Manjusha Kulkarni-Patil
Manjusha Kulkarni-Patil was born into the Maharashtra village of Sangli, famous for producing superb musicians. She learned to sing under Chintubua Mhaiskar, DV Kanebua, Pandit Narendra Kanekar, and Pandit Vikas Kashalkar, and continues to study with esteemed scholar-singer Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar.
Today she sings khayal in the Agra and Gwalior gharana styles, and also expertly performs thumri, abhang, dadra, and natya sangeet (‘dramatic music’) – the musical theatre of the Maharashtra region. She draws great inspiration from the natural world, seeking to mimic the sounds of wind with her voice and intimately feeling the connection between each raga and its prahar (prescribed time of day).
“Hindustani classical music is based on nature, just like the gust of wind…we use the wind to create the notes, the music and notes later return to the wind…”
Manjusha has graced the Darbar Festival stage on multiple occasions, first in 2013 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, where she performed alongside Tanmay Deochake and the renowned kathak artist Akram Khan. She later performed at the Teatro Alighieri in Ravenna as part of Darbar’s Ravenna Festival in 2017, accompanied by Murad Ali on sarangi and Gurdain Rayatt on tabla. These performances further cemented her status as a leading exponent of Hindustani classical music, bringing her artistry to audiences across the world.
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