A true stalwart; Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

thumbnail_Raghunath_Panigrahi.jpg

Raghunath_Panigrahi.jpg

In our society, it’s more or less a norm for a woman to give up her career in order to support her partner. Not only is this “honourable duty” promoted, men who decide to make the same decision are emasculated and such couples also have to face a great amount of social stigma.

Raghunath Panigrahi knew he was gambling with his career and his family’s future when he decided to return home from Chennai. An emerging singing star of the Telugu film industry, he stood at a crossroads- to stay and make a name for himself or to leave and support his wife. 

> Unlike other husbands, Panigrahi packed everything up and returned to his home state Odisha. Even though he left the silver screen entertainment, success still came to him given his mastery in music.

Born on 10 August 1932, Pandit Raghunath was a magician of notes and harmonies. An all-rounder in the realm of music, he was a singer, composer, music director and teacher. What made his composition distinct were the Odissi folk elements that seamlessly flowed in his tunes. Panigrahi understood music to be a collective heritage and he saw himself as an individual piece of its beautiful mosaic. Hence, he worked relentlessly to popularise the works of Jayadeva, a long tradition of epic poetry narration that he was also a part of.

> The most important element of his melodious journey was his wife, Sanjukta Panigrahi, a renowned Odissi dancer and composer. It isn’t surprising that their love for each other was kindled by their transcending love for music.

It was in Chennai’s Kalakshetra dance school that they met each other. Raghunath and Sanjukta felt a strong tug that was laced by an appreciation for traditional Odissi art. This was a match divinely ordained by heaven and the two began exploring and experimenting with music and dance together.

> For thirty long years, they performed side-by-side, as if they were the two faces of a single soul, enchanting the audience with bewitching compositions and transfixing moves. Together, they were a force to reckon with- gentle yet fierce.

During this time, Pandit Panigrahi also sang for Telugu, Tamil and Odia movies with his songs receiving much love from everyone.

Mortality is a sad truth of human life and unfortunately, his partner and wife, Sanjukta passed away in 1997. Her absence affected him but his dynamic with music remained the same. Raghunath continued composing classical numbers for Odissi performances and a majority of them were made for Nrityagram, India’s first modern school dedicated to classical arts.

As a seasoned musician with an in-depth understanding of the nuance of his art, Panigrahi was a well respected and sought after name. Apart from performing and composing, he also passed on the beauty of classical music to the younger generation through his academies.

> For all his efforts in promoting this alluring form of music, he was given many prestigious awards. These include the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Shri, Jayadeva Samman and felicitation from the French Government.

All in all, Raghunath remained dedicated to music till his death on 25 August 2013. For him, Sur and ragas marked the commencement of the dawn and dusk. In between the notes of his compositions, he found his higher purpose and devoted himself to fulfilling it. It is primarily because of his spirit of unwavering loyalty to his music, that Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi’s legacy keeps thriving.

A single thread in the fabric of the rich cultural heritage of the country, albeit a golden one, Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi is a man who brought new life to Odissi music