Pandit Chhannulal Mishra

Chhannulal Mishra was born on 3 August 1936 in Hariharpur, in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. He learnt music first from his father, Badri Prasad Mishra, then from Ustad Abdul Ghani Khan of the Kirana gharana, and later from Thakur Jaidev Singh.

Based in Varanasi, he became one of the best-known exponents of the Banaras gharana and its purab ang style of thumri. His concerts moved between khayal and the lighter forms of the region — thumri, dadra, chaiti, kajri and hori — and he recorded widely in devotional music, from bhajans of Kabir to excerpts of Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas sung in different ragas. He also sang for the Hindi film "Aarakshan" (2011).

He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2010), the Padma Bhushan (2010) and the Padma Vibhushan (2020). In his last years he lived in Mirzapur with his youngest daughter's family, and he died there on 2 October 2025, aged 89, after a prolonged illness. He was survived by his son, the tabla player Ramkumar Mishra, and three daughters.

Earthy, theatrical purab ang singing — thumri, dadra, chaiti, kajri and hori — full of Banarasi wit and storytelling, built on Kirana-trained khayal. Much loved for Tulsidas and Kabir bhajans.