Pt. Vinayak Torvi: Celebrating 75 years of musical excellence

Celebrating Pt. Vinayak Torvi's musical journey

The soil of Dharwad is said to be special as it has produced musicians such as Sawai Gandharva, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Vidushi Gangubai Hungal, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansoor, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, and Pt. Vasavraj Rajguru. Pt. Vinayak Torvi also hails from the same place. Born into the family of Harikatha Vidwan Keertan Kesari Malhar Rao Torvi on the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi, September 4, 1948, he belongs to the musical lineage of Dharwad. While Pt. Vinayak Torvi’s robust rendering of khayal leaves music lovers awe-struck, his rendition of light pieces music captivates them for his artistic insight and neatly enunciated lyrical content.

Trained in the rigorous Gurukula system, Vinayak Torvi received his initial training from Gururao Deshpande and later from Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. He earned a Masters degree in Music from the Karnataka University, Dharwad, where he was trained under Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Pt. Vasavraj Rajguru and Gangubai Hangal. He also has an Honorary Doctorate from Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing arts university, Mysuru. Pt. Vinayak Torvi also has some of the prestigious awards to his credit — the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Arya Bhatta International Award and the Kirana Gharana Award. Having learned from some of the musical greats, Pt. Vinayak Torvi groomed many disciples, who have become full-fledged performing artistes.

To celebrate his 75th brith anniversary and a life filled with music, his disciples and well-wishers had recently organised ‘Amrut Mahotsava’, by featuring music concerts by eminent musicians such as N. Rajam, Pt. Yogesh Shamsi, Pt. Ram Deshpande, and Vidushi Ashwini Bhide.

After celebrating the occasion with a series of concerts at Pune, Mumbai, Dharwad, Varanasi, San Francisco (USA) and Bengaluru, the final stopover was at the India International Centre, in Delhi on September 21. It featured Pt. Nayan Ghosh and Pt. Vinayak Torvi’s disciple Dattatreya Velankar.

Pt. Vinayak Torvi, known for his khayal renditions, remembers his training years under different gurus and how he incorporates the style of different gharanas in his singing. Excerpts from an interview.

Question: Being born into the family of Pt. Malhar Rao Torvi, the Harikatha vidwan keertankar, what do you think was beneficial to you, as a classical vocalist?

Answer: That was the first and the most important step in my musical journey. I was lucky not only to be born into the family of a Keertankar but also had an opportunity to learn the intricacies of keertan rendering directly from my father. Keertan Kala (the art of Keertan) is a folk art, which is the basis for classical music. Many Raag-Raginis have originated from the Keertan base. Keertan Kala encompasses all the sentiments of Ashta-Pilu, including singing, instrument playing, dance, drama, bhava, laya, layakari, and tarana. It is said that in Gwalior Gharana the music aspirants were taught Keertan as the first step to learn music. My father had a natural flair for the Keertan kala and I was fortunate to have him as my first music guru.