Carnatic and Hindustani vocalist Trichur V. Ramachandran writes:
With the passing away of Pt. Bhimsen Joshi , India has lost one of the greatest exponents of music and the void cannot be filled in the near future. He was a musician who reached great heights through sheer dedication and hard ‘sadhana' (practice).
Endowed with a sonorous voice and amazing breath control, he was able to please both the connoisseur and the layman alike. He sang for himself with utmost devotion and sincerity which had an electrifying effect on the listeners. Although he belonged to Kirana gharana, he absorbed different facets of the other gharanas as well. He was at home with pure classical as well as semi-classical such as abhangs and bhajans. He was also famous for Dasar padas. He had this great ability to a roar like a lion one moment and produced soft tones the next.
Just as my Guru GNB inspired me to take up music professionally, when I heard Panditji for the first time in 1984 at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, I was mesmerised. After that concert, I began learning Hindustani music under Pandit Krishnanandji , also of the Kirana gharana. I heard many of Bhimsenji's recordings and was able to imbibe and perfect my style. Under my guru Krishnanandji's watchful eyes, I was able to give several successful Hindustani concerts. I can now safely say that I was inspired only by Panditji in my endeavours .
I still remember Panditji's concert some years ago at Rani Seethai hall. The houseful auditorium reverberated with his soulful music. It was a morning concert. In the front row sat M.S. Subbulakshmi, appreciating every nuance. Panditji sang an unforgettable ‘Jamuna Ke Theer' in Bhairavi. The shehnai wizard Ustad Bismillah Khan, who was also in the audience, was visibly moved by the music. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is a yuga purusha. There will no other like him. He was simple, humble and noble. It is fitting that he passed away on the same day -- Bahula Panchami -- as Tyagaraja.
