Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi is unarguably the Doyen of Odissi classical music, who also has the distinction of being the only singer who can sing all the 24 verses of `Geeta Gobinda`. The 78-year-old Padma Shri awardee, who spent his life promoting and popularizing Odissi Dance and music, shares his views and experiences with Minati Singha.

Early Life of Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi
10 August 1934 was the year when Raghunath Panigrahi was born at Gunupur. Though Gunupur had been his native place, he was brought up in Puri. The culture and tradition of Puri the holy shrine had been influential in moulding his talent and expertise. He was introduced to Geeta Govinda by his father Nilamani Panigrahi, who was a scholar and classical singer who had even taught him how to read Geeta Govinda, as it requires a special style. It was Lord Jagannath`s wish and blessing that he is the only living entity to sing all the 24 verses of Geeta Gobinda.

Career of Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi
He sang when he was only 19 in the film `Ilavelpu` for superstar N T Rama Rao. The song was a super hit. He even sang for Tamil and Kannada films and his voice became an instant hit. But he was harassed and humiliated in Oriya film industry. When he was readily available here, Oriya music directors invited singers from Bombay. However, he sang for many Oriya films and also composed music in a couple of film.

Personal Life of Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi
Music Academy of Madras had invited him and his father to speak on Jayadeva. There his father left him at a friend`s house to perform in various cultural programmes and temples. During his stay in Madras he met her at Kalakshetra dance school, where she was learning Bharatnatyam. Later they married in the year 1960 and had two sons.

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