Ulhas Bapat Biography 
Ulhas Bapat was a santoor player who was frequently associated with Bollywood film music and the music maestro R. D. Burman. His long-term association with the legendary composer began in the year 1978 with the movie Ghar, and continued it till Burman’s death in 1994. He worked with Pancham da till his last project, 1942: A love story. One of his notable works in the iconic song, Mere Kuch Saman of the acclaimed 1987 movie Ijaazat, directed by Gulzar where he played santoor in song's interludes, especially innovative meend pieces, and earned praises. He passed away in 2018 aged 67.
Pandit Ulhas Bapat, a Maharastrian was born on 31 August 1950. He is known for tuning the music instrument santoor his way with his innovative ideas. Started his music lessons at the age of 5, he learnt the tabla from Pandit Ramakant Mhapsekar. He got opportunity to learn music from the celebrated sarod maestro Zarin Daroowala Sharma. He also got guidance from erudite musicians like K. G. Ginde and Pandit Wamanrao Sadolikar.
The legendary musician later worked with many renowned names in the music industry including R. D. Burman and Ravindra Jain, and over the years, he has played in numerous film scores. He worked in Hindi and Marathi films. Some of his best Bollywood works include Ijaazat, 1942 A Love Story, Veera-Zaara, Fanaa, Om Shanti Om and Fashion. He has been honoured at the Mirchi Music Awards Marathi with the Outstanding Contribution to Music. He made his debut as a santoor player at the age of 25 and was active in music field for more than 4 decades.
Bapat is known for his innovative tuning of the santoor that gives his music a distinct character. His fingers work magic on the mezrab and he also owns a large fan following crowd. He tunes santoor the chromatic way which allows him to blend notes from four or five ragas together, and it’s not possible if traditionally tuned. He redesigned santoor without distorting the traditional intrinsic delicate nature of it, and thus preserving its original identity. The legendary musician died in Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital on 4 January 2018. He was 67.
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Updated: May 25, 2018
