Hariprasad Chaurasia-Biography, Career, Awards

Do you want to know all about Hariprasad Chaurasia? Do you want to know his biography, career information, collaborations, awards and other significant achievements? This is where you can read all about him. All information related to Hariprasad Chaurasia can be found here.

Profile Summary

Table of Contents

• Biography
• Age
• Career
• Family
• Awards

Biography

Hariprasad Chaurasia is an Indian flautist who plays the bansuri, a bamboo flute originating in north India. He is considered to be one of the greatest musicians alive in India. He has played a significant role in popularizing Indian classical Music all over the world.

Born on July 1, 1938 in Allahabad, Hariprasad Chaurasia did not come from a family of musicians. His father wanted him to become a wrestler and even trained him in an akhada for a while. At the age of fifteen, without his family’s knowledge, he started learning vocals from his neighbor Rajaram. Soon after this he heard the celebrated bansuri player Bholanath and became his disciple for eight years.

In 1957, he started worked at All India Radio as a regular staff artiste in Cuttack, Odisha. He was later transferred to Mumbai where he received training from the legendary music teacher, Annapurna Devi. He then left All India Radio to pursue his performing career.

Age

Hariprasad Chaurasia was on July 1, 1938. His zodiac sign is Cancer.

Career

Initially working as a stenographer to support his family, Hariprasad Chaurasia moved to Cuttack when he became a staff artiste with All India Radio.

1967 would be the beginning of one of the greatest collaborations in Indian music. Hariprasad Chaurasia met Shivkumar Sharma, the renowned santoor player. Together they formed the duo Shiv-Hari and in 1967 recorded the album Call of the Valley. With an innovative approach featuring the use of a guitar and unconventional musical arrangements, it gained a significant global audience, becoming one of the most successful Indian classical albums ever recorded.

Shiv-Hari composed the music for several Bollywood films such as the Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha starrer Silsila.

Hariprasad Chaurasia’s impressive skill with the bansuri has earned him praise from other acclaimed musicians such as Yehudi Menuhin. He has collaborated with other prominent Indian classical musicians such as Zakir Hussain.

He is also a passionate teacher of music and founded the Vrindavan Gurukul in order to teach the bansuri in the guru-shishya tradition. His pupils include Rakesh Chaurasia and the flute sisters, Debopriya and Suchismita Chatterjee.

For his significant contributions towards music, Hariprasad Chaurasia was awarded with the Padma Bhushan in 1992 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2000.

Family

Hariprasad Chaurasia’s nephew, Rakesh Chaurasia, is also a highly accomplished flautist.

Awards

·       In 1984 he won the Sangeet Natak Academy Award

·       In 1990 he won the The Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar

·       In 1992 he won the Padma Bhushan and the Konark Samman

·       In 1994 he won the Yash Bharti Samman

·       In 1999 he won the Kalidas Samman

·       In 2000 he won the Padma Vibhushan and the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Award

·       In 2004 he won the Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award

Check Out The Profiles of Some Other Indian Classical Musicians

·