Hindustani classical · 1921–1955

Pandit D. V. Paluskar

Vishnu Digambar Paluskar's prodigy son, who made the complex Gwalior gayaki simple and moving — and whose bhajans and Baiju Bawra duet still sound fresh — before dying at thirty-four.

Instrument
Khayal vocal
Born
28 May 1921, Nashik
Died
26 October 1955, Bombay

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Where to start

Begin listening

Kaisku — Marwa

Saregama Hindustani Classical

His Gwalior khayal.

Saregama (HMV).

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Nike ghunghariya

Saregama Hindustani Classical

A rare classical piece.

Saregama (HMV).

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Thumak chalat Ramchandra — bhajan

AIR Raagam

One of his best-loved bhajans.

All India Radio.

Watch on YouTube

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Biography

Life

Dattatreya Vishnu Paluskar was born in Nashik on 28 May 1921, the son of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. The family name was originally Gadgil; they became known as Paluskar after their village, Palus, near Sangli.

He was ten when his father died in 1931. He was then trained by his father's disciples Vinayakrao Patwardhan and Narayanrao Vyas, and also learned from Chintamanrao Paluskar and Mirashi Buwa. He gave his first concert at fourteen, at the Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan in Punjab, and was regarded as a child prodigy.

His khayal kept the Gwalior emphasis on bandish but stripped it of complexity, and his bhajans — "Payoji maine Ram ratan dhan", "Thumak chalat Ramchandra" — became widely loved. He recorded 78 rpm discs for Columbia and HMV and broadcast on All India Radio. He sang for only two films: the classical duet with Amir Khan in Baiju Bawra (1952) and the Bengali film Shap Mochan. He appears in the 1948 photograph of leading musicians at the first music conference after independence. His disciples included Sharad Sathe, who travelled and performed with him.

He died of encephalitis in Bombay on 26 October 1955, aged thirty-four. His tanpura is preserved at the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum in Pune.

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Musical contribution

What they brought to music

SwarGanga credits him with simplifying the highly complex Gwalior gayaki and giving it depth of feeling; his music, like his personality, was straightforward and touched listeners directly.

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In pictures

Photographs

At the first music conference after independence, 1948 — last in the second rowUnknown photographer · 1948 · Public domain
His tanpura, Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, PuneDesiBoy101 · CC BY 4.0

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Lineage & company

Teachers, students and musical connections

People

Grouped by the kind of relationship the sources record — who taught this musician, who they taught, family, and the people they played with.

Teachers and gurus

Students and disciples

Community

Memories from the community

Personal recollections, not verified history

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Provenance

Sources and image credits

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