06-Apr-2017 08:18 PM
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Pt. Kaivalya Kumar belongs to a tradition of classical vocal excellence. A true gharanedari, his grandfather Pt.Ganapatrao Gurav was one of the first disciples of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the founder of the Kirana Gharana. His father, Sangameshwar, who groomed Kaivalya Kumar into an outstanding vocalist, trained under Pt.Ganapatrao Gurav and was known for singing in the true Kirana tradition. Gifted with a naturally high pitched, mellifluous voice, Pt. Kaivalya Kumar’s rendition of ragas is marked by natural phirat, murki, rigorous tans, infallible rhythm, imaginative content and an aesthetic approach to Hindustani classical music in general. He is one of the youngest Hindustani classical vocalists to get a top grade categorization by All India Radio and Doordarshan, the country’s national television network, by the age of thirty five.
Amongst the several honours conferred on Pt. Kaivalya Kumar are included the Aditya Vikram Bhirla Kiran Puraskar (Mumbai), the Sarvashreshtha Kala Puraskaar (Kolkata), the Diva Puraskaar from the Music & Film Industry, the Pandit Jasraj Gourav Puraskaar (Mumbai), the Dattopant Deshpande Smriti Puraskaar (Pune), the Surmani Title (Mumbai), and the Outstanding Performance Award by the Raza Foundation, New Delhi. Pt. Kaivalya Kumar lives in and works in Dharwad, Karnatak.