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Hariprasad Chaurasia Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Hariprasad Chaurasia

Bio
Full NamePandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
ProfessionFlautist
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 168 cm
in meters- 1.68m
in feet inches- 5’ 6”
Weight (approx.)in kilograms- 65 kg
in pounds- 143 lbs
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourGrey
Personal Life
Date of Birth1 July 1938
Age (as in 2017) 79 Years
Birth PlaceAllahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Zodiac sign/Sun signCancer
Nationality Indian
HometownAllahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
SchoolNot Known
College/UniversityNot Known
Educational QualificationNot Known
Family Not Known
ReligionHinduism
HobbiesWriting, Reading & playing flute
Music
Filmography• Chandni
• Darr
• Lamhe
• Silsila
• Faasle
• Vijay
• Sahibaan
• Sirivennela
• 16 Days in Afghanistan
Awards and Recognition(s)1984: He was honoured with Sangeet Natak Academy
1992: He was honoured with Padma Bhushan and Konark Samman
1994: He was awarded Yash Bharati Sanman
2000: He was awarded Padma Vibhushan, Hafiz Ali Khan Award and Dinanath Mangeshkar Award
2015: He was honoured with Pandit Chatur Lal Excellence Award
2008: He has recieved honorary Doctorate from North Orissa University
2013: He was awarded with the 25 Greatest Global Living Legends In India by NDTV
Favourite Things
Favourite Food(s)North Indian Cuisines, South Indian Cuisines
Favourite Actor(s)Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rajesh Khanna
Favourite Actress(s)Madhubala, Rekha, Jaya Bachchan
Favourite Singer(s)Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, A.R. Rahman
Favourite Musician(s)Zakir Hussain, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital StatusMarried
Wife/SpouseKamla (First wife)
Anuradha Aka Angurbala Roy (Second wife)
Hariprasad Chaurasia With his Wife Anuradha Roy
Marriage DateYear 1957 (first marriage)
15 August 1958 (Second marriage)
ChildrenSons- Vinay and Ajay Chaurasia (from first wife)
Rajiv Chaurasia (from second wife)
Hariprasad Chaurasia With His Son Rajiv Chaurasia
Daughter- None
Money Factor
Salary (as an event performer) 4-5 lacs/show (INR)
Net Worth (Approx.) 3-4 Crore (INR)

 Hariprasad Chaurasia

Some Lesser Known Facts About  Hariprasad Chaurasia

  • Does  Hariprasad Chaurasia smoke? No
  • Does  Hariprasad Chaurasia drink alcohol?: No
  • His mother died when he was 6 years old and was brought up by his father. His father wants him to be a wrestler but he started learning music without his father’s knowledge.
  • He started learning vocal music from his neighbor, Pandit Rajaram, at the age of 15 but later, he started playing the flute under the guidance of Pandit Bholanath Prasanna of Varanasi for eight years.
  • In 1957, he also worked as a composer and a performer in All India Radio in Cuttack, Odisha.
  • He moved to Mumbai to be a disciple of Annapurna Devi, the daughter of Baba Allaudin Khan and first wife of Pandit Ravi Shankar, who helped him in enhancing his repertoire of ragas and compositions as well as strengthen his career as a classical musician.   Annapurna Devi With Her Husband Pandit Ravi Shankar
  • Annapurna Devi agreed to teach him over two conditions, first was that he has to unlearn all that he had learned until then and another one was, that he has to take the decision to switch playing the flute from right-hand to left-hand to show her his commitment towards music. Since then Hariprasad Chaurasia plays left-handed only.
  • He shared a great friendship with  Shivkumar Sharma and people named that duo ‘Shiv-Hari’, this duo has composed many songs together for various films such as Chandni, Darr, Lamhe, Silsila and many more.

  • He also served as the artistic director of the World Music Department at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory in the Netherlands and also the founder of the Vrindavan Gurukul in Mumbai and Bhubaneshwar. Hariprasad Chaurasia With His Students in Gurukul
  • He has collaborated with several western musicians, including John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Ken Lauber, Yehudi Menuhin and Jean-Pierre Rampa.

  • In 1968, he also played a song named ‘The Inner Light’, which was written by George Harrison, for Internationally acclaimed English Rock Band ‘The Beatles’.
  • In 2013, The documentary film ‘Bansuri Guru’ features his legacy, and was directed by his younger son Rajeev Chaurasia and produced by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

  • Books such as “Woodwinds of Change” by Surjit Singh and ‘Hariprasad Chaurasia and the Art of Improvisation’, by Henri Tournier, also narrate various instances of his life and journey.