Basavaraj Rajguru

Basavraj Rajguru
Background information
Genres	Indian classical music
Occupation(s)	Composer, vocalist
Years active	1917–1991

Pandit Basavraj Rajguru (Kannada: ಬಸವರಾಜ್ ರಾಜಗುರು) (24 August 1917 – 1991) was born at Yaliwal, a village in the north Karnataka district of Dharwad, a great centre of Hindustani classical music. He was a leading Hindustani vocal musician in the Kirana Gharana (tradition). Due perhaps to his aversion for publicity and his simple and scholarly lifestyle, he never achieved the level of fame of his contemporaries Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal of the same gharana. He received many awards, including the Padma Bhushan.

Born into a family of scholars, astrologers and musicians, Basavraj was initiated into classical music at an early age by his father, who was himself a renowned Carnatic musician trained in Tanjavur.

Besides being a great classicalist, Rajaguru was adept at composing and singing vachanas (devotional songs in the Kannada language) which made his music more accessible to the general public of Karnataka state.

Basavaraj was fond of music from a very young age. He would try to persuade drama producers and actors to let him sing in their plays, and first became known while singing for Vamanrao Master’s traveling drama company. When he was 13 years old, he lost his father. His uncle became concerned about his future in drama. By a fortuitous stroke of fate, the blind Ganayogi Panchakshari Gawai discovered Basavraj and with little convincing from the MaTh’s swamiji (head priest of the temple organisation), took the lad into his tutelage. Since then his music embraced a whole new beginning.

Panchakshari Gawai gave all his musical knowledge to Basavraj and other students who were not in a position to pay gurudakshina (fees paid to a teacher, not literally a sum of money but rather a composite of materials, favours and devotion) to their guru. He mastered several Ragas and styles. He also became adept at some other arts like wrestling, swimming and cooking. His teacher would personally make sure that each of his students practiced for at least 12 to 15 hours a day. When Basavraj graduated he asked his guru what he wanted as gurudakshina, and his guru replied that this would consist of Basavraj passing on what he had learnt from his guru to his own disciples. In 1936 at the 600th anniversary of the Vijayanagar Empire in Hampi, Basavraj gave his first concert with his guru Gawai. Fifteen thousand people listened silently to the young musician singing Bageshri and the vachana Nijaguna Shivayogi.

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