Pt Kumar Gandharva (1924-1992)

ProfileBorn in 1924 in Dharwad,Shivaputra Siddramayya Kamkali, known to musical world as Pt Kuamr Gandharva, revealed prodigious talents even as a child. Thus he gave his first public performance at the age of 10 years. Later his talents were guided and groomed by Prof B R Deodhar. His uncanny sense of musicianship found expression through experimenation. This continued to be the keynote of his career all through his life.
The early part of his career was devoted to the reasearch of the folk music of Malwa and the region around Dewas which he had made his home. His intense reaseach resulted in the innovation of new ragas which proved his creative genius as a prolific composer and vaggeyakara in his own right.
In the middle of his illustrious life he was afflicted with health problems because of which one of his lungs had to be removed. Kumar Gandharva recovered to continue his musical quest and developed a very unique style of his own. Whether that will develop into the next gharana, only time will tell.