A reclusive man, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, always shied away from interviews. So much so that he wouldn’t even speak on the phone without clearing the fact that he wasn’t going to answer any questions. In a rare interview from the legendary Marathi series “Maharashtrachi ladki vyaktimatva” (The favourite personalities from Maharashtra) hosted by the celebrated Marathi writer, P.L. Deshpande, he revealed that truly it was his mother’s melodious evening “Bhajans” that captivated his young mind and deeply indoctrinated him into the endless world of Classical Indian Music. At a time when gramophones were too costly to buy, Bhimsenji would spend countless hours listening to music at the local grocery store at the road crossing.
It is a well known fact that Pt. Bhimsen Joshi studied under various gurus in his life but a little known fact is that Bhim- Anna as he was fondly called during his childhood days, was so influenced by Ustad. Abdul Karim Khan’s thumri “Piya Bin Nahi Aavat Chain", that he ran away from home in search of a guru who could train him in the art of singing. He was so insistent that he be trained in Indian classical music that he not only ran away from home but also scoured India from end to end in search of the guru he desired. All thi, he achieved, at the tender age of 12, having little or no money in his pocket and once by borrowing the money from his co-passenger on board a train to Dharwad, Karnataka. At times when his resources were limited, Bhim anna would sit at the railway station on a ragged old cloth and sing in his melodious voice. Mistaken for a beggar’s child he would earn 16 to 18 annas per day, eat his fill of chanaa for 1-4 annas and buy a ticket for the next station. This continued till he had reached Mumbai. While in Jalandhar, he got adopted by a mill owner, only to find that right next to his ancestral home in Karnataka was one of the most celebrated contemporary singers Pt. Ram bhau, (Sawai Gandharva) ! When he reached there, Pt. Ram Bhau tested him for a year, all he was asked to do was fill water from the nearby water reservoir and bring it back home.
After Ram Bhau was assured of his commitment to music, there was no looking back for Bhim anna. He trained the Maestro himself and spent 16 to 18 hours each day conducting Riyaaz for him. He would wake up at 4 a.m. and rehearse up until late evening. His first concert was at the age of 19 and the next step was a record deal with HMV at the age of 22.
In this very interview, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi revealed his feelings about the then contemporary singers. He insisted that the generations of singers that came during the later decades of the 1900’s had somehow rushed into singing and very few actually let the music seep into themselves. He maintained that every artist is a “Thief” because each singer borrows his rhythm from at least one source of inspiration.
A man of few words and a phenomenal vocalist, he was known to be experimental and very humble, so much so that he even learnt a few ‘raagas’ from his adversaries. Be it his voice in the famous Kannada song, “ Uttara dhruv…” or his unmistakable voice that ushers in the song “Miley Sur mera tumhara !”, he will be missed immensely.
