Puttaraj Gawai

Pandit Puttaraj Gawai (3 March 1914 - 17 September 2010) was an Indian musician in the Hindustani classical tradition, a scholar, music teacher, and social servant. Born into a Veerashaiva Jangam family in Devagiri, Haveri district of Karnataka, he lost his eyesight at six months of age. Recognizing his musical inclination, his uncle brought him to Veereshwara Punyashrama, run by Ganayogi Panchakshara Gawai, who became his guru. Under Panchakshara Gawai's guidance, he mastered Hindustani classical music, particularly in the Gwalior Gharana tradition. He also studied Carnatic music under Mundarigi Raghavendrachar. A versatile musician, he was renowned for playing multiple instruments including veena, tabla, mridangam, and violin, as well as for his devotional music renditions. He authored over 80 books in Kannada, Sanskrit, and Hindi, and notably re-wrote the Bhagavad Gita in Braille. He was a pioneer of Veereshwara Punyashrama, a music school dedicated to imparting musical knowledge to visually impaired students. He received the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, in 2010.