Violinist Prabhakar Jog (88) dies in Pune hospital

PUNE: Veteran violin exponent and music composer Prabhakar Jog passed away on Sunday morning in a city hospital, due to age-related illnesses, his family announced. He was 88.
Jog’s magnum opus was the Ganare Violin in Marathi, with a version in Hindi as well, where his mastery with the instrument made him able to reproduce popular tunes and songs in Marathi and Hindi film and non-film music. These were 80 solo events that captured many different moods and nuances.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed condolences on social media mourning Jog’s demise.
Most famously, he collaborated with the composer Sudhir Phadke and the writer GD Madgulkar to produce the now-iconic Geet Ramayana albums which were broadcast on the All India Radio’s Pune station between 1955 and 1956.
Jog collaborated with music composers in both the Hindi and Marathi film industries from Hridaynath Mangeshkar to SD Burman, Khayyam and Anu Malik. Jog was also a composer in his own right, with his composition Lapavilas Tu Hirwa Chapha being regarded by listeners and music critics as one of the finest examples of the Bhavgeet genre in Marathi.
The song debuted on All India Radio in Pune with the vocals being recorded by his wife Neela. A visitor to his official website is greeted by his violin rendition of Lag Ja Gale composed by Madan Mohan and sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
“The way he recreated songs in Ganare Violin was incredible. He was always an enthusiastic supporter of young violinists, encouraging and appreciating them,” said Atulkumar Upadhye, who runs a violin academy in Pune.