It was the prestigious Savai Gandharva Music Festival in 1992 and it seemed that the singer on stage had a sore throat. His son and two disciples who were sitting there for vocal support were eager. And his feelings were shared by the large audience present especially to listen to him. But Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki was a man of fighting spirit. He started his to P with “Anant Hari Narayan …. “ and little by little, note by note, as Raga advanced, he regained control. “Nahin hi mo mein gun aiso aaj jewel piya aave more mandirva“(I have no such virtue in me today that I would attract my beloved to my abode) – the bandit in Raga, Anand Bhairav aptly expressed his feelings. Soon he began to move effortlessly in the three octaves and began to delight the audience with complex taans and beautiful phrases. The overwhelmed audience praised him when he sang the fastest composition. “Ae man moorakh jaan“on Teental. After Anand Bhairav, he introduced Raga Mala, a garland of up to 18 Ragas. Listeners were enthralled as if they were seeing a rainbow of Ragas. to P On one Raga and suddenly taans on another, the audience was certainly on a pleasure trip. Concluded this memorable program with Kabir Bhajan- “Rahana Nahin Des Birana Hai“in Raga Bhairavi.
Born in 1929 into a priestly family traditionally attached to Lord Shiva’s Mangeshi shrine in Goa, mastery of Sanskrit and Marathi came naturally to Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki. His father Balwantrao Abhisheki, who was a kirtan singer, taught him the basic principles of Hindustani classical music. After receiving a degree in Sanskrit literature, he came to Mumbai in 1954 and joined All India Radio. Although it was a brief partnership with AIR, it turned out to be very fruitful. During this period he not only came into contact with various musicians, but also expressed his talent by composing many pieces for radio shows. During the same period he obtained government scholarships for advanced training in Hindustani classical music with Khansaheb Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan of Agra Gharana. He was also privileged to receive training from Pandit Jagannathbuwa Joshi from Gwalior Gharana, Ustad Azizuddin from Jaipur Gharana, and Gulubhai Jasdanwala. But Panditji was no ordinary student and he was able to absorb the best elements of these different schools of Indian classical music to create his own singing style. In 1969 he received the Homi Bhabha Scholarship and went to the United States to teach at the music school run by renowned Sitar Pandit teacher Ravi Shankar.
Pandit Abhisheki will always be remembered as one of the best classical vocalists and a composer and musical director of the highest level. His contribution to Marathi Natya Sangeet is unmatched. He was responsible for the revival of Marathi theater music during the 1960s. He composed vocal and background scores for many Marathi works and remained the most sought-after composer and music director for decades. For this contribution he was duly awarded Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar (1990), Balgandharva Puraskar (1995), Master Dinanath Smriti Puraskar (1996) and Balgandharva Puraskar (Natyaparishad) (1997).
Although Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki was equally fluent in presenting bhajans, thumri, and other forms of semi-classical music, his repertoire of classical ragas was the richest. At each concert he would come up with something new, often complex and unheard of Ragas compositions. Whether it was Shivmat Bhairav, Amrit Varshini or the popular but very demanding Raga Marwa, he always felt comfortable. From the first note he wowed listeners with his Nom-Tom-style meditative alap and performed the Raga according to a definite plan. But at the same time, it would leave the same space for spontaneity to take its audience to unknown planes of bliss. Throughout his life, his approach to music was that of a researcher. The Indian government awarded him Padamshree in 1988 and in 1989 he received the coveted Sangeet Natak Academy Award. The teacher spent his last years teaching music in Pune and trained many disciples before his passing on November 7, 1998 in the same decade that Indian music lost two of its best vocalists: Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur and Pandit Kumar Gandharva. .
