Pandit Omkarnath Thakur (June 24, 1897 - December 29, 1967), a musicologist and a legendary vocalist is a true legend of Hindustani Classical music. Known for his expressive and theatrical style of singing, he was a rare artist who was not only respected and admired by fellow musicians but was also loved by the masses.
Coming from a very humble and non-musical background, he struggled in the early phase of his life having lost his father when only 14. He was born and brought up in Baroda, Gujarat, till he was taken under his wings by Seth Shahpur-ji Mancherji Dungaji, a very generous philanthropist from Bharuch. The rich merchant, impressed by witnessing the obvious musical talent of a young Omkarnath got him admitted into Pandit Vishnu Digambar's music school in Bombay. That is where he had strong musical training in the traditional Guru-Shishya parampara.
Mahatma Gandhi had once said that what many of his speeches cannot achieve could be achieved by one song of Pandit Omkarnath Thakur. What Gandhi said was a tribute to the grand style of singing and the impressive audience connection that Pandit Omkarnath had.
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He cared little for the many awards he got, for public appreciation and recognition. He shunned the press too. A traditionalist to the core, he was a great innovator too, especially when it came to his live renditions of raags. He also contributed greatly to the theoretical aspects of music having established the learning centre of classical music at Banaras Hindu University. Says Priyanka Kashyap, who has a doctorate in hindustani classical music, “Pandit Omkarnath Thakur is an essential part of the academics of Hindustani Classical music. We have read about his musical theories as part of our academic musical studies. Besides that he was also a great artist too. His jeewani is an essential read for every student of Hindustani Classical Music.” He was one of the original artist who took Hinduustani Classical music beyond the physical boundaries of India. He is said to have performed before King Amanullah of Afghanistan. It is also said that his singing cured the insomnia of Mussolini the dictator of Italy.
In an article entitled 'Abhinaya Aur Sangeet', Dr. Premlata Sharma, one of his well-known disciples, points out that Pandit Omkarnath made conscious and full use of "Abhinaya" in all its aspects, through dramatic voice modulations, tasteful elegant clothes, facial expressions and hand gestures. It was the deliberate use of all these aspects of Abhinaya that helped him to create such a strong audio-visual impact on his audiences. "Jogi Mat Ja Mat Ja", "Mai nahi makhan khaayo", "Ek ban Jogi" and "Vandemataram" among others were some of his most popular renditions.
A great scholar in music, Omnkrnath has left behind for posterity many valuable treatises on music such as the "Sangeetanjali" series and the "Pranav Bharati" which expands on three essential aspects of music according to Pandit Ji, that is Swara, Raga, and Rasa.
