CLASSICAL music doyen Pt Prabhakar Deshkar, who taught music to three generations of Nagpur, breathed his last on Thursday at his New Ramdaspeth residence. He was 84.
Until the last moment when he suffered a cardiac arrest, Pt Deshkar lived his life to the fullest - went to cast his vote, attended the Shewalkar Sangeet Mahavidyalaya where he was Principal, ate a dinner with family, and suddenly collapsed in the evening. The end came around 9 pm.
Pt Deshkar leaves behind a host of relatives and thousands of disciples to mourn the loss. Last rites would be performed at Ambazari ghat on Friday at 11 am.
Pt Deshkar represented a fine mix of classicism as well as experimentation in classical music and won accolades at national concerts where he performed in the company of globally recognised masters. His association with stalwarts like Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande was a matter of legend in music circles. Theatre was another dimension of Pt Deshkar’s multi-faceted personality. He acted and sang in various musical plays by the legendary Purshottam Darwhekar and made a mark for himself.
Pt Deshkar was often given credit for his relentless effort to promote systematic teaching of classical music in what could be losely called ‘guru-shishya parampara’ of the old-school idea. When commercial element in teaching of classical music was invading the music scene, Pt Deshkar continued teaching music in a traditional manner and earned a sizeable following over time.
Pt Deshkar carried on with this activity through Buti Sangeet Vidyalaya which later became Shewalkar Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. To his countless disciples, he continued to be a guru in the traditional mould. To him, his disciples retunred time and again, to hone their skills, to get musical nourishment from him, and to firm up their faith in classicism. To each of those disciples, Pt Deshkar kept offering opportunities to learn finer and finer nuances of ‘ragdaari’. What made him special was his method to provide a foundation of ‘thought’ to the notes, which offered certain newness to the same ‘raga’ he may sing again.
Pt Deshkar’s last major public appearance was during the Swara Sadhana Sangeet festival a few months ago. The audience witnessed an open interview of Pt Deshkar during which he hummed many a notation and regaled the connoisseurs.
Winner of countless awards and honours, Pt. Deshkar, however, remained aloof from carrying airs. Even through the public adulation he often got, he remained essentially a person who enjoyed his own company.
