PANDIT KUMAR GANDHARVA ~ Raga Shivmat Bhairav

Pandit Kumar Gandharva (8 Apr 2024 ~ 12 Jan 1992), originally known as Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath, was an Indian classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style and for his refusal to be bound by the tradition of any gharana. The name, Kumar Gandharva, is a title given to him when he was a child prodigy.

Gandharva was born near Belgaum, Karnataka, India in a Kannada-speaking Lingayat family. By the age of five, he had already shown signs of a musical prodigy and first appeared on stage at the age of 10. When he was 11, his father sent him to study music under the well-known classical teacher, B.R. Deodhar. His mastery of technique and musical knowledge was so rapid that Gandharva himself was teaching at the school before he had turned 20. By his early 20s, Gandharva was seen as a star of music and was praised by critics.

In the late 40s, he was stricken with tuberculosis and was told by doctors that he would never sing again. He was advised to move to the drier climate of Dewas, Madhya Pradesh for his health. For the next six years, Gandharva endured a period of illness and silence. Doctors told him that trying to sing could be fatal and that there was little hope of recovery.

In 1952, streptomycin emerged as a treatment for tuberculosis, and Gandharva began to take it. Gradually, helped by excellent medical support and care from wife Bhanumati, he recovered and began singing again. However, his voice and singing style would always bear the scars of his illness: one of his lungs had been rendered useless, so he had to adapt to singing with a single lung.
His first post-recovery concert took place in 1953. The illness greatly affected Gandharva's singing in later years – he was to be known for powerful short phrases and his very high voice.
The accompanying track here is presented from his Navras Records album “Bhairav Ke Prakaar” (Variations of the morning Raga Bhairav), in Raga Shivmat Bhairav. The album is based on a recording at a private “baithak in August 1978 at the Mumbai residence of the renowned music aficionado R. H. Bengeri.