Indian music loses Pt. Bhimsen Joshi

The voice of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011) will ring out its rich, mellifluous notes no more. The legendry Kirana vocalist, ''the high commissioner of music'' as he used to call himself in jest, passed away at Sahyadri Hospital in Pune where he was admitted after suffering from severe diarrhoea. He was on respiratory support for about a week.

Joshi's health was said to be improving a few days ago and he had even been taken off ventilator support for three days. However on Saturday, the maestro's condition took a turn for the  worse and he passed away quietly late yesterday.

The maestro hailed from Gadag in Karnataka, and shone on the Indian music firmament for several decades with his brilliant interpretations and renditions of the Kirana repertoire. However, he leaves behind a vast legacy that transcends the boundaries of his gharana and reaching far into the limitless expanse of the Hindustani tradition as a whole.

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

Panditiji's intense passion for music was accompanied by a marked non-conformism. Though, a brilliant exponent of the traditional, limited repertoire of the Kirana gharana, his music borrowed liberally from other gharanas as well.

In marked contrast to other exponents of like 'guru-bandhu' Gangubai Hangal who never crossed the gharana boundaries, Bhimsen Joshi had a bold and seeking approach to his musical quest. He used to say, his music was ''processed in the Kirana factory.''