Bhimsen Joshi

Bhimsen Joshi

• Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi (4 February 1922 – 24 January 2011) was an Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical tradition.
• He was born in Gadag, Karnataka, India. As a child, he was deeply moved by a recording of Abdul Karim Khan, the founder father of the ' Kirana gharana'.
• He was considered as the leading light of the Kirana gharana. He is renowned for his unique style and mastery over ragas, khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music (bhajans and abhangs).
• He is the recipient of Padma Shri (1972), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1976), Padma Bhushan (1985), Padma Vibhushan (1999).
  
• In 1998, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship the highest honour conferred by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.
• He received the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2008.