Krishnarao Phulambrikar

• Name — Master Krishnarao • Birth Name — Krishnarao Ganesh Phulambrikar • Born — 20 January 1898 • Birthplace — Devachi Alandi • Died — 20 October 1974 • Place of death — Pune, India • Other Names — Master Krishna • Occupation — Classical musician Vocalist, Film and Drama artist • Known for — Hindustani music Marathi Sangeet Natak Marathi and Hindi film music • Spouse — Radhabai Phulambrikar • Children — Three • Parents — Ganesh Phulambrikar Mathurabai Phulambrikar • Website — www.masterkrishnarao.com • Awards — Padma Bhushan Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Vishnudas Bhave Gold Medal Balgandharva Gold Medal Sangeetkalanidhi

Krishnarao Phulambrikar was born in 1898 at Devachi Alandi, a town in the periphery of Pune, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra to the Deshastha Brahmin couple Ganesh Phulambrikar (who was Vedmurti) and Mathura bai. He also ventured into Marathi theatre as a child artist by performing as an actor-singer in Sant Sakhu, a musical drama produced by Natyakalapravartak Mandali. He also acted in other musical dramas produced by this drama company. And at this drama company, he first got a chance to learn Indian classical music from Sawai Gandharva who used to act in the musical dramas of this company. Later, he approached the renowned singer, Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale in 1911 who trained the young boy in Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur gharanas of Hindustani music and their guru-shishya relationship lasted till Bakhale's death in 1922. The tutelage under Bakhale also gave him opportunity to meet and get associated with Bal Gandharva, who would later go on to become a noted Marathi singer. His first solo concert was when he was 13 years of age (he was awarded the title of Sangeet Kalanidhi in 1930 by Jagadguru Shankaracharya Dr.Kurtkoti), which preceded several concerts in India and abroad, including a trip to China as a Government of India delegate in 1953. Phulambrikar served as the director of Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj, a music academy founded by his mentor Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale in Pune. Besides his career as a classical vocalist and as a film music composer, he scored music for several plays which included Menaka, Savitri, Asha-Nirasha, Amritasidhhi, Kanhopatra, Nand Kumar and Vidhi Likhit for Gandharva Sangeet Natak Mandali, a drama company founded by Bal Gandharva, during the period 1915–1933 and acted in a few of them. Later, he also composed music for a few plays such as Kulavadhu, Ek Hota Mhatara, Kone Eke Kali and Bhagyoday for Natyaniketan where the lead singer actress was Jyotsna Bhole. On the academic front, he compiled the compositions taught to him by Bakhale as well as his own compositions and published them as a 7-volume book, Raag Samgraha. Besides his notations are available in print under the titles, Rashtra Sangeet, Shishu Sangeet, Amar Sangeet, Mohan Maal, Natya Geet Notations and Chitra Geet Notations. He also tutored several musicians, film and drama artists. Ram Marathe, Yogini Joglekar, Saraswati Rane, Haribhau Deshpande, Anjanibai Kalgutkar, Madhusudan Kanetkar, Jaymala Shiledar, Dr.Pabalkar, Bapurao Ashtekar, Dattopant Bhope, Pitre buwa, Suhas Datar, Sudhakar Joshi, Ravindra Joshi, Mohan Karve, Rangnath Karkare, Shivram Gadgil, Balwant Dixit and his daughter, Veena Chitko are some of his notable disciples.

Phulambrikar was known to have had expertise in khayal and Thumri traditions of classical music rendition and was aligned to the Agra gharana. He created several ragas by merging the nuances of different ragas; thus he created Tilak Kedar based on Tilak Kamod and Kedar ragas, Mangal Todi on Todi and Madhyam, Shiva Kalyan on Kalyan and Shivaranjani, Bilvabibhas on Bilaval and Bibhas and Jaunkali based on Jaunpuri and Ramkali ragas. He was reported to have initiated the practice of creating new Natyapadas and composed many bandishes such as Ratiya Mein Jagi (Rag Nayaki Kanada), Lalan Tumabina Kaun (Rag Kaunsi Kanada), Rang Rang Mukhape (Rag Adana), Chahu Barasan Lagi (Rag Bhopali), Kahu Ki Reet (Rag Malkaush), Hori Khela! Bahar (Rag Patdeep), E Ma Badal Aye (Rag Malhar), Mai Ri Aaj (Rag Hindol Bahar), Mai Pritam Karo Dulhan Pe (Rag Shiv Kalyan). Tori Binati, Shyamamohan Pyare, Khelat Hai Giridhari, Shyam Bajaye tore Gharame Muraliya, all in Rag Bhairavi, were some of his notable thumris in Bhairavi, earning him the sobriquet, Bhairavi ke Badshah and the style he developed came to be known as Khayali Thumri or Madhyamgram Thumri. He tuned the Indian national song, Vande Mataram, in Raag Jhinjhoti and tried unsuccessfully to promote the song as the national anthem. At the request of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Master Krishnarao composed music for Buddha Vandana and also sang it in his voice. Dr.Ambedkar arranged for its recording and that record was played during the mass conversion ceremony held at Nagpur on the 14th of October 1956.

Soon after he received the Sangeet Kalanidhi title from Dr. Kurtkoti, the Shankaracharya of Karvir Peeth, he was contracted by Prabhat Film Company owned by V. Shantaram and other partners, to compose music for its forthcoming film, Dharmatma, where he was re-united with his old associate, Bal Gandharva, who played the role of Sant Eknath, the protagonist of the movie. The film which was released in 1935 had sixteen songs, many of them sung by Bal Gandharva. A year later, his next Hindi film was released under the name, Amar Jyoti, again a Prabhat Film Company production. The film was reported to have been critically acclaimed and was the first Indian film to be screened at the Venice Film Festival. Wahan, another Prabhat production released in 1937, this time with a new director, K. Narayan Kale, was his next film, followed by the musical Gopal Krishna in 1938 directed by Damle and S Fattelal. He composed music for 15 films which included Padosi, another Shantaram film and the film featured a ten-minute song, Lakh lakh chanderi, reportedly with complex choreography. He played the lead role of Sant Savata Mali in the movie Bhakticha Mala released by Rajkamal Kalamandir. He composed the music for this movie and also sang his own songs in this movie. Many aspiring composers of that period - Vasant Desai, C.Ramchandra, Sudhir Phadke, Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, Snehal Bhatkar, Dinkarrao Amembal (alias D Amel) and Gajananrao Watve got inspired by his school of musical thought.

• Film — Year — Director — Producer — Additional info • Dharmatma — 1935 — V. Shantaram — Prabhat Film Company — Originally titles Mahatma • Amar Jyoti — 1936 — V. Shantaram — Prabhat Film Company — Shanta Apte, who sang 3 songs, also acted in the film • Wahan — 1937 — K. Narayan Kale — Prabhat Film Company — Shanta Apte acted and sang in the film • Gopal Krishna — 1938 — Vishnupant Govind Damle, Sheikh Fattelal — Prabhat Film Company — Remake of 1929 silent film of the same name • Manoos — 1939 — V. Shantaram — Prabhat Film Company — Anil Biswas assisted in music composing • Aadmi — 1939 — V. Shantaram — Prabhat Film Company — Remake of Manoos • Padosi — 1941 — V. Shantaram — Prabhat Film Company — Bilingual in Hindi and Marathi, in Marathi the name was Shejari • Lakharani — 1945 — Vishram Bedekar — Prabhat Film Company — Durga Khote starrer • Vasantasena — 1942 — Gajanan Jagirdar — Prabhat Film Company — Film won the National award for second best Marathi film • Bhakticha Mala — 1944 — Keshavrao Date — Prabhat Film Company — Bilingual (Mali in Marathi), Krishnarao played the lead role • Meri Amanat — 1947 — Prabhakar Gupte and Shreekant Sutar — Vikas Picture — Krishnarao acted and sang in the film, music composed by Shridhar Parsekar • Sant Ramdas — 1949 — Raja Nene — Devotional film • Pooja — 1954 — Bhagwan Das Varma — Varma Films — Mohammed Rafi accompanied Krishnarao in the song Rumjhum Ke Bajao Bansari Murali • Keechak Vadh — 1959 — Tara Harish and Yashwant Pethkar — Manik Studios — Lata Mangeshkar sang a duet with Mohammed Rafi and three solos in the film • Vithu Majha Lekurwala — 1962 — Datta Dharmadhikari — Manik Studios — Asha Bhonsle sang a song in the film • Tai Telin — 1967 — Aryan Film Company — A biopic about Tai Telin