Bhimsen Joshi

As a boy in Karnataka, Bhimsen Joshi loved music so much that he ran away from home to find a teacher. He travelled to different cities without money, sometimes hungry, sometimes sleeping in railway stations, until he finally found the guru who could teach him.

He grew up to sing with a voice that felt like a mountain river — deep, strong and clear. Many Indians remember him from the beautiful national song 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara', where his voice starts the whole tune.

Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi was born in 1922 in Gadag, Karnataka. His deep love for Hindustani music led him, still a boy, to leave home and search across northern India for a suitable guru.

He eventually became a disciple of Sawai Gandharva of the Kirana gharana, one of the great traditions of Hindustani vocal music.

His renditions of khayal, bhajan and Marathi abhangs became legendary. He is especially remembered for his slow, meditative alaap and his powerful, unhurried delivery.

In 1988 he was the lead voice on 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara', the national-integration song that many Indians grew up singing. He was awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and finally the Bharat Ratna in 2008 — the highest civilian honour of India.

He continued to sing well into old age and remains one of the most loved voices of Hindustani classical music.