Sawai Gandharva

Infobox musical artist
Name = Sawai Gandharva |

Img_capt = Sawai Gandharva
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Rambhau Kondgolkar [ [http://music.indobase.com/classical-singers/pandit-bhimsen-joshi.html Pandit Bhimsen Joshi - Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Singer - Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Khayal Singer ] ] [ [http://www.itcsra.org/aom/artist_ofthe_month.asp Artist of the month ] ] [ [http://www.indianetzone.com/6/pandit_bhimsen_joshi.htm Pandit Bhimsen Joshi ] ] [ [http://www.musicplusvideo.com/hindclasvcd1.html hindustani classical video live recordings savai gandharva festival pune ] ]
Kundgol Ramrao

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Born = 1886
Died = September 12, 1952
Origin = Kundgol, Karnataka
Genre = Hindustani Classical Music - Khayal and light forms
Occupation = Hindustani Classical Vocalist
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Rambhau Kundgolkar, better known as Sawai Gandharva (1886 – September 12, 1952), was a well known Hindustani vocalist. He was a disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and helped make the Kirana Gharana famous.

Sawai Gandharwa was born in Kundagol, near Dharwad, in Karnataka in 1886. Although not from a musical family, he was keenly interested in music. He started his training in classical music under the tutelage of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan.

After completing his training, Gandharwa joined a drama company and became a big hit as a singing star in Marathi theatre. He was with Govindrao Tembe's Shivraj Natak Mandali for some time.

Although he became a well known classical vocalist, his most enduring legacy is that he trained great artists who would carry on the magic of the Kirana Gharana, like Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi, and Feroze Dastur.

Bhimsen Joshi holds the annual Sawai Gandharva Music Festival in Pune, in memory of his guru Sawai Gandharva. The festival was held on a modest scale for first two decades. In 1970s and 1980s, its popularity skyrocketed. Now it is considered a status symbol for artists to perform there and for listeners to attend it. Some think that the venue - a large open ground - is an inappropriate venue for Indian Classical Music

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