Manjiri Asanare–Kelkar

In this Indian name, the name Asanare–Kelkar is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Manjiri.

Manjiri Asanare–Kelkar
Born	(1971-09-25) September 25, 1971 (age 53) Sangli, Maharashtra
Occupation	Singer
Awards	Kumar Gandharva Samman Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar
Musical career
Genres	Hindustani classical music
Instrument	Vocals
Website	www.manjiriasanare-kelkar.com

Manjiri Asanare–Kelkar is an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist from Sangli, Maharashtra. She is a follower of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana tradition in Hindustani khyal. She received many awards including Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by Sangeet Natak Akademi and Kumar Gandharva Samman by the government of Madhya Pradesh.

Biography

Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar was born on September 25, 1971,[1] into a family of musicians in Sangli, Maharashtra.[2] Her father Anand Asanare was a Tabla player.[3] She began studying vocal music at the age of six, first under M.T. Mhaiskar and Madhusudan Kanetkar, and later under Padma Talwalkar and the late Kishori Amonkar.[4][5] Her first music teacher, Mhaiskar, taught her the basic fundamentals of the Khyal.[2] Her later guru Kanetkar initially refused to accept her as his disciple, but after hearing Manjiri sing at the age of 18, he agreed to teach her on a trial basis for six months.[2] This guru-shishya style of study continued and she trained under him for almost 20 years.[2]

She graduated with a postgraduate degree in English literature and masters degree in music from the.[1]

Career

In Hindustani classical music, Manjiri is a follower of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana tradition in khyal.[6] Manjiri has performed at many music festivals across India including the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival, Tansen Samaroha,and Takshila Utsav[7] and Shankarlal Festival.[8] Other than singing in various stages across India, she also toured to Dubai, United Kingdom, Holland, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand.[9]

Manjiri is an approved A-grade vocal artist of the All India Radio.[10] She is also a trained Kathak dancer.[2]

Awards and honors

Manjiri received many awards and honors including Music Scholarship by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Scholarship instituted by National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by Sangeet Natak Akademi,[11] the Gaan Hira award by the SNDT Women's University, the Kumar Gandharva Samman by the government of Madhya Pradesh, Sanskriti Award from the Sanskriti Pratishthan in Delhi, and the Gaan Saraswati Puraskar.[3][9]

References

1. "Manjiri Asnare Kelkar" (PDF).
2. Inamdar, Nikhil (2019-05-16). "Why a 'flag-bearer' of Kishori Amonkar and Alladiya Khan's gharana isn't often seen at big concerts". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
3. "Jhankar - Greater Cincinnati's Indian Classical Music and Arts Organization". jhankar.org. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
4. Nadadhur, Srivathsan (12 July 2017). "Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar interview: True to Jaipur-Atrauli gharana". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
5. "Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar | Darbar". www.darbar.org. Archived from the original on 2024-12-13. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
6. "On a Classical Note". The Indian Express. 19 February 2015. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
7. "Takshila Utsav begins on Friday". The Times of India. 2012-10-29. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
8. Post, Garhwal (2024-08-08). "Students enjoy Hindustani Vocals by Manjiri Asanare Kelkar | Garhwal Post". Retrieved 2025-01-06.
9. "Manjiri Asnare | The Raza Foundation". www.therazafoundation.org. Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
10. Post, Garhwal (8 August 2024). "Students enjoy Hindustani Vocals by Manjiri Asanare Kelkar | Garhwal Post".
11. "Sangeet Natak Akademi introduces ' Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar".