Manik Bhide

<p><strong>Manik&nbsp;Govind&nbsp;Bhide</strong>&nbsp;(1935–13&nbsp;September&nbsp;2023)&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;respected&nbsp;Hindustani&nbsp;classical&nbsp;vocalist&nbsp;and&nbsp;guru,&nbsp;known&nbsp;for&nbsp;her&nbsp;deep&nbsp;commitment&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;<strong>Jaipur-Atrauli&nbsp;gharana</strong>.&nbsp;Born&nbsp;as&nbsp;<strong>Manik&nbsp;Potnis</strong>&nbsp;in&nbsp;Kolhapur,&nbsp;she&nbsp;was&nbsp;encouraged&nbsp;by&nbsp;her&nbsp;family&nbsp;to&nbsp;pursue&nbsp;music&nbsp;from&nbsp;an&nbsp;early&nbsp;age.&nbsp;Her&nbsp;initial&nbsp;training&nbsp;came&nbsp;under&nbsp;<strong>Madhukar&nbsp;Sadolikar</strong>,&nbsp;an&nbsp;exponent&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Jaipur-Atrauli&nbsp;tradition.</p><p>After&nbsp;her&nbsp;marriage&nbsp;to&nbsp;scientist&nbsp;<strong>Govind&nbsp;Bhide</strong>,&nbsp;she&nbsp;moved&nbsp;to&nbsp;Mumbai&nbsp;around&nbsp;1964.&nbsp;There,&nbsp;through&nbsp;the&nbsp;encouragement&nbsp;of&nbsp;musicologist&nbsp;<strong>Vamanrao&nbsp;Deshpande</strong>,&nbsp;she&nbsp;came&nbsp;into&nbsp;contact&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;legendary&nbsp;musical&nbsp;environment&nbsp;of&nbsp;<strong>Mogubai&nbsp;Kurdikar</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;soon&nbsp;began&nbsp;training&nbsp;under&nbsp;<strong>Kishori&nbsp;Amonkar</strong>.&nbsp;For&nbsp;nearly&nbsp;fifteen&nbsp;years,&nbsp;Manik&nbsp;Bhide&nbsp;studied&nbsp;closely&nbsp;with&nbsp;Amonkar&nbsp;and&nbsp;absorbed&nbsp;the&nbsp;intricacies,&nbsp;discipline,&nbsp;and&nbsp;emotional&nbsp;depth&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Jaipur-Atrauli&nbsp;gayaki.&nbsp;She&nbsp;also&nbsp;accompanied&nbsp;her&nbsp;guru&nbsp;in&nbsp;concerts&nbsp;for&nbsp;more&nbsp;than&nbsp;a&nbsp;decade,&nbsp;gaining&nbsp;rare&nbsp;insight&nbsp;into&nbsp;the&nbsp;art&nbsp;of&nbsp;performance.</p><p>Though&nbsp;her&nbsp;journey&nbsp;with&nbsp;Kishori&nbsp;Amonkar&nbsp;was&nbsp;demanding&nbsp;and&nbsp;at&nbsp;times&nbsp;difficult,&nbsp;it&nbsp;shaped&nbsp;her&nbsp;musical&nbsp;personality&nbsp;profoundly.&nbsp;After&nbsp;discontinuing&nbsp;formal&nbsp;training&nbsp;with&nbsp;Amonkar&nbsp;in&nbsp;1981,&nbsp;Manik&nbsp;Bhide&nbsp;devoted&nbsp;much&nbsp;of&nbsp;her&nbsp;life&nbsp;to&nbsp;teaching&nbsp;and&nbsp;preserving&nbsp;the&nbsp;gharana’s&nbsp;rich&nbsp;musical&nbsp;legacy.&nbsp;She&nbsp;became&nbsp;especially&nbsp;admired&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;guru,&nbsp;known&nbsp;for&nbsp;her&nbsp;rigorous&nbsp;training,&nbsp;refined&nbsp;musical&nbsp;understanding,&nbsp;and&nbsp;dedication&nbsp;to&nbsp;parampara.</p><p>Manik&nbsp;Bhide&nbsp;performed&nbsp;at&nbsp;many&nbsp;major&nbsp;music&nbsp;conferences&nbsp;across&nbsp;India&nbsp;and&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;regular&nbsp;artist&nbsp;on&nbsp;<strong>All&nbsp;India&nbsp;Radio</strong>.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;her&nbsp;greatest&nbsp;contribution&nbsp;is&nbsp;often&nbsp;remembered&nbsp;through&nbsp;her&nbsp;students.&nbsp;At&nbsp;the&nbsp;urging&nbsp;of&nbsp;Mogubai&nbsp;Kurdikar,&nbsp;she&nbsp;trained&nbsp;her&nbsp;daughter&nbsp;<strong>Ashwini&nbsp;Bhide-Deshpande</strong>,&nbsp;who&nbsp;went&nbsp;on&nbsp;to&nbsp;become&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;leading&nbsp;vocalists&nbsp;of&nbsp;her&nbsp;generation.&nbsp;Her&nbsp;other&nbsp;students&nbsp;included&nbsp;<strong>Geetika&nbsp;Varde,&nbsp;Dr.&nbsp;Jyoti&nbsp;Kale,&nbsp;Sveta&nbsp;Hattangdi&nbsp;Kilpady,&nbsp;Dr.&nbsp;Nishad&nbsp;Matange,&nbsp;Meenal&nbsp;Bhide,&nbsp;Maya&nbsp;Dharmadhikari,&nbsp;Sandhya&nbsp;Deshmukh,&nbsp;Priti&nbsp;Talwalkar</strong>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;many&nbsp;others.</p><p>Her&nbsp;recording&nbsp;<strong>The&nbsp;Sanctity&nbsp;of&nbsp;Parampara</strong>&nbsp;reflected&nbsp;her&nbsp;reverence&nbsp;for&nbsp;tradition&nbsp;and&nbsp;featured&nbsp;her&nbsp;renditions&nbsp;of&nbsp;<strong>Raag&nbsp;Nayaki&nbsp;Kanada</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Raag&nbsp;Bihag</strong>.&nbsp;Manik&nbsp;Bhide&nbsp;passed&nbsp;away&nbsp;on&nbsp;13&nbsp;September&nbsp;2023&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;age&nbsp;of&nbsp;88,&nbsp;leaving&nbsp;behind&nbsp;a&nbsp;legacy&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;devoted&nbsp;vocalist,&nbsp;teacher,&nbsp;and&nbsp;torchbearer&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Jaipur-Atrauli&nbsp;gharana.</p>