''meend'' (Hindi: , ) refers to a glide from one note to another. It is an essential performance practice, and is used often in vocal and instrumental music. On the veena, sitar, sarangi and other plucked stringed instrument ...

and harquatts like

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...

and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

, and continuity tones like

bansuri A bansuri is an ancient side-blown bamboo flute originating from the Indian Subcontinent. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo and metal-like material, used in many Indian and Nepali Lok songs. A ''bansuri'' is traditionally made from a ...

. He has also performed

jugalbandi A jugalbandhi or jugalbandi is a performance in Indian classical music, especially in Hindustani classical music but also in Carnatic, that features a duet of two solo musicians. The word jugalbandi means, literally, "entwined twins." The duet c ...

s, along with sitarist Ustad

Shahid Parvez Ustad (music title), Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (commonly known as Shahid Parvez; born 14 October 1954) is an Hindustani classical music, Indian classical sitar maestro from the Imdadkhani gharana. He represents the seventh generation of the Etawa ...

, mohan veena player Pandit

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, known professionally as V. M. Bhatt, is an Indian Hindustani classical music instrumentalist who invented and plays a modified slide guitar that is widely called the Mohan veena. Personal life Bhatt lives in Jaipur, Rajastha ...

and accompanied by tablist Yogesh Samsi, Subhankar Banerjee. Owing to his fame, he was selected to perform for the 'Nadalahari' ceremony at Chennai's

Narada Gana Sabha Narada Gana Sabha is one of the foremost music associations in the city of Chennai, India. It regularly organises programmes during the Chennai Music Season. History The Narada Gana Sabha was founded on 9 February 1958, in Mylapore. After f ...

for the historic honour, celebrating the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

’s inclusion of

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

city in the Creative Cities Network in world’s cultural map on 8 November 2017. His music was played (in Raag Maru Bihag) on television every UNESCO International Days.

Performing for SPIC MACAY

Pandit Ballesh and party have performed for many

SPIC MACAY The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth, abbreviated as SPIC MACAY, is a voluntary youth movement which promotes intangible aspects of Indian cultural heritage by promoting Indian classical music, clas ...

concerts throughout india in promoting shehnai playing art and its legacy, about

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...

and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

in schools, colleges and in universities.

Film music

Ballesh has been a musician for many music directors in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

, Gujarati,

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of Indic languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the state * Rajasthani architecture, Indian ar ...

, Punjabi, Oriya,

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, English, Tulu,

Konkani __NOTOC__ Konkani may refer to: Language * Konkani language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Konkan region of India. * Konkani alphabets, different scripts used to write the language **Konkani in the Roman script, one of the scripts used to ...

and

Bhojpuri cinema Bhojpuri cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Bhojpuri language widely spoken in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Its major production centres are Patna. Bhojpuri cinema has grown in rece ...

, performing compositions by Naushad Ali, M. S. Viswanathan, Satyam (music director), G.K. Venkatesh, Ravindra Jain, Ravendra master, Ilaiyaraaja, A. R. Rahman and M. M. Keeravani. He has sung and played shehnai for more than 12,000 movies background scores and 85,000 film songs in several languages, more than 1,50,000 devotional songs for several religions and languages, he has played shehnai for more than 50,000 Swami Ayyappan songs in several languages, he has sung Hindustani music Alaaps for films, and had also collaborated on shehnai with international musicians and composers in recordings. He has sung several songs along with the singers K. J. Yesudas, S. Janaki, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Ilaiyaraaja, M. M. Keeravani and A. R. Rahman. Ballesh appeared playing shehnai for the Hindi film ''

Raanjhanaa ''Raanjhanaa'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Aanand L. Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma. The film is produced by Krishika Lulla under the banner of Eros International. It stars Dhanush (in his Hindi fil ...

'', with music by A.R. Rahman. He also played shehnai for the song "''The Dichotomy of Fame''" in Imtiaz Ali's 2011 Hindi film '' Rockstar'' and also played for ''Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera'' song for Hindi film

Swades ''Swades'' () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written, directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, alongside Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, and Lekh Tandon. T ...

, with music and sung by A.R. Rahman, and also in

Bigil ''Bigil'' ( Whistle) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language sports action drama film written and directed by Atlee and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay in the main dual lead role as father and son, alongside an ensemble cast of ...

Tamil film with music by A.R. Rahman. He also composed music for Jawan with

Anirudh Ravichander Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also credited mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian composer and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil cinema, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He has won two Filmfare Awards South, ten ...

. He has played for singer and music director

Kailash Kher Kailash Kher (born 7 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, live performer, and composer. He sings songs with a music style influenced by Indian folk music and Sufi music. He was inspired by the classical musicians Kumar Gandharva, Hrida ...

in album Jashan-e-Sufi,

Music Education

Ballesh founded Tansen Academy of Music, a school 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'' ...

, with his musical work continued by his three sons by Prakash, Krishna and Shivanand Ballesh.

Charitable activities

Ballesh, along with his sons, friends and his music learning students, founded 'Tansen Academy of Music Trust' a non-profit organization established in 2011 in the memory of his gurus, which promotes Art & Culture in Chennai, Tamil Nadu The trust promotes Indian classical music, aid young artists with scholarships and provides financial help to artists in need. It also organizes various music concerts and festivals, including an annual musical fest "Ras Barse Utsav". in the memory of his father Pandit Sanna Bharamanna Bhajantri & his guru Ustad Bismillah Khan. Ballesh acts as the managing trustee. He also volunteers in organizing medical help for classical musicians and cine musicians in need of help and facilitates artistes.

Awards and recognition

National Civilian awards

* 2022,

, by Government of India

State Civilian awards

* 2024 Karnataka

Rajyotsava Prashasti The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Award, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India are conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November, celebrated as th ...

by Government of Karnataka * 2021 Ustad Bismillah Khan Kala Ratna Samman (Joint Award) by India Tourism Varanasi,

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 ...

and by Ustad Bismillah Khans family members. * 2020

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government ...

(Joint Award) by Government of Tamil Nadu * 2019 Karnataka Kalashri by Government of Karnataka * A "Top Grade" is the highest award given to Indian classical musicians by

, Government of India's public broadcaster, through its

(AIR) and

(DD) platforms.

Other awards

* Vishwa Kala Puraskar, 2022, by Vishwa Kala Sangama, chennai. * Kittur Chennamma Memorial Award 2022, Karnataka State Government Award by Department of Kannada and Culture Belagavi * Belawadi Mallamma Memorial Award 2022, Karnataka State Government Award under Department of Kannada and Culture Belagavi *

Zee Tamil Zee Tamil is an Indian Tamil language pay television general entertainment channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel started broadcasting on 2008 and is available internationally. The channel broadcasts from Guindy, Chennai, ...

TV Excellence in Music Award 2019, * Bhimsen Samman International Award, Gadag 2017 joint award with Krishna Ballesh *

Mirchi Music Awards ''Mirchi Music Awards'' are presented annually by ''Radio Mirchi'' to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film music industry of India. The awards, given in seventeen different categories, were i ...

, 2016, Jury Award for Outstanding contribution

Industry *

Sanaadi Appanna ''Sanaadi Appanna'' () is a 1977 Indian Kannada-language musical film directed by Vijay (director), Vijay based on the novel ''Kuniyitu Hejje Naliyithu Gejje'' by Krishnamoorthy Puranik which was loosely based on the life of Bagalkote shehnai p ...

Kalashree Puraskar, 2016 * Excellence Vocational Award 2011 by Dr. M.G.R. University, during 150th birth anniversary of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

. *

, 2009, Jury Award for Outstanding contribution

Industry

Recognition

* Honorary

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

from Rani Channamma University, Belagavi,

Belagavi Belgaum (Kannada ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma'', ), officially known as Belagavi (also Belgaon), is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located near its northern western border in the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters ...

2024. * Honorary

from

Bengaluru North University Bengaluru North University (BNU) is a State university (India), state university located in Tamaka, near National Highway 75 (India), NH 75 in Kolar, Karnataka, India. The university was established in 2017 by the Government of Karnataka through ...

Kolar Kolar may refer to: Places India * Kolar, Karnataka, a city in India **Kolar Assembly constituency *Kolar district, in Karnataka, India *Kolar Gold Fields, former gold mines in Karnataka, India **KGF (disambiguation) **Kolar Gold Field Assembly co ...

2022.

Performances

* 2025 Performed at the 73rd

Dover Lane Music Conference The Dover Lane Music Conference is an annual Indian classical music festival held in the month of January at Nazrul Mancha, an outdoor auditorium in south Kolkata. The Dover Lane Music Conference is an all night concert attended by visitors ...

that held at Nazrul Mancha, Rabindra Sarobar, Kolkata * 2024 Performed at the 70th Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav that held at the Maharashtra Mandal Krida Sankul, Mukund Nagar, Pune, * 2022 Performed for

Mysore Dasara Mysore Dasara is the state festival in the state of Karnataka in India. It is a 10-day festival, starting with nine nights called Navaratri and the last day being Vijayadashami. The festival is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar m ...

Utsava that held at the Mysore Palace premises, Karnataka * 2016 Performed for 100th birthday anniversary of Ustad Bismillah Khan * 2016 Performed for 64th anniversary of the “ Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav” * 2015 Performed at the 140th Baba

Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan is the oldest festival of Hindustani Classical Music in the world, which is celebrated every year at the sacred seat of music, the samadhi of Baba Harballabh – a saint and an exponent of Hindustani Classical Music. ...

that commenced at Shri Devi Talab Mandir, Jalandhar. * 2006 Played a musical tribute to Krishna Hangal, daughter of

Gangubai Hangal Gangubai Hangal (05 March 1913 – 21 July 2009) was an Indian singer of the '' khayal'' genre of Hindustani classical music from Karnataka, who was known for her deep and powerful voice. Hangal belonged to the Kirana gharana. She was a ...

, at the presentation award ceremony for the first Krishna Hangal Memorial Award of the Hangal Music Foundation at the Sawai Gandharva Hall in Hubli.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballesh, S. Living people Indian male classical musicians Shehnai players Musicians from Karnataka People from Belagavi district Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Hindustani singers Kannada people 1958 births Film musicians from Karnataka Artists from Karnataka Singers from Karnataka Kannada playback singers Tamil playback singers Telugu playback singers Malayalam playback singers Film music