About the Raag :-
Bhairav is an Indian classical raga of Bhairav thaat. It is a sampurna raga traditionally performed in the morning and also as the beginning piece in concerts. It is the defining raga of its own Thaat.
The performance for this raga is solemnly serious. The raga comes across as a musical entity with mood of meditation, philosophical depth and emotional richness.
About the Artist :-
Hindustani classical music vocalist Pandit M. Venkatesh Kumar was born 1 July 1953 in Lakshmipura in the Bellary region of northern Karnataka. He is best known for his rendition of his classical music and devotional songs composed by the Haridasa.
Kumar's late father Huleppa was a folk singer and a leather puppeteer. In 1968, when he was 12 years old, Venkatesh was taken by his uncle Belagallu Veeranna to the Veereshwara Punyashrama in Gadag, run by the Veerashaiva saint and Hindustani musician Puttaraj Gawai. For the next 12 years, he lived at the ashram and learned Hindustani singing in the Gwalior and Kirana styles under Gawai. Kumar blends these styles in his presentations, though he admits to influences beyond these gharanas, chief among them being Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala gharana. His guru was also trained in Carnatic music, and as a result, there are traces of Carnatic elements in Pandit Kumar's music, especially in his sargam patterns.
Kumar got his first break in 1993, 14 years after he left the ashram, when he received a invitation from Bhimsen Joshi to perform at the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav in Pune. However, he had to wait almost ten more years before he became a regular on the national festival circuit. Since then, he has been featured in many national musical programs, and has been an "A" grade artist of All India Radio since 1988.
In devotional music, Kumar is most acclaimed for his Kannada vachana and dasara pada singing. He has recorded multiple devotional and classical CD albums
Kumar taught at the University College of Music, Dharwad, for 33 years. This commitment regularly required him to turn down concerts, but he refused to quit the job that offered him stability at a time when concerts were hard to come by. He retired in 2015.
Kumar has received awards and titles including:
Karnataka Rajyotsava Award (1999)
Karnataka Sangeet Natya Academy Award (2007)
Vatsala Bhimsen Joshi Award (2008)
Krishna Hangal Award (2009)
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2012)
Honorary Doctorate from Karnataka University, Dharwad (2014)
Padma Shri Award by the Government of India (2016)
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