Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar
He is the younger brother of Indian music icons Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosale. Hridaynath Mangeshkar is a composer/singer known for his eclectic compositions and a well-respected body of work. Hridaynath started his music career in 1955 with the Marathi film Akash Ganga. Since then he has composed for Marathi films such as Sansar, Jait Re Jait, Umbartha, and Nivdung and a few Hindi films.
He has composed several songs in both Hindi and Marathi, but he is very selective about his work. He is known for his penchant for selecting beautiful poems for his compositions. His compositions tend to be truly faithful to the emotions in the poems he composes. His songs tend to have complex meters and require singers of range and depth for enjoyable renditions. His 1982 album Dnyaneshwar Mauli featured compositions from Sant Dnyaneshwar, perhaps the most gifted poet in Marathi literature, virtually sets the standard for modern devotional music in Marathi. His music to the critically acclaimed movie Jait Re Jait is another example of his prowess in this genre. One of his most popular works is the composition for the Marathi movie Nivdung. He is the first Indian composer to compose and release two entire albums featuring the poems and songs of the great poet-saint Sant Meerabai, titled Chala Vahi Des and Meera Bhajans.
His guru was Amir Khan but he feels that his guru is not as timeless as his sister Lata Mangeshkar. He has received several awards throughout his glorious career, such as the prestigious National Award by the hands of the President of India, the Lata Mangeshkar Award, and seven Maharashtra State Awards for best vocalist and Music Director/Composer. The people of Maharashtra, at the hands of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Pandit Jasraj, awarded him the title Pandit.