Vasantrao Deshpande

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Vasantrao Deshpande
वसंतराव देशपांडे
Vasantrao Deshpande.jpg
Background information
Born(1920-05-02)2 May 1920
Sawalapur, Tal. Murtijapur, Akola, Vidarbh region, Maharashtra
Died30 July 1983(1983-07-30) (aged 63)
Pune, Maharashtra, India
GenresHindustani classical music (which included Khayal, Natya Sangeet, Thumri, Ghazal, Tappa)
Occupation(s)Singer, actor, musician
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1928–1983
Websitevasantraodeshpande.com

Vasantrao Deshpande (2 May 1920 – 30 July 1983)[1] was a Hindustani classical vocalist renowned for his contribution to Natya Sangeet (musical dramas).[2]

Early life[edit]

Vasantrao Deshpande was born into a Deshastha Brahmin family[3] in Murtizapur, Akola District, in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra in India. At the age of eight, Vasantrao Deshpande's ability was observed by Bhalji Pendharkar, who cast him in the role of Krishna in the Hindi movie Kaliya Mardan (1935).[4] He obtained his PhD in Music.

Training[edit]

Vasantrao Deshpande got trained under several gurus, in various different schools of singing.[5] He began his musical training with Shankarrao Sapre of Gwalior, a disciple of V. D. Paluskar,[6] in Nagpur. After this, he studied under musicians including Sureshbabu Mane of Kirana gharana, Asad Ali Khan of Patiala gharana, Aman Ali Khan and Anjanibai Malpekar of Bhendibazaar gharana, and Ramkrishna Vaze of Gwalior.[7] Dinanath Mangeshkar, a direct disciple of Vazebuwa, had a particularly strong influence over Deshpande, who is regarded as Mangeshkar's musical heir, having adopted his signature mercurial and dramatic style of singing.[citation needed]

Career[edit]

Deshpande performed classical and semi-classical music, appearing in movies including Kaliya Mardan, Dudh Bhaat, and Ashtavinayak. He issued several commercial releases under his name,[8] and created raga Raj Kalyan, a variant of Yaman without pancham.

Deshpande's students included Chandrakant Limaye,[9] Vijay Koparkar and Pt Padmakar Kulkarni.[10]

Family[edit]

His grandson, Rahul Deshpande, is also a singer, and has also reprised some of his roles on stage and screen, such as Khansaheb in Katyar Kaljat Ghusali.[11][12] Rahul Deshpande has notably portrayed Vasantrao in a film entitled Me Vasantrao,[13] that is based on Deshpande's life.


Legacy[edit]

A foundation, the Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande Pratishthan,[14] organizes Vasantotsav, an annual music festival at Pune in his memory. The annual festival is held over three days during January.[15] During the festival, two awards, the "Vasantotsav Youth Award" for Promising Artists and the "Vasantotsav Award" for veteran artists, are given out.[16][17]

In 2011, a three-day music and dance festival in Nagpur was organized by the Indian government's South-Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC) in Deshpande's memory.[18]

A film entitled Mee Vasantrao,[19] based on Deshpande's life, was scheduled to be released on 1 May 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Later it was released on 1st April 2022.

Awards[edit]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1935 Kaliya Mardan Krishna First film performance

Theatre[edit]

Year Production Role Producer Notes
1967 Katyar Kaljat Ghusli Khansaheb Purushottam Darvhekar Over 1000 performances by 1976.[21]

Bibliography[edit]

  • "Vasantrao Deshpande: Marathi Stage Phenomenon". Bhavan's Journal. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. 1983. pp. 25–28.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Lokrajya (39 ed.). Directorate-General of Information and Public Relations. 1983. pp. 13, 15, 20.
  2. ↑ Sangeet Natak (Issues 79–92 ed.). Sangeet Natak Akademi. 1986. p. 47.
  3. ↑ The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 95. Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. 1974. p. 31. ARATHI literature is strewn with the names of Deshastha writers. The popular classical and light musician, Dr Vasantrao Deshpande, is also from this community.
  4. ↑ "Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande Hall".
  5. ↑ Mathur, Barkha (3 July 2016). "Vidarbha has rich tradition of Hindustani classical music". The Times of India.
  6. ↑ Misra, Susheela (January 1990). Some immortals of Hindustani music. ISBN 9788185151144.
  7. ↑ Jeffrey Michael Grimes (2008). The Geography of Hindustani Music: The Influence of Region and Regionalism on the North Indian Classical Tradition. pp. 160–. ISBN 978-1-109-00342-0. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  8. ↑ Michael S. Kinnear (1985). A discography of Hindustani and Karnatic music. Greenwood Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-0-313-24479-7. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "Wel come to .ptchandrakant". sabmumbai.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "Artistesdetails".
  11. ↑ "Grandson Rahul to carry Pt Vasantrao's legacy forward". The Times of India. 28 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  12. ↑ Sangeet Natak, Issues 79–82. Sangeet Natak Akademi. 1986. p. 47.
  13. ↑ "Me Vasantrao (2020) - IMDb". IMDb.
  14. ↑ Pranav Kulkarni (23 December 2008). "Vasantotsav to kick off from January 9". The Indian Express. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Celebrating the five elements of nature". Pune Mirror. 23 December 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Vasantotsav to start on Jan 18". The Times of India. 6 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  17. ↑ "Season of Music". The Indian Express. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "Music festival in memory of Vasantrao Deshpande in Nagpur". IBN Live News. 28 July 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Mee Vasantrao (2020) - IMDb". IMDb.
  20. ↑ "SNA: List of Akademi Awardees". Sangeet Natak Akademi Official website. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  21. ↑ Kasbekar, Asha (2006). Pop Culture India!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle. ISBN 9781851096367.
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