Legendary classical singer Kishori Amonkar dies at 84

The renowned vocalist died at her home in Mumbai.

Mumbai, April 4: Legendary Hindustani classical vocalist Kishori Amonkar died at the age of 84 in Mumbai, on Monday night, PTI reported. She died at her home in Mumbai, family members told reporters.

Born on April 10, 1932, Amonkar was recognised as one of the foremost singers in the Hindustani tradition and as an innovative exponent of the Jaipur gharana. Several of her fans and friends, including great Lata Mangeshkar, mourned the legend's death.

The works of Kishori Amonkar will always remain popular among people for years to come. https://t.co/iGFxmy8Mlj

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 4, 2017

Mujhe abhi abhi pata chala ki mahan shastriya gayika Kishori amonkar ji ka swargwas hua,ye sunke mujhe (cont) https://t.co/Wwt1852sre

— Lata Mangeshkar (@mangeshkarlata) April 3, 2017

The greatest KISHORI AMONKARJI is no more !! A very big loss for Indian Classical Music ! Her music will live on forever

— Shankar Mahadevan (@Shankar_Live) April 3, 2017

किशोरीताई आमोणकर यांच्या निधनाने प्रयोगशीलता व संवेदनांना जपणाऱ्या एका ख्यातनाम आणि महान शास्त्रीय गायिकेला आपण मुकलो आहोत.#kishoriamonkar

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) April 3, 2017

Amonkar's mother was the well-known vocalist Mogubai Kurdikar, who trained under Alladiya Khan Saheb, the doyen of the Jaipur gharana. While learning the finer points and techniques of the Jaipur gharana from her mother, Amonkar also developed her own personal style, which reflects the influence of other gharanas and was generally regarded as an individual variant of the Jaipur tradition.

She cultivated a deep understanding of her art, largely through extensive study of the ancient texts on music. Amonkar was known primarily for her skillful singing of classical khayals set in the traditional ragas of Hindustani music, but also performed the lighter classical genres of thumri, bhajans and film music.

Regardless of musical genre, her performances were marked by vitality and grace. Throughout her career, however, Amonkar was both criticised and praised for her bending of the Jaipur tradition.

Amonkar was awarded the Padma Bhushan (1987) and Padma Vibhushan (2002). In 2010, she became a fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

OneIndia News