Devaki Pandit (Marathi: देवकी पंडित; born 6 March 1965) is an Indian classical singer of Hindustani classical music, Bhajan and Abhang, and a playback singer in Hindi and Marathi cinema. She is a disciple of Kishori Amonkar and Jitendra Abhisheki and belongs to the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and Agra gharana. She worked with renowned artists like Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Ustad Raees Khan, Gulzar, Vishal Bhardwaj, Naushad, Jaydev, Jatin-Lalit, Ustad Zakir Hussain in the fields of film, television and live classical performances.
Born in a household with performers in her family, Pandit received her initial training under her mother, Usha Pandit, and went on to train under Vasantrao Kulkarni, Kishori Amonkar, Jitendra Abhisheki and Babanrao Haldankar.
Of her beginnings she says, "Beauty in music emerges from the total, complete self-surrender to the Swar. My journey with music is to attain that Beauty through Sadhana, practice. I understood this co-relation at very early age as I was surrounded by artists, musicians, actors, and authors. My maternal grandmother Mangala Ranade, and her sisters hailed from Goa and were musicians and singers."
Career
Her gayaki is thus influenced by her legendary gurus and their unique aesthetic approach to music. She was initiated into music by her mother, Usha Pandit. She received her formal training at the age of 9 from Vasantrao Kulkarni. Later, she also received guidance under Babanrao Haldankar of Agra gharana and Arun Dravid, who is also a disciple of Gaansaraswati Kishoritai Amonkar. She says, "My mother Usha Pandit, my first guru, also a disciple of Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki, taught me the basics of music but always tested me time and again; whether I had the perseverance to remain dedicated to an intense, lifelong commitment with Music. This vigilant and self-analytical approach helped me in my pursuit to acquire knowledge from great legendary gurus." With training from the Agra gharana, she started singing professionally by 12 years of age when she recorded for a children's album.
