As the foremost proponent of the Maihar Allauddin Gharana, internationally acclaimed English Scholar and Sarod legend Pt. Rajeev Taranath passed away in Mysuru on Tuesday. 92-year-old Pt. Rajeev after a brief illness died at a private hospital in Mysuru. His body was kept for public viewing today at his residence in Saraswathipuram. He had undergone left hip replacement surgery following a fracture and was being treated.
Honoured with the Padma Shri Award in 2019, Pt. Rajeev had done music direction for many Kannada and Malayalam movies. He was conferred with numerous awards and recognitions. He was a disciple of maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He was born on October 17th, 1932 in Bengaluru to freedom fighter and Tabla player Pt. Taranath and Sumathi Bai. He even served at the University of Aden, California University. Pt. Rajeev served as head of the Indian Music Program at the World Music Department of California Institute of Arts from 1995 to 2005. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah; Kannada and Culture Minister Shivraj Tangadagi, former CM Basavraj Bommai, and others have condoled his death.