Artists, disciples pay last respects to Pandit Joshi

PUNE - Pune was in mourning Monday as thousands of people, including singers, disciples and classical music enthusiasts, queued up outside Pandit Bhimsen Joshi’s house here Monday to pay their last respects to the music maestro.

‘Kalashree’, Joshi’s house in centrally located Navi Peth area, was swarming with people wanting a last glimpse of Pandit Joshi, who died at age 88 at a hospital here following old age related ailments.

The artists and disciples who paid their tributes included veteran singers Prabha Atre and Arun Date, Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, vocalists Shivani Shinde, Upendra Bhatt, Anand Bhate and Malini Rajurkar.

“Pandit-ji was the most powerful figure on the Hindustani music concert platform of ‘khayal gayaki’. I am deeply saddened by the loss,” said Arun Date.

Lamenting the loss, Atre said: “He was not only a ‘Bharat Ratna’ but a ‘vishwa ratna’.”

Pandit Joshi’s last rites are expected to take place after 3 p.m. Monday.

“(Maharashtra) Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar are expected to visit the residence following which Pandit-ji’s last rites will take place,” a family member of Pandit Joshi said.

A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, Joshi died at Pune’s Sahyadri Hospital at 8.05 a.m.

Joshi, who would have turned a year older Feb 4, was rushed to the hospital Dec 31. He was suffering from ailments, including kidney problems, and had been admitted to the intensive care unit.

A practitioner of the Kirana gharana, Joshi was known for his mellifluous ‘khayals’ as well as for his popular renditions of devotional ‘abhangs’ and ‘bhajans’.