Dinkar Kaikini

GHARANA

Agra

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Pt. Dinkar Kaikini was a Hindustani classical vocalist, composer and teacher. His first guru was Pt. Karekatte Nagesh Rao of the Patiala gharana; he then trained under Pt. Omkarnath Thakur of the Gwalior gharana, and Pt. Rajabhaiyya Poonchwale, also of the Gwalior gharana, made a lasting impact on him. His training under Padma Bhushan Pt. S.N. Ratanjankar, disciple of Pt. Bhatkhande, and Ustad Faiyaz Khan of the Agra gharana shaped his understanding of raga sangeet. At Morris College, Lucknow, where he studied under Pt. Ratanjankar, he received the Bhatkhande Gold Medal for khayal singing in 1943 following his final B.Mus. examination. He began his performing career in 1946, and in 1948 worked with Pt. Ravi Shankar on the music for the ballet "Discovery of India", also singing the main roles. He spent seventeen years at All India Radio (AIR), first as a composer and then as a producer. In 1971 he became Principal of the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan's Music Department, Mumbai. After retiring in 1987 he devoted himself to performing, composing and teaching a few selected students, and to a pedagogical project explaining Hindustani music to children, adults, lay and trained audiences in India and around the world. Under the pen name "Dinarang" he created many compositions and numerous ragas of his own, and he composed the soundtrack for the American film "Ahimsa". He passed away on 23 January 2010.