Baroda Guru Kubernath Tanjorkar

🪔 About

Guru Kubernath Appasaheb Tanjorkar was a renowned figure in Indian classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam. Born in 1921 in Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, he hailed from a traditional family of nattuvanars and musicians, with his great-grandparents, grandparents, father Thanjavur Nattuvanar Appaswamy, and mother Thanjavur Kantimatiammal all being Bharatanatyam artists. His mother, Kantimati, a devadasi from the Brihadishwara temple, was instrumental in bringing Bharatanatyam to Baroda. Kubernath Tanjorkar received his foundational Bharatanatyam training under the esteemed Guru Shri Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai of Pandanallur. He also pursued extensive musical education, learning Carnatic music from Shri Balakrishna Pillai of Tanjavur and Hindustani classical music from the renowned Ustad Fayazkhan of Baroda. His illustrious career began in 1941 as a dance teacher at Bhatkande College of Hindustani Music in Lucknow. From 1948 to 1950, he served as a "Nattuvanar" in the Baroda court. Subsequently, he joined the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda as a Professor of Dance in 1950, where he dedicated 30 years of service until his retirement in 1981. After retiring, Guru Tanjorkar established the Tanjore Nritya Shala in 1981 to promote and propagate the pure Tanjore style of Bharatanatyam. In 1993, he further solidified his commitment to the art form by founding "The Tanjore Dance Music & Art Research Centre," a public trust dedicated to educating and encouraging Bharatanatyam in its original classical form. Throughout his five-decade-long career, Guru Kubernath Tanjorkar trained thousands of students, leaving a significant teaching legacy. His work is continued by his son, Guru Ramesh Kubernath Tanjorkar, and daughter-in-law, Smt. Leela Ramesh Tanjorkar, along with his grandsons, Shri Rajesh R Tanjorkar and Shri Ashish R Tanjorkar, and their wives, Smt. Shivshankari and Smt. Priya, who actively run the institutions and spread the Tanjore Gharana tradition. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (President's Award) (1993), Sarangdev Award, Gujarat Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1971), Triveni Award, Sanskarbharti Award, ITC Award.