Sawai Gandharva Biography In English Life Story -1886-1952

• Ramchandra Kundgolkar Saunshi, popularly known as Sawai Gandharva and Ram-Bhau, was a popular Hindustani classical singer from Karnataka. He was a maha in Kirana Gharana style.
• Sawai Gandharva is known for popularizing the style of Kirana Gharana through his disciples including Pandit.

Sawai Gandharva Biography In English

Birth Details –

Place – Dharwad, Karnataka

Date of Birth – 19 January 1886

Nationality – Indian

Family –

Father – Ganesh Saunshi

Teacher – Kolhatkar

Early Life –

• Ramchandra Kundgolkar was born on 19 January 1886 in a Marathi-speaking Deshastha Brahmin family at Kundgol, 19 km from Dharwad in present-day Karnataka, later known as Rambhau.
• His father, Ganesh Saunshi, was a local clerk employed by Ranganagouda Nadigar, a zamindar.
• Initially, Rambhau showed no interest in academics, but he progressed in school due to his teachers’ praise for singing “melodic” poems.
• Later, he was admitted to Lamington High School in Hubli, where he traveled by train daily. Rambhau’s father found it difficult to afford his son’s education and his schooling eventually stopped.
• After discontinuing his education, Rambhau’s father placed him under the tutelage of Balwantrao Kolhatkar, who found himself in Kundgol.
• From Kolhatkar, Rambhau learned 75 Dhrupad compositions, 25 Tarana compositions, hundreds of other compositions and also mastered some talas. Kolhatkar died in 1898, leaving Rambhau’s tutelage incomplete and without guidance.

Career –

• Against his teacher’s wishes, he joined a drama company and became popular as a singer in Marathi theatre.
• He received praise for playing female roles and was also given the title of Sawai Gandharva, after Bal Gandharva, the pioneer of Marathi theatre.
• She worked for Govindrao Tembe’s Shivraj Natak Mandali for some time and became famous for playing female roles.

Other Information –

• Date of death-12 September 1952

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