Firoz Dastur

GHARANA

Kirana

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Pt. Firoz Dastur was a classical vocalist of the Kirana gayaki and a disciple of Sawai Gandharva. He was born on 30 September 1919 into a Parsi family. His father recognised his talent early, and when the film producer Jamshedji Wadia heard him, he offered him roles in his films; he acted in more than 14 Urdu films and was the highest-paid child artist of his time, at one point earning Rs 1500 a month. It was Wadia who insisted that he learn the Kirana gayaki and directed him to the tabla player Kamurao Mangeshkar, who introduced him to Sawai Gandharva. From the age of 13 he trained rigorously under Sawai Gandharva for four years. At 17 or 18 he gave his first major performance at the All India music conference in Karachi, where masters such as Ustad Faiyyaz Khan and Pt. Omkarnath Thakur were present, along with young artists including Gangubai Hangal and Kumar Gandharva. Ustad Faiyyaz Khan applauded his performance and blessed him. His honours include the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Tansen Puraskar, the Maharashtra State Gaurav Puraskar and an honorary doctorate from South Gujarat University. He passed away in 2008 in Mumbai.