Full Life Story: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (Photos..)

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Ramkumar Chattopadhyay
Legendary Bengali singer Ramkumar Chattopadhyay was known for popularising the 'Shyama sangeet' - songs dedicated to Hindu goddess Kali - and 'tappa' composed by musician Nidhu Babu in West Bengal. He was a huge hit with the masses in West Bengal and Bangladesh for his funny and playful spin-offs on traditional music.

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DK Pattammal
Carnatic and Tamil film playback singer DK Pattammal was part of the female trinity of carnatic music, with two other popular musicians MS Subbulakshmi and ML Vasanthakumari, who were instrumental in the large scale initiation of women into the main stream carnatic music world. She was a recipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards in 1971 and 1998. Pattammal was also conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1961 and the Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1970. She was elected Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1992.

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Gangubai Hangal
Gangubai Hangal was an Indian singer of the 'khyal' genre of Hindustani classical music, known for her deep and powerful voice. Hangal belonged to the Kirana gharana. Hangal's family was considered to be of low social status and for women of her generation singing was not considered appropriate employment; Hangal struggled against this prejudice and made a career. She performed all over India and for All India Radio stations until 1945. Hangal had initially performed light classical genres, including bhajan and thumri, but concentrated on khyal. Later, however, she refused to sing light classical and sang only ragas. Hangal served as honorary music professor of the Karnatak University. She gave her last concert in March 2006 to mark her 75th career year. She had overcome bone marrow cancer in 2003, and died of cardiac arrest at the age of 96 in 2009, in Hubli, where she resided.

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Begum Akhtar
Begum Akhtar was an Indian vocalist of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri. Her first public performance was at the age of fifteen. She also acted in several Bollywood films, including Mumtaz Beghum (1934), Jawaani Ka Nasha(1935) and King for a Day (1933). She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan (posthumously) by Government of India. Akhtar was barely seven when she was captivated by the music of Chandra Bai, an artist attached to a touring theatre group. However at her uncle's insistence she was sent to train under Ustad Imdad Khan, the great sarangi exponent from Patna, and later under Ata Mohammed Khan of Patiala.

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Alla Rakha Khan
Alla Rakha Khan was an Indian tabla player and a frequent accompanist of Ravi Shankar. Alla Rakha was born in Jammu and Kashmir. He became fascinated with the sound and rhythm of the tabla at the age of 12, while staying with his uncle in Gurdaspur. The determined young lad ran away from home, became a disciple of and began studying tabla with Mian Kader Baksh of the Punjab gharana. He studied voice and Raag Vidya under Ashiq Ali Khan of the Patiala gharana. His regimen of practice and dedication were legendary.