Music maestro Prabhakar Jog, who made the violin sing, dies at 88

MCAI - 31 Oct 2021

Eminent violinist, composer and singer Prabhakar Jog passed away at his home in Pune’s Sahakar Nagar on Sunday morning. He was 88.

Eminent violinist, composer and singer Prabhakar Jog was admitted to Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre on October 6, when his condition from age-related diseases took a turn for the worse. In the ICU, he would imagine himself to be in the world of music where an audience was waiting to hear him perform at a concert. “He would tell his grandson to practise because they had to get on stage for a programme,” Aparna Jog, the musician’s daughter-in-law, told The Indian Express.

The 88-year-old violinist, composer and singer passed away at his home in Sahakar Nagar on Sunday morning. He is survived by two sons, their spouses and children.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said, “The singing violin goes silent. The music field has lost a true sadhak.” Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari tweeted: “Deeply saddened by the news of the demise of renowned violinist and musician Prabhakar Jog. He enriched the world of art with his melodious renditions. He trained many disciples thereby ensuring that his legacy continues.”

Jog had performed in more than 80 solo events as part of Ganare Violin or the singing violin. In his hands, the violin seemed not to be playing but singing in many different moods and nuances. Jog, who was born in Haregaon, Maharashtra, on Dec 25, 1932, was drawn to music in his childhood and took lessons in classical vocal from Pt Gajananrao Joshi and Pt Narayanrao Marulkar for around five years.

According to Jog’s website, “His elder brother Shri Vamanrao Jog (Ex Staff Violinist of Akashvani Indore) used to conduct violin tuitions at their home. Jog would always hang around at his musical classes and used to enjoy listening to him playing violin. Around same time, a programme by Shridhar Palshikar used to be aired on Radio. His music inspired Jog into learning the instrument and started taking lessons in violin from his brother. Soon the violin became inseparable part of his life.”

After the sudden death of his father when he was 12, Jog had to earn and learn simultaneously. He started performing in shows and drew the attention of legendary Marathi singer-composer Sudhir Phadke, who gave him the chance to join his orchestra – an offer that proved to be a life-changer for Jog. He became an integral part of the Marathi film industry as well as All India Radio (AIR), Pune. One of his critically acclaimed works was the Geet Ramayana. 

Soon, he caught the attention of Bollywood and made the shift to Mumbai in 1962. He worked with major music directors across generations and genres, such as S D Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Shankar-Jaikishan, Nadeem-Shravan and Annu Malik. Jog also has 12 albums to his credit. 

 

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