Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi’s effort to popularise poet Jayadeva’s ’Gita Govinda’, which has been hailed as the fountainhead of Odissi music, not just in the state but worldwide, has been praised by his admirers.

Panigrahi was born in Gunupur, Odisha’s Rayaga district, and learned the classical technique of singing ‘Gita Govinda’ from his father, which portrays the special bond between Lord Krishna and the ‘Gopis’ as preserved in the traditions of the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri. He shifted from Gunupur to Puri and then to Madras to study Carnatic music. His crystal clear voice and deeply emotional rendering captured the attention of many in Madras, and he became an established playback singer of south cinema in his early twenties. Later, he became a playback singer in the Odia film industry, scoring mega-hits such as ‘Sushama Go Tuma Ange Bhara Madhu Jochhana‘ and ‘Na Jaa Radhika’. During the golden age of All India Radio and Gramophone Records, dozens of his songs became extremely popular and have now become timeless masterpieces.

Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi had a highly successful, lucrative, and promising career as a playback vocalist for Telugu and Tamil films in Chennai, where he worked with all of the greats of the large south music industry. He decided to forego a “national” career to work with his wife, Sanjukta Panigrahi, who was planning a global campaign to popularize the classical Odissi dance form at the time. Both luminaries remained unfazed by the burden of developing an international repertoire of Odissi dance and music at a period when there was little media support, infrastructure, or endorsements. They proceeded to pursue the ‘great goal’ together, earning Odissi an international name and opening new doors for Odia art and culture around the world.

Panditji, as he was affectionately known, was an extraordinary Odissi singer who was also a versatile composer whose work encompassed a wide spectrum of forms. Raghunath received the honor of being a ‘Suramani’ (the bejeweled voice: a moniker bestowed to him for his smooth, flowing voice) in addition to making his mark in the world of classical music. His Odissi light classical versions such as ‘Na Jaa Radhika’ and an outright modern love song such as ‘Nali Nali Ei, Krushnachuda’ or ‘Nupoor Bajaai Kie’ are both jewels. His defiant dialogue with Lord ‘Sabu Thiru Banchita Kari…’ is a poignant testimony to his range and bhava for many.

Pandit Raghunath was the first Odia vocalist to be honored by the French government for his composition ‘Gita Govinda’ in the 1970s. The acclaimed vocalist, however, had to wait until 2010 for the Padmashri award, a belated honor for the great master.

Personal Life

Raghunath Panigrahi was born on 10 August 1932 in Gunupur, Rayaga (erstwhile Koraput district), Odisha. He met his future wife dancer Padma Shri Sanjukta Panigrahi at Kalakshetra Dance School, subsequently they married in 1960 and had two sons. He died on 25 August 2013 in Bhubaneswar at the age of 82.

Filmography

Ahalya (1998) Odia Film (Music Director)
Mukti (1977) Odia Film (Playback Singer)
Sindura Bindu (1976) Odia Film (Playback Singer)
Kaa (1966) Odia Film (Playback Singer)
Arundhati (1967) (Playback Singer)
Nabajanma (1965) Odia Film (Playback Singer)
Shri Shri Patitapaban (1962) Odia Film (Playback Singer)
Jayabheri (1959) Telugu Film (Playback singer)
Ilavelpu (1956) Telugu Film (Playback Singer)
Aval Yaar (1959) Tamil Film (Playback Singer)
Chinnada Gombe (1964) Kannada Film (Playback Singer)