The style she created for herself retained the fundamental values of Gwalior Gharana while borrowing somewhat from Kirana and Jaipur gharanas. The vidwans lauded the authenticity of her music while most listeners were moved by its directness and intensity.
Apart from Khayal, she was sought after for her rich repertoire of bhajans.
She sang at all the prestigious venues and occasions including Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior and Sawai Gandharva in Pune. At the Vokalfestival in Stockholm and at the Voices of the World festival in Copenhagen she represented Indian Classical Voice. She recorded under many leading labels. She was awarded the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 1993.
Besides being a popular performer, she was also a composer and a teacher. Her compositions adorned many of her recordings. She taught voice at institutions as well as privately.
In 2005 Abaton Book Company released One Thousand Minds (ABC#Ol2). It is a special edition numbered release with a 20-page booklet and folded bilingual lyric sheet, enclosed in 5″ audio-reel box. This special edition was limited to 1000 numbered copies and included a 20-page photo journal of Veena Sahasrabuddhe’s musical history and a lyric sheet in Devanagari with English translations and phonetic spellings.
Veena Sahasrabuddhe died on June 29, 2016 in Pune, India.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
