Prabha Atre, Padmashri Awardee Classical Singer, Dies Aged 92

Legendary classical singer Prabha Atre died at the age of 92 on Saturday (February 13). The vocalist took her last breath at a private hospital in Pune following a brief illness, the family sources told PTI. Prabha and had complained of some breathing issues, but succumbed when she reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest while being rushed to a private hospital this morning.

Prabha Atre’s early life 

Atre was born to Abasaheb and Indirabai Atre in Pune. Her music training was in the Guru-shishya tradition. She learned classical music from Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Badodekar from the Kirana gharana. While studying music, Atre earned a Bachelor of Science from Fergusson College in Pune. Later she completed an LL.B. from the University of Pune Law College. 

She has also studied at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (Sangeet Alankar (Master of Music)), Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London (Western Music Theory Grade-IV). She later also earned a PhD in music. Her doctoral thesis was titled Sargam and pertained to the use of sol-fa notes (sargam) in Indian classical music.

Honours and accolades won by Prabha Atre

Conferred the Padmashri (1990), Padma Bhushan (2002) and Padma Vibhushan (2022), plus many other national-international honours, Prabha was an exponent of the Kirana Gharana music school, excelling in the rendition of khayals, thumris, ghazal, dadri, bhajans, and natyasangeet.

Prabha had penned books on music composition – Swarangini and Swaranjanee, is credited with inventing new Raagas like Apurva Kalyan, Madhur Kauns, Darbari Kauns, Patdeep-Malhar, Shiv Kali, Tilang-Bhairav and Ravi Bhairav.

She composed music for a full-length dance recital ‘Natya Prabha’, a music composition adapted for jazz by a top Netherlands artist, and also created music for musical dramas or sangeetikas.

(with inputs from IANS)