Chidanand Nagarkar
Chidanand Nagarkar
Vocalist
4 Renditions • 2 h 0 m
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GHARANA
Agra
GURUS
Shri Govind Vithal Bhave
Pt. S. N. Ratanjankar
DISCIPLE
Nityanand Haldipur
Chidanand Nagarkar was a classical vocalist and one of the foremost disciples of Pt. S. N. Ratanjankar. Born in 1919 in Bangalore, he began his training under Shri Govind Vithal Bhave. At a young age he moved to Lucknow to study under Pt. Ratanjankar at the Marris College of Music, now known as Bhatkhande Vidya Peeth, and built a wide repertoire that included dhrupad, dhamar, khayal, tappa and thumri. He was known for fast-paced concerts that combined thorough training with a confident, flashy style, and his expressive music, though often reminiscent of Ustad Faiyaz Khan, bore the stamp of his own individuality. He also played the harmonium and tabla with ease, and took lessons in Kathak from Pt. Shambhu Maharaj. In 1946 he became Principal of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's school of music in Bombay, charged first with making it functional and self-supporting and then with shaping it into a lasting musical institution. When K G Ginde arrived in the summer of 1951, Nagarkar had begun assembling a faculty that would later include S. C. R. Bhat, C. R. Vyas, Alla Rakha and H. Taranath Rao, and over the 25 years of his leadership the school grew into a centre of musical activity in Mumbai. As a composer he left behind ragas such as Kaishiki Ranjani and Bhairav Naat (now popular as Nat Bhairav), along with popular bandishes. Chidanand Nagarkar passed away in May 1971.