Raghunath Panigrahi

Raghunath Panigrahi, known as Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi, was born on August 10th, 1932 in the town of Gunupur, Orissa, India. He was an Odissi music guru, vocalist, music director, and composer. He is well known for his interpretation of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda and his support for his wife, the Odissi classical dancer Sanjukta Panigrahi. Raghunath comes from an Odissi family that was related to Odissi music for centuries, and some of them were royal musicians of Paralakhemundi. Raghunath took his training from his father, Pandit Neelamani Panigrahi, and collected melodies from the Jagannatha Temple of Puri. Afterward, Raghunath trained under Pt. Narsingha Nandasarma and Pt. Biswanatha Das. He was popularly known as Gitagobinda Panigrahi '. He also sang in several Tamil, Kannada, and Odia films.

Sanjukta Panigrahi left a successful career in movies to provide vocal support to her legendary classical dancer wife, Sanjukta Panigrahi. He made a remarkable contribution to promoting and propagating Lord Jagannatha. From 1960-1990, Raghunath and his wife played and entertained people. He worked with Nrityagram and provided the music for several of their productions after the passing of his devoted wife, Sanjukta, in 1997. He formed a trust named after his wife, 'Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial Trust, to promote the cause of Odiya dance. Raghunath started his career in films with a Telugu movie named Ilavelpu in 1956 as a playback singer. His most recent appearance was as a playback singer in the Odia film Kaa.

He received many awards, including the Sur Mani in 1968, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1976, the Padma Shree in 2010, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Banichitra Awards in 2008, and many more. His talent and love for his beloved wife made him one of the most famous Odissi singers, and his music was well-liked across the globe in various countries. On August 25, 2013, Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi passed away in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India, at 81 years of age.