31 Facts About Bhimsen Joshi

Bhimsen Joshi is known for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music.

Bhimsen Joshi is noted for his concerts, and between 1964 and 1982 Joshi toured Afghanistan, Italy, France, Canada and USA.

Bhimsen Joshi was the first musician from India whose concerts were advertised through posters in New York City.

Bhimsen Joshi was instrumental in organising the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival annually, as homage to his guru, Sawai Gandharva.

Bhimsen Joshi was born on 4 February 1922 in a Kannada Deshastha Madhva Brahmin family to Gururajrao Joshi and Godavaribai at Gadag in Dharwad district that was then in the Bombay Presidency of British India.

Bhimsen Joshi heard a recording of Abdul Karim Khan's Thumri "Piya Bin Nahi Aavat Chain" in Raga Jhinjhoti when he was a child, which inspired him to become a musician.

In 1933, the 11-year-old Bhimsen Joshi left Dharwad for Bijapur to find a master and learn music.

Bhimsen Joshi traveled for three years around North India, including in Delhi, Kolkata, Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur, trying to find a good guru.

Bhimsen Joshi met Ustad Mushtaq Husain Khan of Rampur Gharana and stayed for more than one year.

Bhimsen Joshi stayed at his house in the guru-shishya tradition.

Bhimsen Joshi first performed live in 1941 at the age of 19.

Later Bhimsen Joshi moved to Mumbai in 1943 and worked as a radio artist.

The Hindu, in an article written after he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, said: Bhimsen Joshi was ever the wanderer, engendering brilliant phrases and tans more intuitively than through deliberation.

Bhimsen Joshi occasionally employed the use of sargam and tihai, and often sang traditional compositions of the.

Bhimsen Joshi was a purist who has not dabbled in experimental forms of music, except for a series of Jugalbandi recordings with the Carnatic singer M Balamuralikrishna.

Bhimsen Joshi's singing has been influenced by many musicians, including Smt.

Bhimsen Joshi assimilated into his own singing various elements that he liked in different musical styles and Gharanas.

Bhimsen Joshi has recorded bhakti songs in Marathi, Santavani, Kannada Dasavani.

Bhimsen Joshi was widely recognised in India due to his performance in the Mile Sur Mera Tumhara music video, which begins with him and which was composed originally by him when he was asked to do so by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Bhimsen Joshi sang for several films, including Basant Bahar with Manna Dey, in Marathi movie "Swayamvar zale Siteche" for famous song "Ramya Hi Swargahun lanka", in Kannada movie Sandhya Raga where he has sung extensively.

Bhimsen Joshi sang Birbal My Brother with Pandit Jasraj.

Bhimsen Joshi sang for the Bengali film Tansen and Bollywood Movie Ankahee which later fetched him National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.

Bhimsen Joshi sang as a playback singer for the Marathi film Gulacha Ganapati, produced and directed by P L Deshpande.

Bhimsen Joshi conducted the festival annually since 1953, until his retirement in 2002.

In September 2014, a postage stamp featuring Bhimsen Joshi was released by India Post commemorating his contributions to Hindustani music.

Bhimsen Joshi had four children from Sunanda; Raghavendra, Usha, Sumangala, and Anand.

Bhimsen Joshi struggled with alcoholism, which he overcame by the late 1970s.

Outside of music, Bhimsen Joshi was passionate about cars and had a deep knowledge of auto mechanics.

Bhimsen Joshi was admitted to Sahyadri Super Speciality Hospital on 31 December 2010 with gastrointestinal bleeding and bilateral pneumonia.

Bhimsen Joshi suffered convulsions and was put on dialysis too during his stay in hospital.

Bhimsen Joshi was cremated at Vaikunth Crematorium in Pune with full state honours.