Bal Gandharva: The Nonpareil Thespian

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This work does not purport to be a biography in the strictly conventional sense of the term, but a modest attempt to evaluate the contribution of Bal Gandharva to the enrichment of the tradition of Marathi musical drama in particular and Indian music in general. BAL GANDHARVA (1888-1967) who reigned supreme in in the world of the Marathi musical drama for almost half a century, was born as Narayan shripad Rajhans in a middle-class Brahmin family. Endowed with a melodious voice and handsome looks, Bal Gandharva joined the Kirloskar Natak Mandali at the age of 17 to sing and play the female role in the Marathi version of the old Sankrit classic, Shakuntal. In 1913, he established his own troupe the Gandharva Natak Mandali, and staged a wide variety of plays which included the old classics and the new contemporary themes. With advancing age, he took to giving extempore recitals of devotional and popular stage songs. Official recognition came to this unanimously acclaimed Nat samrat after 1944, when he was elected president of the Marathi Natya Shatabadi Sammelan. In 1955 he was given the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award and in 1964 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. Incapacitated by paralysis since 1952, this uncrowned monarch of Marathi musical theatre died at the age of 79, in distress and penury.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mohan Nadkarni

Mohan Nadkarni has been acknowledged as one of the best known music critics in India since 1948. Basically a student of Sanskrit literature and Ancient Indian History, he later on took to Indian musicology and aesthetics. He has contributed articles and reviews of concerts and recorded music as well as Sanskrit musical plays for national level newspapers and periodicals in English. A broadcaster and telecaster in English and Marathi, his other books are At the Center: Fifteen Musicians of Madhya Pradesh; Bal Gandharva: The Non-Pareil Thespian; Bhimsen Joshi: A Biography; Great Masters of Hindustani Vocal Music, and Samvaad Directory of Indian Classical Musicians and Dancers. A recipient of several awards and distinctions, he was honoured by the Karnataka Rajya Sangeeta Nritya Academy with the conferment of the Karnataka Kala-Shree accolade for 1997-1998 in recognition of his contribution to the performing arts.

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Bibliographic information

Title
Bal Gandharva: The Nonpareil Thespian
Author
Edition
1st ed.
Publisher
ISBN
8123737130
Length
78p.
Subjects