Dhondutai Kulkarni Biography 
Dhondutai Kulkarni was a veteran Hindustani classical singer from the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. She was a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990 and many more honours. The Music Room authored by Journalist Namita Devidayal chronicles most of her professional life. She regularly sang at "Surashri Kesarbai Kerkar Sangeet Sammelan" throughout her professional career till her last years. She passed away on 1 June 2014. She was a purist. She was a student of Kesarbai Kerkar and later taught numerous students. She was unmarried.
Dhondutai Kulkarni was born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra on 23 July 1927. She belonged to a family with rich musical tradition, and she was introduced to the world of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana of Hindustani music by her father. After learning from Bhurji Khan, at the tender age of only 8, she got opportunity to perform at AIR. Apart from her father and Bhurji Khan, she also trained under Laxmibai Jadhav and Azizuddin Khan, followed by Kesarbai Kerkar. A purist to the core, she remains one of the most celebrated vocalists belonging to Jaipur-Atrauli gharana of music. She passed away in Mumbai in 2014 at the age of 87.
She was born into a traditional Brahmin family of Kolhapur, and her father was a school master. He defied the strict norms of Brahmin society then, and sent his daughter to learn music from Bhurji Khan of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, who was a court musician of Kolhapur then. When Kesarbai Kerkar finally decided to choose a disciple to teach her rare ragas, Dhondutai Kulkarni was lucky enough to become her first disciple. In fact her father sold their Kolhapur and moved to Mumbai so that she can get training from the renowned singer.
Published: March 23, 2019
Updated: March 23, 2019
