Lata Mangeshkar, Shreya Ghoshal, Shankar Mahadevan mourn Kishori Amonkar’s death

Indian music fans were in for a rude shock last evening when Indian classical music maestro Kishori Amonkar passed away at the age of 84. She breathed her last at her home in Mumbai after enduring illness since some time. She would have turned 85 next week on 10 April. 

Born in Mumbai, Amonkar is known as one of the musical legends in the classical genre to have emerged out of India. She specialised in the Hindustani classical genre and was an innovator in the Jaipur Gharana.

She received her early training from her mother Mogubai Kurdikar, who was also a classical vocalist. She was later trained by people like Anjanibal Malpekar, Anwar Hussain Khan, Sharadchandra Akolkar, Balkrishnabuwa Parvatkar, etc. 

Amonkar has lent her voice in few Hindi films like Siskiyan (1952), Geet Gaya Pattharonne (1964), Drishti (1990) and Delhi-6 (2009). Out of these films, she composed music for Drishti. It remains the only Hindi film where she has worked as a music director. 

Hindi film celebrities, including Lata Mangeshkar, Shabana Azmi, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal and Zakir Hussain, among others, poured out their condolences.