{{Short description|Indian vocalist (1872–1931)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}} {{Infobox person |name = Vishnu Digambar Paluskar |image = Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.jpg |caption = |image_size = 150 |birth_name = |birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1872|8|18 }} |birth_place = [[Kurundwad]], [[Bombay Presidency]], British India |death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1931|08|21|1872|08|18}} |occupation = [[Hindustani classical]] singer |children = [[D. V. Paluskar]] }} [[Pandit]] '''Vishnu Digambar Paluskar''' (18 August 1872{{sfn|GroveMusicOnline}} – 21 August 1931{{sfn|GroveMusicOnline}}) was a [[Hindustani music]]ian. He sang the original version of the bhajan [[Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram]]{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}, and founded the [[Gandharva Mahavidyalaya]] on 5 May 1901. He is also credited with arranging India's national song, [[Vande Mataram|Vande Mātaram]], as it is heard today. His original surname was Gadgil,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://giitaayan.com/satish/art-345.htm |title=RMIM Archive Article "107"}}</ref> but as they hailed from the village Palus (near Sangli), they came to be known as the "Paluskar" family.
==Early life and background== Vishnu Digambar Paluskar was born in a [[Chitpavan Brahmins|Chitpavan Brahmin]] [[Marathi people|Marathi]] family of [[Kuruntwad|Kurundwad]], a small town falling under the Deccan division of [[Bombay Presidency]] during [[British India|British rule]], presently in [[Maharashtra]]. His father, Digambar Gopal Paluskar, was a singer of [[Bhajan|Kirtan]].
He went to a local school in Kurundwad for primary education. But tragedy struck Paluskar at an early age. During a Hindu festival called [[Datta Jayanti]], a fire-cracker burst near his face damaging both his eyes. Being a small town, there was no immediate treatment available and Paluskar lost his eyesight. Nevertheless, he regained it some years later.
The king of [[Miraj]] recognising the talent in the boy put him under the guidance of [[Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar]], a learned musician. Paluskar trained under him for 12 years until in 1896 the relations between the teacher and Paluskar became strained.<ref name="chembur">{{Cite web |url=http://www.chembur.com/anecdotes/vdpaluskar.htm |title=An Introduction to Indian Music |last=Deva |first=B. Chaitanya |publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India |access-date=10 May 2006}}</ref>
==Musical journey== After that Paluskar began touring the country and studied the musical [[Tradition|traditions]] in each part of Northern India. He went from place to place and visited many royal families in cities like [[Vadodara|Baroda]] and [[Gwalior]], well known for their patronage of musicians. He broke a long-standing tradition of Indian music by giving a public concert in [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] and charging a nominal fee. Till then, concerts were given only in palaces or temples. He studied [[Brij]]bhasha, a dialect of [[Hindi]], spoken at [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]]. He later met Pandit Chandan Chaube from whom he learnt [[Dhrupad]]. In 1901, he reached [[Lahore]], where he decided to establish a music school.
===Gandharva Mahavidyalaya=== On 5 May 1901, Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar founded the [[Gandharva Mahavidyalaya]], a school to impart formal training in Indian classical music with some historical Indian Music. This was a school open to all and one of the first in India to run on public support and donations, rather than royal patronage. It was a challenge to the traditional method where students lived under the same roof with their teachers. Many students from the School's early batches became respected musicians and teachers in North India. This brought respect to musicians, who were treated with disdain earlier.
In September 1908, Paluskar went to [[Mumbai|Bombay]] (now Mumbai) to establish another branch of the school. As the work-load increased, he shifted the school from Lahore to Bombay. To accommodate all the students, he took loans, built a new building for the school and hostel as well. To settle debts, he gave several public concerts. But while on a concert tour in 1924, Paluskar's creditors attacked his properties and auctioned the school.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.musicalnirvana.com/hindustani/vd_paluskar.html |title=Pt Vishnu Digambar Paluskar |publisher=MusicalNirvana.com |access-date=10 May 2006}}</ref>
==Death and legacy== [[File:Vishnu Digambar Paluskar 1973 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Paluskar on a 1973 stamp of India]] Paluskar died on 21 August 1931, three days after his 59th birthday. Today, Paluskar is seen as the musician who brought respect to the profession of classical musicians and took Hindustani classical music out from the traditional [[Gharana]] system to the masses. He wrote a book on music called ''Sangeet Bal Prakash'' in three volumes, and 18 volumes on ragas as well. His disciples [[Vinayakrao Patwardhan]], [[Omkarnath Thakur]], [[Narayanrao Vyas]], and [[B. R. Deodhar]] became renowned classical singers and teachers. His son [[D. V. Paluskar|Dattatreya Vishnu Paluskar]] was also trained in classical music.
On 21 July 1973, the Post and Telegraph Department, [[Government of India]] paid homage to Paluskar by releasing a commemorative stamp.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianpost.com/viewstamp.php/Color/Mineral%20Red/VISHNU%20DIGAMBAR%20PALUSKAR%20(MUSICIAN) |title=Visnu Digambar Paluskar (Musician) |publisher=IndianPost |access-date=10 May 2006}}</ref> In its 2000 millennial issue, [[India Today]] magazine included Paluskar in its list of "100 people who shaped India".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.india-today.com/itoday/millennium/100people/vishnu.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514195344/http://www.india-today.com/itoday/millennium/100people/vishnu.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 May 2006 |title=Vishnu Bhatkhande and Vishnu Paluskar |last=Kalidas |first=S. |work=India Today |access-date=10 May 2006 }}</ref>{{sfn|GroveMusicOnline}}
==See also== * [[Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Commons category|Vishnu Digambar Paluskar}} * {{cite journal |last1=Wade |first1=Bonnie C. | last2=Kaur | first2=Inderjit N. | title=Paluskar, Vishnu Digambar |journal=[[Grove Music Online]] |year=2018 | publisher=Oxford University Press | doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.48868 |isbn=9781561592630 | ref={{harvid|GroveMusicOnline}} }} * {{cite book | last=Deva | first = B. Chaitanya | title= An Introduction to Indian Music | publisher= Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India | year=1981}}
* {{cite book | last=Athavale | first = V.R. | title= Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar | publisher= National Book Trust | year=1967}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Paluskar, Vishnu Digambar}} [[Category:1872 births]] [[Category:1931 deaths]] [[Category:Bhajan singers]] [[Category:Hindustani singers]] [[Category:Indian music educators]] [[Category:19th-century Indian male classical singers]] [[Category:People from Kolhapur district]] [[Category:Gwalior gharana]] [[Category:20th-century Indian male classical singers]] [[Category:Singers from Maharashtra]] [[Category:20th-century Khyal singers]]