Apoorva Gokhale
Born in the family of traditional legendary
musicians, Apoorva Gokhale has carved a niche for
herself as one of the sought after well-known
vocalists of the younger generation with a firm
background of Gwalior Gharana. She has an
impressive musical lineage and has proudly and
responsibly inherited the musical qualities from her
grandfather, the late Gayanacharya Pandit
Gajananrao Joshi and her great- grandfather Pandit
Antubua Joshi, an eminent court musician in the
erstwhile state of Aundh, district Satara.
At a very tender age of five, she initially
received a sound grooming from her grandfather
Pandit Gajananrao Joshi, who insisted to see in her
tonal perfection with just intonation and infused a keen sense of rhythm. Later
on she received rigorous training in the form of guru-shishya
parampara under
the guidance and supervision of her uncle Pandit Madhukarrao Joshi, an eminent
vocalist and violinist.
Simultaneously she also received guidance from her father Shri Manohar Joshi,
her aunt Dr. Sucheta Bidkar and renowned vocalist of the same tradition,
Padmashri Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar.
Apoorva's versatile temperament and approach to music does not
allow her to rest anywhere for she knows that there is much more far beyond
from what knowledge she has acquired and imbibed in musical field and hence
she must perforce fathom the oceanic depths of music. As such, she goes on
seeking further able guidance from Pandit Shankar Abhyankar, an eminent
sitarist and composer, Smt. Manik Bhide, Smt. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande,
Pandit Yeshwant Mahale and Pandit Arun Kashalkar.
Apoorva is influenced by the best of traditional musicians, but her approach towards presentation is all her own and that makes her music unique. She brings to Khyal singing an expression which, both lyrical and evocative at the same time, maintains the seriousness of the form, unimpaired.
Her coherent presentation of khyal is an aesthetic blending of imaginative alaap, an improvisation in a sonorous and scintillating voice, gracefully weaving exquisite patterns of swaras, unfolding the image of the raga with all its beauty and dignity, combined with an innate sense of laya (rhythm). She judiciously gives equal importance to both gayaki (style) and purity of raga rendition.