Ajay Pohankar

Ajay Pohankar (born 24 February 1947) is an Indian classical vocalist belonging to Kirana Gharana school of Hindustani classical music.^[1][2]

Pandit Ajay Pohankar
Born	(1947-02-24) 24 February 1947 (age 78)
Origin	Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
Genres	Hindustani classical music, Kirana Gharana
Occupation	Classical Vocalist
Website	www.ajaypohankar.in

Background and career

Ajay Pohankar (Marathi: अजय पोहणकर) was born in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh in a Deshastha Brahmin Marathi family, where his father was a lawyer. His first Guru was his mother Sushilabai Pohankar, a classical vocalist and a musicologist of Kirana gharana. At a young age of 11, Pohankar was invited to perform at the annual Sawai Gandharva Music Festival in Pune^[3] His sister, Swati Natekar, is also a singer based in London.

Ajay Pohankar is married to Anjali, a vocalist and musicologist who has also written a book on Thumri. They have a son, Abhijit Pohankar, a keyboard player of Indian classical music and a fusion music composer and producer.^[4]

Awards and honours

In 2009, Pohankar was awarded the Tansen Samman by the Government of Madhya Pradesh^[5] In 2012, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest award for performing artists, conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.^[6][7]