Vocal Classical
Sunshine
by Pt. Omkarnath Thakur
Besides being a successful musician, he was also endowed with an impressive personality who combined in himself many wonderful qualities of head and heart. Omkarnath was born on 24th June 1897 in village Jahaaj, in District Bhadaran (Cambay now). He was the fourth child of his parents. His paternal grandfather Pandit Mahashankar Thakur, and father Pandit Gauri Shankar Thakur had been brave warriors in the services of Nana Saheb Peshwa and Maharani Jamnabai respectively. But, contact with a Yogi named "Alonibaba" changed the entire life and outlook of Pandit Gauri Shankar. He began to lose interest in all worldly affairs, and was initiated into Pranav-Sadhana or meditation of Pranava or "AUM" to which he began to devote more and more of his time. As his fourth child was born during this period of his life, he named the boy "Omkarnath".
Under Pandit Digambar's loving guidance and training, Omkarnath was groomed into an excellent musician. During those rewarding 6 years or so in the ennobling presence of his guru in the latter's gurukula, Omkarnath served his teacher like a devoted son, and imbibed all the music that he had longed to learn. The guru was so pleased with his progress that in 1916 when the former started his famous Gandharva Maha-Vidyalaya in Lahore , he appointed the 20 years-old Omkarnath as the principal . In 1918, he was invited to sing in the famous Harvallabh-mela of Jullunder on the same day as Pandit Bhaskarbuwa Bakhle. In 1922, Omkarnathji married Indira Devi the noble daughter of a rich Seth, Prahladji Dalsukhram Bhatt of Surat . In 1924 he got his first chance to go to Nepal on a royal invitation. Omkarnath won the unstinted admiration of H. H. Maharaja Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur who rewarded him with Rs 5000 in cash and offered him the post of a court musician on a monthly salary of Rs 3000. In 1930 Omkarnathji was again invited to visit Nepal and was showered with more honours and rewards. This time he placed everything at the feet of his revered Guru Pandit Vishnu Digambar who embraced his worthy pupil with great love and pride. From then onwards, his fame spread far and wide, and he was invited to sing in Music Conferences in Mysore , Hyderabad , Bengal etc. In Hyderabad he gave such an inspired rendering of raga Malkauns that Pandit Digambar hugged and blessed him with tears of pride and joy in his eyes. After the death of his beloved Guru Pt. Vishnu Digambar in 1931, Omkarnath went to Italy on an invitation to participate in the International Music Conference in Florence (1933). Thereafter, be travelled widely, giving music recitals, lecture demonstrations in Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, London, Wales, Switzerland etc.Among the several awards and titles conferred on him were the "Padma Sri" in 1955, Sangeet Prabhakar by Pdt Madan Mohan Malaviya, "Sangeet Martand" from Calcutta Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya in 1940, and "Sangeet Mahamahodaya from the ruler of Nepal in 1930.
The last stroke of paralysis kept him in painful obscurity for three long years until death, the Healer, came to his rescue. . Pt. Omkarnath Thakur lived a clean, purposeful and fruitful life and greatly enriched Hindustani music. Large numbers of his shishyas continue his musical traditions and nurse nostalgic memories of their great Guru who left this world on 29th December 1967 .
Raag - Shudh Kalyan
