Bhimsen Joshi passes

Hindustani classical music maestro Pandit Bhimsen Joshi passed away late Sunday in Pune after prolonged illness.

The 89-year-old Bharat Ratna awardee admitted to Sahyadri Hospital here after suffering from severe diarrhoea. He was put on respiratory support for about a week.

Joshi had shown signs of improvement a few days ago and had even been taken off ventilator support for three days. However on Saturday his condition started taking a turn for the worse and he passed away quietly late Sunday.

A member of Kirana Gharana, Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi, was renowned for the khayal form of singing besides his popular renditions of devotional music.

Born on February 4, 1922 into a Kannada Brahmin family in the town of Gadag in northern part of Karnataka, Bhimsen was a musical genius who grew into being one of the biggest names in Indian music.

Another well-known Kannadiga Girish Karnad said that his death is an end of an era and he has lost a personal friend. “He lived a full life,” Karnad said.

Well known classical singer Shubha Mudgal also expressed shock at his death and said that the loss to the institution of classical music is irreplaceable.