From the biography: The secret of the life, art and milieu of khayal singer Arun Kashalkar

On a rare dry monsoon day in early June, Yogesh and I stood chatting by the road outside Guruji’s house when his phone rang.

“Even five minutes more is going to be difficult,” I heard him saying in Marathi to the caller. “I would help you if I could, but the schedule is packed.”

The caller, evidently a student, was asking for more time to sing at our annual Guru Purnima programme. Yogesh politely declined the request, his voice not betraying the slight irritation that I caught from his flicker of an eye-roll.

As he had done for several years, Yogesh was spearheading the organisation of the event, a yearly ritual in the Hindustani music world when students sing for their gurus, who give a short concluding recital. This event takes place on or after the actual Guru Purnima day, which, according to the Hindu calendar, occurs every year on a full-moon day in the month of Ashadh, coinciding with a period from June to August in the Roman calendar. The occasion celebrates the contributions of spiritual and performing arts teachers, those who traditionally taught students in their homes and became quasi-parental figures. By convention, students fund, plan and execute the music programme, consulting...

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