Hariprasad Chaurasia (born 1 July 1938) is an Indian classical flautist, who plays the bansuri, an Indian bamboo flute, in the Hindustani classical tradition.
Chaurasia was born in Allahabad in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. His mother died when he was 6. He had to learn music without his father’s knowledge, as his father wanted him to become a wrestler. He did go to the Akhada and train with his father for some time, although he also started learning music and practising at his friend’s house.
Chaurasia started learning vocal music from his neighbour, Rajaram, at the age of 15. Later, he switched to playing the flute under the tutelage of Bholanath Prasanna of Varanasi for eight years. He joined the All India Radio, Cuttack, Odisha in 1957 and worked as a composer and performer. Much later, while working for All India Radio, he received guidance from the reclusive Annapurna Devi, daughter of Baba Allaudin Khan. She only agreed to teach him if he was willing to unlearn all that he had learnt until then . Another version is that she only agreed to teach him after he (of his own) took the decision to switch from right-handed to left-handed playing to show her his commitment. In any case Chaurasia plays left-handed to this day.
Apart from classical music, Hariprasad has collaborated with Shivkumar Sharma, forming a group called Shiv-Hari.
He serves as the artistic director of the World Music Department at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory in the Netherlands[citation needed]. He was also the founder of the Vrindavan Gurukul in Mumbai (opened 2006) and Vrindavan Gurukul in Bhubaneshwar (opened 2010). Both of these institutes are schools dedicated to training students in bansuri in the Guru-shishya tradition.
He has collaborated with several western musicians, including John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, and Ken Lauber, and has composed music for Indian films[citation needed]. Chaurasia also played on The Beatles’ 1968 B-side “The Inner Light”, which was written by George Harrison.
Awards
Sangeet Natak Academy[citation needed] – 1984
Konark Samman – 1992
Padma Bhushan – 1992
Yash Bharati Samman – 1994
Padma Vibhushan – 2000
Pandit Chatur Lal Excellence Award – 2015
Hafiz Ali Khan Award – 2000
Dinanath Mangeshkar Award – 2000
Pune Pandit Award – 2008, by The Art & Music Foundation, Pune, India
Akshaya Samman – 2009
Honorary Doctorate, North Orissa University – 2008
Honorary Doctorate, Utkal University – 2011
National Eminence award, NADA VIDYA BHARTI by Visakha Music and Dance Academy, Vizag – 2009
The 25 Greatest Global Living Legends In India by NDTV – 2013
Honors
Honoured by the Dutch Royal family at Amsterdam,and was conferred with the title Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau (“officier in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau”) and was honoured by – then – Princess Maxima herself.
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of France. He has been appointed as Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters (“Ordres des Arts et Lettres”) in appreciation of the significant contribution he has made to spread culture in France and the rest of the World – 2009
Honorary Doctorate by the North Orissa University for his unparalleled role and contribution to the world of Indian Classical Music – 2009
(Ref : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hariprasad_Chaurasia & YouTube)