Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi (born 10 August 1934) is a famous Indian classical singer and Music Director. A noted vocalist of Gita Govinda

Gita Govinda

The Gita Govinda is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva, who was born in Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Orissa. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha...

, he left a promising career in film music in Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

, to provide vocal support in his wife, Sanjukta Panigrahi

Sanjukta Panigrahi

Sanjukta Panigrahi was a dancer of India, who was the foremost exponent of Indian classical dance Odissi...

, legendary Odissi danseuse performances and also a composer. He has lifetime contribution towards promoting, propagating and popularizing the life and works of Shri Jayadeva

Jayadeva

Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of Krishna-an avatar of Vishnu and his consort, Radha, and it is mentioned that Radha is greater than Hari, and is considered an important text in the...

, messages of Geeta govinda and the cult of Lord Jagannatha. Raghunath Panigrahi was born on August 10, 1934 in Gunupur

Gunupur

Gunupur is a town and a notified area committee in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Orissa.-Geography:Gunupur is located at . It has an average elevation of . It is located in the lap of the Eastern Ghat and on the banks of river Vamshadhara. It has a mixed climate of mountains & Coastal...

, Koraput, Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

.

Sanjukta-Raghunath duo enchanted the audience for many years from the 70s till the 90s.

After the death of Sanjukta in 1997, he got associated the Nrityagram

Nrityagram

Nrityagram is India's first modern Gurukul for Indian classical dances and an intentional community in the form of a dance village, set up by Odissi danseuse Protima Gauri in 1990...

 and gave music for many of their productions. He formed the 'Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial Trust', in 1999, to promote the cause of Odissi dance. Since 2001, every year on her birth anniversary, the trust has been giving away scholarships to budding dancers, and awards excellence in the field of Odissi dance.

Personal life

He met his future wife dancer Sanjukta Panigrahi

Sanjukta Panigrahi

Sanjukta Panigrahi was a dancer of India, who was the foremost exponent of Indian classical dance Odissi...

 at Kalakshetra

Kalakshetra

Kalakshetra is a cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music. The academy was founded in January 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale. Under Arundale's guidance the institution achieved national...

 dance school, subsequently they married in 1960 and had two sons.

Filmography

1. Ilavelpu
   Ilavelpu
   Ilavelpu or Ilavelupu is a 1956 Telugu Drama film produced by L. V. Prasad and directed by D. Yoganand. The story is based on the successful Tamil film, Ethirpaaraathathu...
   
   (1956) (playback singer)
2. Jayabheri
   Jayabheri
   Jayabheri is a 1959 Telugu musical hit film directed by P. Pullaiah and starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Anjali Devi in lead roles. The film is based on the 1947 production by V. Shantaram, titled Lokshahir Ram Joshi in Marathi and Matwala Shayar Ram Joshi in Hindi.-The plot:The story setting...
   
   (1959) (actor)
3. Shri Shri Patitapaban (1963) (playback singer)
4. Abhinetri
   Abhinetri
   Abhinetri is a 1970 Hindi film produced and directed by Subodh Mukherjee. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Nirupa Roy, Nazima, Asit Sen and Deb Mukherjee...
   
   (1965) (choreographer)
5. Sindura Bindu (1976) (playback singer)
6. Mukti (1977) (playback singer)
7. Ahalya
   Ahalya
   In Hinduism, Ahalya , also known as Ahilya, is the wife of the sage Gautama, primarily known for her sexual encounter with the god-king Indra, the resultant curse by her husband and her subsequent liberation by Rama – an avatar of the god Vishnu...
   
   (1998) (Composer)

Awards

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
  Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
  Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
  
  ,
• Padma Shri
  Padma Shri
  Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
  
  , 2010
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
  Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
  The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
  
  
• Jayadeva Samman- 2008

Writings on Panigrahi

Vanikavi Dr. Manomohan Acharya has written a Sanskrit Verse on Padmashri Pdt. Raghunath Panigrahi:
"Yuktaa yasya kalaa-mayee kamalinee, kanthe cha padmaasanaa/
geete gunjati padma-lola-madhupah, chitte-ravindaasanah//
yasya shree-mukutam sahasra-kamalam yo keertti-padmeksanah///
padmashri raghunaatha eva jayataat so-yam jagadbhuushanah////" -

External links

• http://mano-thoughts.blogspot.com/2010/05/sanskrit-verse-on-padmashri-pdt.html