Pt M Venkatesh Kumar stands tall among the leading Hindustani vocalists today and carries forward the musical traditions of Dharwad with distinction. The Gwalior-Kirana gayaki of Pt Panchakshari Gavai and Pt Puttaraja Gavai continues to live thanks to his dedication. Pt Venkatesh Kumar's voice is deep and vibrant, so is his music. His soulful singing and robust ragadari have earned him the respect of listeners as well as critics. Besides being a popular concert performer he is also an outstanding teacher, author and head of the music department at Karnataka University, Dharwad.
Venkatesh Kumar was born in the hamlet of Lakshmipura in Bellary district. His father was a leather puppeteer and an accomplished folk singer. Though the parents were too poor to think of a musical career for their gifted son, his maternal uncle recognised young Venkatesh's talent and took him to Veereshwara Punyashrama in Gadag, run by Pt Puttaraja Gavai. The senior gavai was physically blind but was a visionary when it came to music. Venkatesh Kumar groomed himself rigorously under him for over 12 years and emerged as a thinker musician.
"Chintana as my guru would say, is most important. There is a tradition and there are these maestros. I had to find a path between these two, without messing with tradition. Long hours of practice and thinking have come to my rescue."
Here he sings the raga Saraswati, accompanied by Shri Udayaraj Karpur on tabla and Shri Ravindra Katoti on harmonium