My tribute to Kanekar Uncle ( Pandit Narendra Kanekar)
My aunt called up today morning to say that Kanekar uncle (thats how I addressed Pt. Narendra Kanekar, doyen of Jaipur and Agra gharana) passed away today at Bombay. Having know him and aunty Kanekar very well for 15 years, it came as a shock to me. My aunt, Dr. Bhanu Raman who was Panditji's disciple for almost 12 years is devastated at the loss of her guru. Pt. Narendra Kanekar specialized in Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur, three principal Gharanas of Hindustani vocal music. He received his initial grooming in music from Pt. Manohar Barwe of Gwalior Gharana. He later became a disciple of Pt. Dattatraya Vishnu Kane (Kane Bua of Ichchalkaranji) of Agra Gharana. Kanebua was a prime disciple of Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan Saheb. Pt. Ratnakar Pai of Jaipur Gharana was his Guru after he moved to Bombay. He was an A grade artiste on AIR and TV. He was blessed with a sweet yet powerful voice . Due to years of rigorous training, his depth and understanding of Hindustani classical music was l...