Kedar Narayan Bodas

Kedar Narayan Bodas is an Hindustani classical vocalist. Known for contributions to Hindustani classical music, performance, teaching, and repertoire building.

In 1979, Kedar became a student of Dr. Ashok Ranade. Dr. Ranade, with his profound musicological vision, acquainted Kedar with the various styles he had imbibed from his own mentors, namely Pandit Gajananrao Joshi, Pandit B.R. Deodhar, Pandit Prahladpant Ganu and Pandit Lakshmanrao Bodas. Over the years, Kedar has thus received deep exposure to various musicological positions and to the finer subtleties of Gayaki in the Gwalior, Agra, and Jaipur traditions. In his search for musical awareness, Kedar came to be closely associated for some years, with Pandit Ram Marathe whose music he has been deeply influenced by, though he did not receive direct training under him. Kedar's own style of presentation and improvisation is thus a complex compound.of various elements. He has developed, over the years an eclectic and even esoteric approach to music, absorbing and rejecting various aspects at different periods of his musical growth.

A serious musical scholar, with a firm academic grounding in the formal aspects of Raag, Taal and Bandish, Kedar is also a fine and entertaining performer. His music shows a fidelity to composition form that is growing increasingly rare in the younger generation of musicians.In terms of presentation and structural thought, he feels deeply influenced by old recordings of Pandit D.V. Paluskar and by the music of Pandit Gajananrao Joshi whom he has heard live on numerous occasions. At the level of pure inspiration, however, he feels increasingly drawn towards the music of Pandit Kumar Gandharva.

Kedar has also been receiving guidance from Pandit C P Rele (a disciple of Pandit B. R. Deodhar). Kedar has also received training from Guru Late Pandit T. D. Janorikar who was the last surviving doyen of the Bhendibazaar Gharana. Janorikar Ji, who was a disciple of Pandit Vinayakrao Patwardhan, Ustad Aman Ali Khan Saheb and Anjanibai Malpekar, initiated Kedar into the Merkhand technique and the aesthetics and compositions of the Bhendibazaar gharana. Janorikar Ji's Taleem has opened new avenues for Kedar, particularly in the area of tonal beauty and is giving him deeper insights into the nature of 'swar'. Janorikar Ji is also teaching Kedar some rare raga-s which have lost currency in recent times.