Amongst the vocalists of the current generation of the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition of Khayal singing, Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande is an artiste of great caliber. Ashwini began her training at the age of five under the guidance of Pandit Narayanrao 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. A resident of Mumbai, Ashwini is a graduate in Microbiology and also holds a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry. She has recently published a book of ‘Bandishes’ written & composed by herself. 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 America.