Shankarrao Vyas

Pandit Shankar Rao Ganesh Vyas was born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, on 23rd January, 1898. Under the supervision of the Late Pandit Ganmaharshi and Vishnu Digamber Paluskar, he began his musical career in 1910. He wrote music for Gujarati, Marathi, and Hindi films. He was one of the founding members of ‘The Vyas Academy of Indian Music’. He was born in Kolhapur, in the state of Maharashtra, on January 23, 1898. He received the title ‘Sangeet Pravin’ after achieving greatness in both vocal and instrumental music.

In 1919, he was assigned to come to Ahmedabad for the sole purpose of promoting Indian classical music across all societal sectors, regardless of age, caste, or creed. He traveled to Mumbai in 1936 at his brother’s invitation. He directed the music for 32 Hindi, 5 Marathi, and 3 Gujrathi films during this time. Among them, the film industry highly regarded the movies like ‘Ram Rajya’, ‘Bharat Milap’, ‘ Poornima Bio coming soon... >> Read More... ’, ‘Narsi Mehta’, and ‘ Vikramaditya Vikramaditya is a Tamil cum Telugu actor who is po >> Read More... ’. He was also known for movies like ‘Leatherface’, ‘His Highness’, and ‘Bhakta Dhruva’.

Additionally, he contributed to the composition of ‘ Bandish Bandish (Translated as Restriction) is a Pakistani >> Read More... ’ in several Ragas for Indian classical music. He was also the writer of several publications, including Prathamik Sangeet (volumes 1 and 2), Madhyamik Sangeet (volumes 1 and 2), Sitar Vadan (volumes 1 and 2), and Murli Naad & Vyas Kriti (volumes 1 through 4). He also helped establish the ‘Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal’ and the ‘Sangeet Kalavihar’ music journals. In the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, he served as President, Secretary, and Treasurer. He also established a music school named ‘Vyas Sangeet Vidyalaya’ at Dadar in 1937. He passed away on December 17, 1956 at Ahmedabad.

Another version of the bio...

Pandit Shankarrao Vyas (1898-1956) was an eminent vocalist, composer, musicologist, and instrumentalist of Hindustani classical music in the 20th century. Born in Kolhapur on 23rd January 1898, Shankarrao displayed prodigious musical talent from a young age. He was a disciple of the great music revivalist Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and later became a leading light of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya movement.

He had the rare ability to grasp intricate musical concepts quickly and was interested in repairing and playing musical instruments. Impressed by the boy's talents, his guru Pandit Paluskar sent him to Lahore to manage the music school there while still a student. After completing his training under Paluskar, Vyas settled in Ahmedabad, where he established the Gujarat Sangeet Vidyalaya to teach Hindustani classical music. He also founded another music school affiliated with the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Vyas contributed enormously to popularizing classical music in Gujarat through these schools, concerts, and lectures.

In 1931, after the death of Pandit Paluskar, the future of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya movement was threatened. Pandit Shankarrao Vyas, along with Pandit Narayanrao Vyas and other alums, established the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal to coordinate and administer the national network of music schools. Due to the able guidance of Vyas, the Mahavidyalaya institutions function smoothly to this day. Vyas was also one of the early pioneers to incorporate Indian classical music in films. He composed acclaimed scores for films like 'Purnima', 'Bharat Milap', 'And Ram Raiya' using a variety of ragas and styles. He experimented considerably with orchestration and instrumentation as well.

As a composer, Vyas created over 350 bandishes and songs compiled in the seminal work "Vyas Kirti.” His compositions were marked by creative poetry, melody, and rhythm. The hugely popular bhajan "Murli ki Dhun" is among his best-known creations. Vyas was an unconventional musician - traditional in his reverence for the past masters yet modern in his openness to experiment and reform. Despite his fame and status, he was humble and warm as a teacher. Through his contributions as a performer, composer, educator, and administrator, Pandit Shankarrao Vyas helped enrich the musical heritage of 20th-century India. He died in December 1956 and left behind a rich and lasting legacy.