MYSURU: Pandit Rajeev Taranath, the renowned sarod maestro, passed away due to age-related illness at the age of 92 in Mysuru on Tuesday.
Taranath, a luminary in the realm of Hindustani classical music, breathed his last at a private hospital where he had been receiving treatment for the past several days.
Born on October 17, 1932, Taranath’s contributions to music are celebrated globally. A prodigious talent, he gave his first public singing performance at the age of nine and sang for Akashvani Radio before he turned twenty. He later taught English literature at Aden University in the 1980s and served as the head of the Indian music programme at the California Institute of the Arts from 1995 to 2005.
A distinguished disciple of the great sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Taranath also received guidance from Pandit Ravi Shankar and Srimati Annapurna Devi. He earned numerous accolades, including the Padma Shri in 2019 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2000.
His body will be kept for public viewing at his residence in Kuvempunagar from 9:30 am to 11 am on June 12. The funeral will be held in Mysuru at the foothills of the Chamundi Hills later in the afternoon.