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Vasantrao Deshpande (2 May 1920 – 30 July 1983) was a Hindustani classical vocalist renowned for his contribution to natya sangeet (musical dramas), particularly his role as "Khansaheb" in Katyar Kaljat Ghusli.
Background
Vasantrao was born into Deshastha Brahmin family in Murtizapur, Akola District, in Vidarbha region of the state of Maharashtra in India. At the age of eight, Deshpande's talent was observed by Bhalji Pendharkar who launched him in the role of Krishna in the Hindi movie Kaliya Mardan (1935). He obtained his PhD in Music.
Gurus
Deshpande learned from several gurus, refusing to tie himself down to a single school of singing.
He began his musical training with Shankarrao Sapre of Gwalior, a disciple of V. D. Paluskar, in Nagpur. After this, he studied under various musicians such as Sureshbabu Mane of Kirana gharana, Asad Ali Khan of Patiala gharana, Aman Ali Khan and Anjanibai Malpekar of Bhendibazaar gharana, and Ramkrishna Vaze of Gwalior. Dinanath Mangeshkar, a direct disciple of Vazebuwa, is said to have had the greatest influence over Deshpande. Deshpande is regarded as Mangeshkar's sole musical heir, having adopted his signature mercurial and dramatic style of singing.
Career
Deshpande performed classical and semi-classical music. He acted in movies like "Kaaliya Mardan", "Dudh Bhaat", and "Ashtavinayak". He had several commercial releases under his name. He created raga Raj Kalyan, a variant of Yaman without pancham.
Deshpande's students include Chandrakant Limaye, [[Vijay Koparkar] and Pt Padmakar Kulkarni].
Legacy
His grandson, Rahul Deshpande, is also a singer, and has also reprised some of his roles on stage and screen, such as Khansaheb in Katyar Kaljat Ghusli (film).
Recognition
A foundation, the Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande Pratishthan, organizes an annual music festival, Vasantotsav, at Pune in his memory. The annual festival is held over three days during the month of January, where musicians and performers are invited to take part. During the festival, two awards, the "Vasantotsav Youth Award" for Promising Artists and the "Vasantotsav Award" for veteran artists, are given.
In 2011, a three-day music and dance festival in his memory, was organized by the South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC) of Government of India in Nagpur.
Awards
- 1982 – Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
