About Sawai Gadharva

An outstanding exponent of the Kirana gharana, Pandit Sawai Gandharva is by common consent counted among the greatest Hindustani vocalists of the twentieth century. He was a disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the second in line after Ustad Bande Ali Khan, the founder of the Kirana gharana.

Rambhau Kundgolkar was born in Kundgol, Karnataka, in 1886. His odyssey in classical music began at a tender age, when he began learning dhrupad and dhamar from a local kirtankar. He was not yet in his teens when he started learning music in right earnest from Ustad Abdul Karim Khan. It was, however, not all smooth sailing for him, but rather an emotionally traumatic journey.

In his early teens, as is the case with most boys at that age, Rambhau's voice began to crack and undergo tonal changes that almost threatened to finish his career as a vocalist even before it could begin. It was the patience and perseverance of Abdul Karim Khan that helped his young disciple cope with his problems. The Ustad put the young Rambhau under a long and demanding programme of swarasadhana that helped him re-gain his confidence and control.

In due course, Sawai Gandharva also received training from other renowned gurus like Bhaskarbuva Bakhale and Nasir Hussain Khan of Gwalior. It helped in adding polish to a voice that was already dazzling, thanks to the grooming by his guru Utd.Abdul Karim Khan
Sawai Gandharva also excelled in the field of acting by playing several singer-actor roles in the Marathi theatre. In fact, it was because of his glorious performance on the Marathi stage that he got the appellation 'Sawai Gandharva', in the manner of the renowned singer-actor, Bal Gandharva.

Yet, music remained his first love. His exemplary concert performances continued until he came to be known as the "King of mehfils". Over the years,he developed a distinctive style of his own. In fact, music critics often explain that while both Abdul Karim Khan's teaching as well as Sawai Gandharva's voice might have had their limitations, the latter was able to tide over these drawbacks because he never blindly followed in the footsteps of his master. Besides being a vocalist par excellence, he also grew to be a wonderful teacher. His three most illustrious disciples, Gangubai Hangal, Firoz Dastur and Bhimsen Joshi, living legends in their own right, are the doyens of Kirana gayaki today.
Sawai Gandharva passed away, following a stroke, on 12th September 1952