HINDUSTANI CLASSICAL MUSIC

Smt. Kishori Amonkar

Smt. Kishori Amonkar is acclaimed today as one of the leading exponents of Jaipur Gharana. She is the daughter of the illustrious vocalist, the septuagenarian Smt. Moghubai Kurikar, a distinguished disciple of the late Gayan Samrat Ustad Allahdiya Khan Saheb. Smt. Kishori Amonkar thus has not only imbibed all those finer points of technique of this gharana but has also, by her superlative imagination, deep thinking and unabiding faith in the sacredness of our great heritage of classical music, added to and enriched her stature.

Smt. Kishori Amonkar pursues her art with a fervour that contains a unique combination of grace and strength. She experiments but toys not with tradition. She has lent to the conventional 'Khayal' an emotional content which it generally lacks in orthodox hands. But grace and emotion do not sum up her art. A spirit of intervention characterises the complicated patterns of her 'Taans'. Smt. Kishori's imagination knows no limits. A proud disciple of Jaipur Gharana, she feels no inhibition in combining in her style best of the other Gharanas. Her performances over the years have been acclaimed by connossieurs of music at various centres of Culture and Art in India.

Smt. Kishori Amonkar has participated several times in the National Programme as also the Radio Sangeet Sammelans and has cut many L.Ps.