Hridaynath Mangeshkar

Hridayanath Mangeshkar
Background information
Native name हदयनाथ मंगेशकर
Also known as Baal
Born Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Genres Pop
Folk
Indian classical music
Years active 1955-2009

Hridaynath Mangeshkar is a composer/singer from India known for his eclectic compositions and a well-respected body of work. He is the younger brother of Indian music icons Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. He is popularly known as Balasaheb in the music and film industry.

Biography

Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar is the only son of Deenanath Mangeshkar, who belongs to a Brahmin father and mother belonging to Gomantak Maratha Samaj. The family's last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar. He is the younger brother of Indian music icons Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar, Mrs. Meena Khadikar and Asha Bhosle. He is married to Bharati Malvankar Mangeshkar, daughter of famous Marathi comedy actor Damuanna Malvankar. They have two sons Aadinath and Vaijnath, and a daughter Radha.

Hridaynath debuted his music career in 1955 with the Marathi film Akash Ganga. Since then he has composed for Marathi films such as Sansar, Jait Re Jait, Umbartha, Nivdung and a few Hindi films, the most notable among them being Lekin... and Maya Memsaab.

He joined the political party of Shiv Sena in 2009.[1]

Career

Despite being very selective, Hridayanath Mangeshkar has composed many songs in Marathi and Hindi. He is known for his penchant for selecting beautiful poems for his compositions. His compositions tend to be truly faithful to the emotions in the poems he composes. His songs tend to have complex meters and require singers of range and depth for enjoyable renditions. His composition of Veer Savarkar‘s poem Saagara Pran Talamalala is a case in point. His 1982 album Dnyaneshwar Mauli featured compositions from Sant Dnyaneshwar perhaps the most gifted poet in Marathi literature, virtually sets the standard for modern devotional music in Marathi...

Hridayanath has also composed some memorable folk songs. Staying true to the spirit, his Koli Geets (fishermen songs) reflect the traditional rhythms of the fishermen of Konkan. His music to the critically acclaimed movie Jait Re Jait is another example of his prowess in this genre. One of his most popular works is the composition for the Marathi movie Nivdung.

At one point Hridaynath was a student of Amir Khan; however, he feels that his guru is not as timeless as his sister Lata.[2]

He has been the recipient of several awards throughout his glorious career, such as the prestigious National Award at the hands of the President of India, the Lata Mangeshkar Award of Maharashtra state, and seven Maharashtra State Awards for best vocalist and Music Director/Composer.

He was awarded the title Pandit by the people of Maharashtra at the hands of Pt.Bhimsen Joshi and Pandit Jasraj. The Shankaracharya has conferred upon him the title BhaavGandharva.

He was awarded Padmashri by Government of India in 2009.

Some of his most memorable Hindi film scores are Lekin..., Maya Memsaab, Lal Salaam, Yash Chopra's Mashaal, Dhanwaan and Chaani, to name a few.

He is also the first Indian composer to compose and release two entire albums featuring the poems and songs of the poet-saint Sant Meerabai, titled Chala Vahi Des and Meera Bhajans. He has recently also composed and released an album titled Meera Soor Kabeera, featuring the works of Meerabai, Kabir and Surdas.

He produced an album featuring the ghazals of Mirza Ghalib, titled Ghalib and sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

He has also composed many songs for Asha Bhosle which are still fresh in the memories of people. His collaboration with noted Marathi poets like Shanta Shelake and Suresh Bhat have produced many Marathi classic songs of unmatched popularity.

References

  1. "Hridaynath Mangeshkar joins Shiv Sena". Hindustan Times. September 30, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  2. Sibling revelry with three bhakti poets

External links