Music lovers have got the blues ever since we heard the news of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi's death. CS tells you more about the classical vocalist and Bharat Ratna awardee:u00a0

>>u00a0A member of the Kirana Gharana, he was renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his bhajans and abhangs.

>>u00a0He was born into a Marathi family in the town of Ron which was then in Gadag, Karnataka. He was the eldest in a family of 16 siblings.

>>u00a0Pt Joshi heard a recording of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan's Thumri 'Piya Bin Nahi Aavat Chain' in Raag Jhinjhoti when he was a child, which inspired him to become a musician.

>>u00a0Until the first half of the 20th century, Khayal was principally taught in the Guru Shishya tradition. In 1933, the 11-year-old Pt Joshi left Dharwad for Bijapur to find a master and learn music. With the help of money lent by his co-passengers in the train, Bhimsen reached Dharwar, Pune and then Gwalior where he joined a music school. He traveled for three years around North India trying to find a good guru. Eventually, his father succeeded in tracking him down in Jalandar and brought him back home.

>>u00a0In 1936, Pt Rambhau Kundgolkar agreed to be his guru.

>>u00a0Pt Joshi moved to Mumbai in 1943 and worked as a radio artist. He first performed live at the age 19. His debut album that had songs in Hindi and Kannada was released when he was 22.