When he was barely five years old, Keerti Kumar would hide and play the harmonium and sing, as he was considered too young to touch the instrument. But he preferred cricket to music lessons, and had to be dragged from play to sing, as his parents had already spotted the talent in him.
Guiding Spirit: Keerti Kumar Badseshi is a young musician, who has already won several accolades and earned rave reviews from fans and critics. Though an electronics graduate from Gulbarga University, he found his true calling in music. With the blessings and able guidance of his guru, Pandit Vinayak Torvi, Keerti is now imbibing the Gwalior style of singing. Keerti was initially trained by Sri Ramachari Jalihal and Smt. Geeta Gayatri Chakravathy at Gulbarga.
Gaate Raho-Keep on Singing: Born on the auspicious day of Bali padyami, in a music-patronizing family, Keerti began learning music at the tender age of 5. He was barely 9, when Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan, the renowned vocalist, predicted a bright future for him. At the end of Keerti’s performance, Ustadji, thrust his hand into his pocket and pulling out all the money there, presented it to Keerti, with the words “Is paise se doodh piyo aur gaate raho!” (Drink milk with this money and keep singing!).
Winning Hearts and Awards: Initially performing at the school level and then at college, district, state and national levels, this unassuming youngster has made an indelible mark in the hearts of audiences and impressed the seasoned ears of judges. Awards have come consistently, a few among them being:
- First in National Level Inter-University Competition, 1992.
- First in State Level Yuva Prathibha Competition, Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy.
- First in 10th Yuva Sangeet Nritya Mahotsav, South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur held at Khajuraho (M.P.), 1996
Invaluable Experiences: Keerti has been given the honour of representing Gulbarga District at the prestigious Mysore Dasara Festival, 1981 and has subsequently performed at Mysore Dasara Palace Concert 2001. He has also participated in the Youth Festival organized by the South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur. Besides, he was a cultural representative of Gulbarga University at the National Integration Camp organized by the Govt. of India at Raipur (M.P.).
Keerti has been performing not only in various parts of India but his magical voice has also enthralled audiences abroad.
Heartfelt Encouragement: Keerti’s talent in Hindustani vocal music has been suitably rewarded with scholarships from the Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy and Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India.
Professional Recognition: Keerti is a graded artist of AIR and Doordarshan. He was chosen as a playback singer for the Hindi documentary serial Kotta, directed by the noted writer Sri B. V. Karanth. He has also sung for Vachana Vaibhava, a Kannada T.V. serial and many other serials too. Lahari Recording Company has released Keerti’s maiden classical CD and cassette. He also has a cassette of Kannada Bhajans, Dasa – Rasaranga to his credit.
His insight into music has enabled him to compose Bandishes and Taranas too. Keerti believes in giving back to music all that music has given to him. He is guiding several students. He is also working as a music faculty at Vidya Niketan School, Hebbal, Bangalore. He is an executive member of the well-known Gururao Deshpande Sangeet Sabha-a registered trust founded by Pt. Vinayak Torvi.
We are sure Keerti will attain greater heights of eminence both as a performer and a tutor.
Keerti Kumar Badseshi: Phone: 3426633,Mobile: 9845443466 Email: keertibadseshi@vsnl.net