Shankar Shripad Bodas

Pandit Shankar Shripad Bodas was born in Sangli, Maharashtra in a traditional Brahmin family. His father was a famous chess player at his time. Shankar Bodas was attracted to music at a young age and he used to attend the concerts at the home of famous Vaidya Abasaheb Sambhare in Sangli and there is listened to the music of legendary singers such as Ustad Alladiya Khan, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, etc. As a music loving child, Shankar Bodas, along with brother Laxman Bidas, started singing Bhajans and Natya Geet by his own. During a visit to Sangli, Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar got to know about these two boys and he asked Shripad Bodas to allow these boys to become his disciples. So, Shankar and Laxman Bodas joined Pandit Paluskar's Gandharva Mahavidyalay and got training under Paluskar for Gwalior Gharana, from 1918 to 1926, i.e. for eight years. In the Vidyalay, he also learnt playing and repairing several instruments such as Tabla, Sitar, Jal Tarang and Harmonium. He also mastered the art of writing musical notation. Besides learning music, he attained the degree of intermediate from City College, Sangli. In 1924, Bodas accompanied Pandit Paluskar to Kanpur for the Congress Adhiveshan. Impressed with Paluskar's singing, the principal of Pandit Prithviraj Inter College, Kanpur asked Paluskar to give one of his students as a music teacher. So, Shankar Bodas was appointed as a music teacher at Pandit Prithviraj Inter College, Kanpur in 1928. Shankar Bodas started many activities in Kanpur for propagation of music. In 1927, he started 'Kanpur Sangeet Samaj' and organized many music concert, published the bulletin called Kanpur Sangeet Samaj Patrika. In 1948, he established his own Gandhi Sangeet Vidyalay in Kanpur. In 1969, he expanded the music department at Juharidevi College, Kanpur. He was not only a good singer, but a teacher or music mentor par excellence. He developed various mathods of teaching music to various levels of understaning. He crafted his own, unique method for teaching music to students in primary and secondary schools. His articles on music education were published in journals such as Sangeet Kala Vihar. He was a composer and composed several Bandishes, Bhajans, Taranas, Sargams. For a short period, he worked as assistant to Vishnudas Shirali, music director of music wing of Uday Shankar's dance troupe. His musical lineage was carried forward by his son Kashinath Bodas and daughter Veena Sahasrabuddhe.