e-Swaranubhuti April 2023

Pt. Jayateerth Mevundi

Pandit Jayateerth Mevundi is one of the Kirana gharana’s leading vocalists. Born in Hubli, Jayateerth ji’s initial training began right at home, informally singing bhajans and other devotional music. He recounts that “there was no musician as such in my family, although they would listen to songs on the radio, identify the ragas and appreciate music in general”.

Aged 14 he ventured out to find a guru. He received instruction from Pandit Arjunsa Nakod for over a decade, and later trained with Shripati Padigar, a disciple of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (“whenever I listened to Bhimsen-ji on the radio, it used to cast a spell on me…”). Many hear a resemblance between his voice and Joshi’s, with strong incorporation of ideas from Carnatic music and a rich abhang repertoire.

He continues to take an eclectic, spiritual approach to classical music (“compositions are soaked in the Bhakti rasa [devotion] and are dedicated to the supreme lord. I am a very spiritual person.”).