Legendary Classical Maestro Pundit Bhimsen Joshi died on Monday at the Shyadari Hospital in Pune. He was 89 years old and was in a critical condition during his last days. A member of the Kirana Gharana (school), he is renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music bhajans and abhangs. He was born into a Kannadiga family in the town of Ron which was then in Gadag District in northern Karnataka. The great vocalist was awarded Padma Bushan in 1985 and Bharath Ratna in 2008. Pt. Joshi is revered in India for his work in the ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ music video (1985), which begins with him. Pt. Joshi was also invited to sing for the Bharat Bala production of the Indian National Anthem music video (2000).
