Gaansaraswati Padma Vibhushan Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellow Kishori Amonkar passed away a year ago, in April, leaving the world of music a lesser place.

She had influenced an entire generation of vocalists; as one of her disciples Arti Ankalikar put it “it was impossible as a singer not to be swept away by her”. Senior Carnatic Vocalist Bombay Jayashri, known as the “Nightingale of the South”, said Kishoriji “had a searing quality in her voice; it was impossible not be moved by her.” Her breath taking taans were simply stupendous, her mastery of her voice unmatched.

A clue about what mattered to Kishori tai was that she always declared, the title closest to her heart was “Gaansaraswati” as it linked her to Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of Music, and was given to her by the Shankaracharya himself.

Before her death a few months later, Padma vibhushan Girija Devi had heaped tributes on Kishori Amonkar — she was the type of singer that is born after 5000 years, she said. Despite being of such an independent nature creatively, she still kept the vocal heritage she inherited from her mother intact, she added (apni ma ki gayeki ko khub sambhaala).

She recalled presenting the Kal Ke Kalaakar Award to Kishori ji in 1947, when India had just lost Roshanara Begum who had migrated to Pakistan — she remembered thinking, after hearing Kishori Amonkar sing that India had found Roshanara Begum’s replacement in the overwhelming talent exhibited by the young Kishori. Girija Devi said some people thought she was “rough” but “woh jante nahi the ki andar se bahut naram thi” (nobody knew she was very soft and gentle inside).

Much has been unfairly said about her arrogance, her volatility; none really chose to go beneath the surface and see her for the genius she was that manifested itself emotionally. Her infamous “temper”, as it was called, was actually the natural expression of a very justified anger if she or her art was belittled in any way. Actually, in person she was extremely humble about her music, affable and if she sensed a genuine interest in music, was always ready to share any musical input. Her house in Mumbai was open to any genuine student of music.

Anyone who has ever seen Kishori Amonkar in concert, knows that she completely withdrew into herself while singing, and on stage remained fully immersed. No one who was present that day about 40 years ago in Vrindavan at Nidhivan, (at the samadh of Swami Haridas) when she sang “Mharo Pranam,Banke Bihariji” can forget the atmosphere she created; there was barely a dry eye in her audience. Raghunandan Pansikar, today one of the best representatives of her gayaki, was accompanying her on the tamboora that day, and he too openly wept.

Kishori Amonkar was born in Mumbai, her father died when she was six, and her mother, the great Mogubai Kurdikar had to suffer considerable financial hardships bringing up her three children. Despite this, when years later,

Kishori herself was booked for 3 or 4 concerts, and she excitedly told her mother, expecting her pride, her mother admonished her and said you have not calculated how much time you will waste doing these concerts.

Travelling by train, staying for the concerts, all this was time that could have been spent doing riyaaz. Kishori never forgot this lesson, and accepted very few concerts. She also never travelled abroad for this reason; those who want to hear me will come to hear me, she used to say.

Very much a rebel in her time, she sang for Hindi films in the 1960s against the wishes of her more traditional Guru. She has been described as liberal and modern by her granddaughter Tejashree; (herself a trained singer), yet no one has better protected our classical tradition than she has.

For Kishori Amonkar, music wasn’t entertainment. It was not to be sung to attract the audience. She said “when the sur” comes out of my inner being, my body will disappear. I pray to God that I die that way”. Her

Maker had answered her appeal; she had passed away in her sleep, on April, 3, a Reigning Queen of *Sur* till the end.  Memorial concerts in her memory are taking place all over North India on 3 and 4 April, including a tribute in Mumbai by her daughter in law Bharati, and granddaughter Tejashri.

(Shailaja Khanna writes on Music,Musicians and Matters of Music)