Ashwini Bhide
Amongst the vocalists of the younger generation of the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition of Khayal singing, Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande is an artiste of great caliber. She has been performing in a number of prestigious music conferences in India for over fifteen years and has had successful concert tours of Europe as well as of North American continent.
Ashwini began her training at the age of five under the
guidance of Pandit Narayan Rao Datar. After graduating with a "Sangeet Visharad"
from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, she started receiving guidance and meticulous
attention from her mother, Smt. Manik Bhide, a great Khayal singer herself.
Ashwini has inherited all that was best in her mother's style and was able to
add a lot to her repertoire with great sensitivity and intellect. Presently she
is receiving guidance from Pandit Ratnakar Pai, a veteran of the Jaipur gharana.
Systematic exposition of the Raag structure, brilliant
phrasing, variety of taan patterns, ease and grace in all of the three octaves
mark her singing. She does not merely present the grammar of a Raag, but can
build it up into an aesthetically pleasing experience. A resident of Mumbai,
Ashwini is a graduate in Microbiology and also holds a Ph.D. degree in
Biochemistry.