By Samudri
Kishori Amonkar, one of the top ranking Hindustani vocalists, passed away on the night of 3 April in Mumbai. She was 84. She was the leading singer of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. Born in Mumbai on 10 April 1932, she trained under Anjanibai Malpekar of the Bhendi Bazar gharana and her mother Mogubai Kurdikar, who received training from the master Ustad Alladiya Khan of the Jaipur gharana. Kishori's repertoire was diverse—ranging from khayals, thumris, bhajans to Hindi film music.
She was the recipient of several prestigious awards like the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2009), Padma Vibhushan (2002), Padma Bhushan (1987) and the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985) to name a few. She was a diva of Hindustani classical music and her musical following was such that a generation of women singers aspired to sing like her. She was a brilliant musician and the world of Indian classical music is poorer by her loss.
