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Smarta Sampradaya (Smarta Tradition, as it is termed in Sanskrit) is a liberal or nonsectarian denomination of the Vedic Hindu religion which accepts all the major Hindu deities as forms of the one Brahman, in contrast to Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism, the other three major Hindu sects, which revere Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti, respectively, as the Supreme Being. The term Smarta refers to adherents who follow the Vedas and Shastras. Only a section of south Indian brahmins call themselves Smartas now.

In Sanskrit, Smārta means "relating to memory, recorded in or based on the Smrti, based on tradition, prescribed or sanctioned by traditional law or usage, (etc)", from the root smr ("remember"); smarana. Smārta is a vriddhi derivation of Smriti just as Śrauta is a vriddhi derivation of Śruti.The system they follow is referred to also as Srauta-Smartha as evidenced in the sankalpams they take during prayers.^[1] This joined reference srauta smarta cannot be separated in the context of an orthodox smarta brahmin because he would be expected to follow the sruti and thereby the smritis derived from them.

Salient features of Smarta tradition[link]

Smartas are followers and propagators of Smriti or religious texts derived from Vedic scriptures. Smarta religion was practiced by people who believed in the authority of the Vedas as well as the basic premise of puranas. As a consequence usually only a brahmin preferred to use this term to refer to his family tradition.

It is most essential for Smarta Brahmins to specialize in the Karma Kanda of the Vedas and associated rituals diligently, and to teach the subsequent generations. This is the only reason that these families continue to be called Smartas.

Shad Darsana philosophy[link]

Smarta Tradition includes the followers of all the six Darsanas (systems) of Hindu philosophy. The basic idea of Smartas was belief in Vedic practices. Vedas are non-sectarian . The Smartas found that you can not bring about a unity among different sects or revive the Vedic practices without bringing together the six systems of Philosophy. The Vedic rituals are based on Purva Mimansa. The Bhagavad Gita which contains the Sankhya and Yoga concepts is revered by the Smartas.^[2]

Differences with other Hindu denominations[link]

Smartas believe that the worshiper is free to choose a particular aspect of God to worship, to the extent that the worship practices do not contradict the Vedas and the Smritis. So in that sense an orthodox smarta is unlikely to view gods of non vedic religions favorably, even though he may hold the religion acceptable to its own traditional followers.

By contrast, a Vaishnavite considers Vishnu or Krishna to be the true God who is worthy of worship and other forms as his subordinates. Accordingly, Vaishnavites, for example, believe that only Vishnu or Krishna can grant the ultimate salvation for mankind, moksha. Similarly, many Saivites also hold similar beliefs about Shiva. Notably, many Saivites believe that Shakti is worshiped to reach Shiva, whom for Saktas is the impersonal Absolute. In Saktism, emphasis is given to the feminine manifest through which the male unmanifested, Lord Shiva, is realized.

Smartas, like many Saivites and Vaishnavites, consider Surya to be an aspect of God. Many Saivites and Vaishnavites, for example, differ from Smartas, in that they regard Surya as an aspect of Shiva and Vishnu, respectively. For example, the sun is called Surya Narayana by Vaishnavites. In Saivite theology, the sun is said to be one of eight forms of Shiva, the Astamurti. Additionally, Ganesh and Skanda, for many Shaivites, would be aspects of Shakti and Shiva, respectively.

These differences and the understanding of these differences is now generally diminishing between the Hindus, and the current practitioners of Hinduism are converging towards the Smarta philosophy, where Shaivites accept and pray to forms of Vishnu and vice-versa. That Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti are all forms of the same principal divinity is slowly gaining understanding and acceptance.

Shanmata and influence on contemporary Hinduism[link]

Adi Shankara is believed to have propagated the tradition of Shanmata (Sanskrit, meaning Six Opinions). In this six major deities are worshipped.

This is based on the belief in the essential sameness of all deities, the unity of God, and their conceptualization of the myriad deities of India as various manifestations of the one divine power, Brahman.

Smartas accept and worship the six manifestations of God, (Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya and Skanda) and the choice of the nature of God is up to the individual worshipper since different manifestations of God are held to be equivalent.

Smarta practices[link]

Daily routine[link]

The daily routine of smartha brahmin^[3] includes performing

• Snana (bathing)
• Sandhyavandanam
• Japa
• Puja (see Panchayatana Puja, below)
• Aupasana
• Agnihotra

The last two named Yajnas are performed in only a few households today.

Brahmacharis perform:

• Agnikaryam

instead of Agnihotra or Aupasana.

The other rituals followed include Amavasya tarpanam and Shraddha.

Panchayatana Puja[link]

The Smartas evolved a kind of worship which is known as Panchayatana puja. In this Puja, the five principal Brahmanical Hindu Deities (Surya, Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesa and Devi) are the objects of veneration. The five symbols of the major Gods are placed on a round open metal dish called Panchayatana, the symbol of the deity preferred by the worshiper being in the center. A similar arrangement is also seen in the medieval temples, in which the central shrine housing the principal Deity is surrounded by four smaller shrines containing the figures of the other deities.^[4]

Some of the Smartas of South India add a sixth Deity Skanda.

The Smartas follow the Ashrama tradition of Hiduism.There are different sets of rules for each Ashrama (stage of an individual's life). The stages of life prescribed in the Vedic scriptures are Brahmacharya Ashrama, Grihastha Ashrama, Vanaprastha Ashrama and Sannyasa Ashrama. These four orders normally proceed one after the other, depending upon one's age, maturity, mental disposition and qualification. Each stage has its own set of rules within which it is conducted.

Other practices[link]

All Smartas who take up the Brahmacharya Ashrama by undergoing Upanayana, are expected to learn the Vedas and Shastras besides leading a strict celibate Life. They are expected to adhere to a sattvic diet and adhere to other rules of the Smriti tradition of their respective families. In modern days, the Smarthas contend with learning at least the select portions (called Suktas) and other portions from the Aranyaka of the Veda.

Smartas are recommended to follow the Brahma form of Vedic marriage (a type of arranged marriage). The marriage ceremony is derived from Vedic prescriptions. Women acquire the traditions of her husband's family upon marriage.

Lineage is an important continuity for the Smarthas. It is called the Gotra. Each Smartha family belongs to a particular Gotra which is the progeny of an identified Rishi. People belonging to the same Gotra are deemed brothers & sisters and hence cannot marry each other.

The Shrauta tradition[link]

Traditionally the Smartas follow the Shrauta tradition. The Shrauta tradition emphasises on performance of Yajnas which are described in the Vedas.

Religious institutions[link]

Traditional Smarta religious institutions:

• Sringeri Sharada Peetham
• Jyotirmath
• Govardhana matha
• Dvaraka Pitha
• Kanchi matha

and other Sankara Maths spread all over India.

The other Hindu missions with Advaita traditions closely linked with the Smarta philosophy are :

• Ramakrishna Mission
• Divine Life Society
• Chinmaya Mission

Contributions[link]

Prominent Smarta teachers[link]

Some of the prominent Smarta Teachers:

• Govinda Bhagavatpada
• Adi Shankara
• Sureshwaracharya
• Padmapadacharya
• Hastamalakacharya
• Totakacharya
• Vachaspati Mishra
• Sri Ramakrishna
• Swami Vivekananda
• Brahmananda Saraswati the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, the Guru of Transcendental Meditation.
• Appaiah Dikshitar
• Jagadguru Swami Sri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji Maharaja. Vedic Mathematics.
• Madhusudana Saraswati
• Jagadguru Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrusimha Bharati, Sringeri Sharada Peetam
• Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati III, Sringeri Sharada Peetam
• Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha, Sringeri Sharada Peetam
• Jagadguru Sri Bharati Tirtha, Sringeri Sharada Peetam
• Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
• Srimad Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji of Ramachandrapura Mutt, Hosanagara

Scriptures[link]

Smartas follow the Hindu scriptures. These include:

• The Vedas (Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda). These are considered primary spiritual resources; every Brahmin family is affiliated to one or more of the Vedas.
• The Upanishads, which are part of the Vedas, are often mentioned separately, given their especial importance as products of past intellectual ferment.
• The Bhagavad Gita, a summary of the Upanishads is highly revered. Adi Shankaracharya wrote the very first and major commentary on it. It is a text that is recommended for daily readings and many Smarthas still do so.
• The Smritis" are religious books based on Vedas and are written by important Sages/Rishis of the past. Each of them contains recommendations and practices unique to itself. The Book an individual followed depended on his family. Thus, ritual practices sometimes varied from family to family, depending on family tradition. Some of the more common religious law books were the Manu Smriti, the Apastamba Smriti and the Bodhyayana Smriti.
• The two epics Ramayana of Valmiki and the Mahabharata have been commented by many Smarta philosophers and scholars. Harikathas, Pravachanams, Upanyasams, Kalakshepams on these texts are still very popular. The Ramayana is the text of choice for daily devotional reading or Nitya Parayanam for many Smarthas and it has pervaded and guided Hindu conscience for centuries.
• The Puranas contain the lore and explanations of the theology of the Vedas. They are a collection of sacred historical events that were passed from one generation to the next in the form of mythological stories. Smarta philosophers use the puranas to get a better understanding of Vedas, but do not consider them as completely authentic texts. However, the eighteen Puranas are revered by Smartas, just like any other Hindus. However the Srimad Bhagavatham and Vishnu Purana are treated with the same reverence as the major epics as also being the chosen texts for daily devotional reading (Parayana grantham).

In addition to the above scriptures, Smarthas also recite various hymns or Shlokas and Stotras composed by Hindu saints and poets. The afore mentioned scriptures are also the texts of choice for daily reading by the Acharyas of the Shankara mutts.

Communities[link]

Though most of the Hindus follow the Smarta tradition, only a few communities still call themselves Smartas. These communities are mostly in South India.

Smarta communities:

• Karnataka
  • Babboor Kamme
  • Badaganadu
  • Havyaka
  • Hoysala Karnataka
  • Kota
  • Moogooru Karnataka ( Halenadu Karnataka Brahmin)
  • Mulukanadu
  • Sankethi^[5]
  • Shivalli Smartha Brahmins (Udupi Smartha)
  • Sthanika Brahmins
  • Ulucha Kamme

See:Kannada brahmins

• Tamil Nadu
  • Iyers
    • Ashtasahasram
    • Brahacharanam
    • Vadama
    • Vathima

• Andhra Pradesh
  • Vaidiki
    • Mulukanadu
    • Velanadu
    • Venginadu
    • Telanganya
  • Nandvariks
  • Niyogi
    • Aruvela Niyogi

• Maharashtra
  • Konkani Saraswats Brahmins(Goud, Rajapur, Chitrapur) of Maharastra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerela
  • Chitpavan Brahmins of Konkan, Maharashtra.
  • Karhade Brahmins
  • Daivajna^[6]

See also[link]

• Advaita Vedanta
• Hinduism
• Ishta-deva
• Smarana

Notes[link]

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ .Goyal (1984)
3. ^ A day in the life of a Brahmin
4. ^ A Religious History of Ancient India. Volume 2. By S.R.Goyal. Published by Kusumanjali Prakashan, Meerut, India
5. ^ Sankethis.com
6. ^ Karki math

References[link]

• Goyal, S. R. (1984) A Religious History of Ancient India. Volume 2. Published by Kusumanjali Prakashan, Meerut, India

External links[link]

• Adi Sankaracharya and Advaita Vedanta Library
• Advaita Vedanta Homepage
• Jagadguru Mahasamsthanam, Sringeri Sharada Peetam
• Shankara Sampradayam
• Hinduism Today - Description of Smartism among the four major divisions of Hinduism.
• Overview of the three major divisions, from the book, Hindu Dharma, Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and the three other schools devoted to Ganesh, Skanda and Surya.
• Six schools of smarta hinduism
• Oneness of God from Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
• Description of smarta tradition.

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (May 2010)

Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Richard Lee Skaggs
Born	(1954-07-18) July 18, 1954 (age 57) Cordell, Kentucky
Genres	Country, bluegrass Gospel Music, Gospel
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, session musician, bandleader, producer, arranger
Instruments	singer, mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle
Years active	1960s-present
Labels	Sugar Hill, Epic, Rounder, DCC, Atlantic, Camden, Rebel, Hollywood, Legacy, Skaggs Family
Associated acts	Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, J. D. Crowe and New South, Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band, The Whites, Kentucky Thunder, Bruce Hornsby
Website	http://www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com/

Richard Lee "Ricky" Skaggs (born July 18, 1954) is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster and banjo.

Biography[link]

Early career[link]

Ricky Skaggs was born in Cordell, Kentucky. He started playing music at age 5 after he was given a mandolin by his father, Hobert. At age 6, he played mandolin and sang on stage with Bill Monroe. At age 7, he appeared on television's Martha White country music variety show, playing with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. He also wanted to audition for the Grand Ole Opry at that time, but was told he was too young.

In his mid-teens, Skaggs met a fellow teen prodigy, guitarist Keith Whitley, and the two started playing together with Whitley's banjoist brother Dwight on radio shows. By 1970, they had earned a spot opening for Ralph Stanley and Skaggs and Keith Whitley were thereafter invited to join Stanley's band, the Clinch Mountain Boys

Skaggs later joined The Country Gentlemen in Washington, DC, J. D. Crowe's New South. For a few years, Skaggs was a member of Emmylou Harris's Hot Band. He wrote the arrangements for Harris's 1980 bluegrass-roots album, Roses in the Snow. In addition to arranging for Harris, Skaggs sang harmony and played mandolin and fiddle in the Hot Band.

Neotraditionalism and experimentation[link]

Into the 1990s and 2000s, Skaggs has embraced his bluegrass roots, as well as experimenting with new sounds. With his band, Kentucky Thunder, he is a perennial winner of Grammy Awards and International Bluegrass Music Association for best bluegrass album.

"I always want to try to promote the old music, as well as trying to grow, and be a pioneer too," Skaggs once said.^{[citation needed]}

In 2000, he shared the stage with Vermont-based jam band, Phish.^{[citation needed]} On March 20, 2007, Skaggs released an album with rock musician Bruce Hornsby.

In 2008, Skaggs released an album he recorded with The Whites on his Skaggs Family Records label.

In 2008, Skaggs recorded a bluegrass version of "Old Enough" by the Raconteurs with Ashley Monroe and the Raconteurs. He played mandolin on the track as well as sharing vocals with Jack White, Brendan Benson, and Ashley Monroe.

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

• 1983 Best Country Instrumental Performance: New South (J.D. Crowe, Jerry Douglas, Todd Phillips, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs) for Fireball
• 1984 Best Country Instrumental Performance: Ricky Skaggs for Wheel Hoss
• 1986 Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist): Ricky Skaggs for Raisin' The Dickins
• 1991 Best Country Vocal Collaboration: Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner & Vince Gill for Restless
• 1999 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Bluegrass Rules!
• 1998 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt & Dwight Yoakam for Same Old Train
• 2000 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Ancient Tones
• 2000 Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Soldier Of The Cross
• 2003 Best Country Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocal: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for A Simple Life
• 2004 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Brand New Strings
• 2006 Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Instrumentals
• 2006 Best Musical Album For Children, "Songs From The Neighborhood, The Music Of Mr. Rogers"
• 2008 Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Ricky Skaggs and The Whites for Salt Of The Earth
• 2009 Best Bluegrass Album Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass 1946 & 47

CMA (Country Music Association) Awards[link]

• 1982 Male Vocalist of the Year: Ricky Skaggs
• 1982 Horizon Award: Ricky Skaggs
• 1983 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band
• 1984 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band
• 1985 Entertainer of the Year: Ricky Skaggs
• 1985 Instrumental Group of the Year: Ricky Skaggs Band
• 1987 Vocal Duo of the Year: Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White

IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Awards[link]

• 1998 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• 1998 Album Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder for Bluegrass Rules!
• 1999 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• 2000 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• 2000 Instrumental Album Of The Year: David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Sam Bush, Frank Wakefield, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs & Buck White for Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza
• 2000 Recorded Event Of The Year: David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Frank Wakefield, Sam Bush, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs & Buck White for Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza
• 2002 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• 2003 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• 2004 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• 2005 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• 2006 Instrumental Group Of The Year: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• 2008 Recorded Event of the Year: Everett Lilly & Everybody and Their Brother; Featuring Everett Lilly, Bea Lilly, Charles Lilly, Daniel Lilly, Mark Lilly, Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, Billy Walker, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, David Ball, Charlie Cushman, Larry Stephenson, Joe Spivey, Eddie Stubbs, Jason Carter, Dickey Lee, Freddy Weller, Mike Bub, Rad Lewis, Andy May, Darrin Vincent, Marcia Campbell, Clay Rigdon, Eric Blankenship and Bill Wolfenbarger (artists); Charles Lilly & Bill Wolfenbarger (producers); Swift River Music

BluegrassJournal.com Readers Poll: We Are Family; Jeff & Sheri Easter, The Lewis Family & The Easter Brothers (artists); Jeff & Sheri Easter (producers); Daywind Records

Other Awards and Accomplishments[link]

• R&R Best New Artist
• Billboard magazine's Artist of the Year
• Musician Magazine- Voted One of the Top 100 Guitarists of the Century
• Artist of the Decade- Listeners' Poll Award BBC Radio 2
• CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music rank #37 in 2003.
• Judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards

References[link]

• Independent Music Awards - Past Judges
• 1997 Interview with Ricky Skaggs
• Himes, Geoffrey. (1998). "Ricky Skaggs". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 486–7.
• Ricky Skaggs, age 7, plays with Flatt & Scruggs on the Martha White Show
• Ricky Skaggs articles, interviews and CD reviews at Country Standard Time
• Ricky Skaggs Biography

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Skaggs Family Records
• Ricky Skaggs at the Internet Movie Database
• Ricky Skaggs at Allmusic

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

Suresh Wadkar
Wadkar at the launch of Sonu Nigam's album Classically Mild
Background information
Born	1954 (age 57–58)
Genres	film music (playback singing), Indian classical music
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocalist
Years active	1976–present

Suresh Ishwar Wadkar (Marathi: सुरेश ईश्वर वाडकर, born 1954) is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films.He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films and in Konkani.

Early life[link]

Suresh Wadkar from Bhandari Caste , was born in Kolhapur at post. Dindnerli Tal. Karvir, India. At the age of 8, he began acquiring basic music education from Jialal Vasant. He soon impressed his guru with the quality of his voice. He began performing on the stage at a very early age.

Music Teaching life[link]

Back in 1968, when Suresh Wadkar was barely 13, Acharya Jialal Vasant entrusted him with a student to initiate in Tabla. A year later, he was given the responsibility of a group of youngsters to teach vocal classical. Our system of education in music makes it mandatory to teach before you appear for your graduation in music through Prayag Sangit Samiti, because there “Prabhakar” certificate is equivalent to B. Ed. and it authorizes you to teach professionally. Guruji made every child studying for Senior Diploma, to sit in the class of 1st year with an experienced teacher and learn the process of “teaching”. Suresh successfully completed his “Prabhakar” and joined “Arya Vidya Mandir, Mumbai as a music teacher. A lot of famous “stars” of today had the opportunity to learn from him.

Acharya Jialal Vasant, announced during his felicitation function organized by his students on May 1985. He said, “We continuously talk about the benefits one enjoys when one is blessed with a good Guru. But let me tell you, that every Guru looks for at least one student, who can take his torch forward. I have been, I must say, very fortunate to get ‘the’ student; I have always looked for in Suresh. I am fully confident that he will leave no stone unturned to accomplish what I desire the most – to attain excellence both as a singer & a teacher. I feel that my mission is fulfilled.”

He has a music school in Mumbai, India (www.ajivasan.com) and New Jersey/New York, USA (www.sureshwadkarmusic.com) where methodical training is given to students.

Suresh Wadkar added a new chapter in his Music life when he started the First Online Music teaching school "SWAMA" (Suresh Wadkar Ajivasan Music Academy) under Ace Open University.

Singing career[link]

Though groomed for Indian classical music, he entered the Sur-Singar competition in 1976. Wadkar won the competition which was judged by composers from the Indian film industry including Jaidev. Jaidev later offered him the song "Seene Mein Jalan" in the film Gaman (released in 1978). He also performed in the film Paheli (released 1977).

At the time, Lata Mangeshkar was so impressed with his voice that she strongly recommended him to film personalities including Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Khayyam and Kalyanji-Anandji.^[1] Laxmikant-Pyarelal, impressed with his voice, soon recorded a duet with Lata "Chal Chameli Bagh Mein" for Krodhi (released in 1981). Soon after, he was given the opportunity to perform for songs in Hum Paanch, Pyaasa Sawan ("Megha re Megha Re") and above all, his turning point in films - Raj Kapoor's Prem Rog (released in 1982).

Wadkar also produced the film Tanman.com.^[2] He was a judge on the Indian TV singing show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs International and at the 2005 Sanjeet Awards.^[3]

Suresh Wadkar has for the first time sung a song in the upcoming Tamil film Kanden Kadhalai. This film is an adaptation of the Hindi Blockbuster Jab We Met. The song is a ghazal type song called "Naan Mozhi Arindhaen".

His voice has been acknowledged to have a quality for devotional songs. He has sung numerous devotional songs in various languages.

In 1996, Wadkar sang Channeache Rati among several other songs in Rajendra Talak's Konkani album Daryachya Deger with Asha Bhosle.

In a recent program, Suresh Wadkar gave credit to Ravindra Jain for shaping his singing career.

Marathi Music career[link]

Suresh Wadkar has worked with some of the top class Marathi music directors like Pt.Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Sudhir Phadke, Shrinivas Khale, Shridhar Phadke, Vasant Desai, Ashok Patki, Anil-Arun etc. Some of his notable marathi songs are:

• Dayaghana with pt.Hridaynath Mangeshkar
• Kaal dehasi ala khau with Shrinivas Khale
• tula pahile mi with Shridhar Phadke
• Omkar swaroopa
• Pahile Na Mi Tula

Stage Performances[link]

Suresh Wadkar often performs with other legendary artistes such as Zakir Hussain, Shrinivas Khale, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, and Kavita Krishnamurthy for numerous stage performances.

Personal life[link]

Wadkar is married to classical singer Padma.^[4] He has two daughters, Ananya and Gia.

Awards[link]

In 1976, Wadkar won the Madan Mohan Best Male Singer Award at the Sur-Singar competition.^[5]

He also won the 2007 Maharashtra Pride Award which is given by the government of Maharashtra to citizens of note.^[6]

He is also a recipient of the Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar instituted by Madhya Pradesh government.

In 2011, he won the National Award for Best Male Playback Singer for Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (Marathi).

Collaborators[link]

Suresh Wadkar has sung for a variety of composers in the Indian film industry. These include:

• Shrinivas Khale (Marathi)
• Shridhar Phadke (Marathi)
• Anil-Arun
• Laxmikant Pyarelal
• Kalyanji Anandji
• R.D. Burman
• Ilayaraja
• Ravindra Jain
• Bappi Lahiri
• Khaiyyam
• Usha Khanna
• Arun Paudwal
• A.R. Rehman
• Vidyasagar
• Nadeem-Shravan
• Vishal Bhardwaj
• Rajesh Roshan
• Raamlaxman
• Shiv-Hari
• Jatin-Lalit
• Hridayanath Mangeshkar
• Shridhar Phadke
• Anand-Milind
• Anu Malik
• Himesh Reshammiya
• Shanker
• Ravi
• Chitragupta
• Jaidev
• Brahma Kumaris
• Kaushal Inamdar

Selected filmography[link]

• 7 Khoon Maaf(2011)
• Kanden Kadhalai(2009) (Tamil)
• Kaminey (2009)
• Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi (2008)
• Omkara (2006)
• Vivah (2006)
• Bal Ganesh (2006)
• Indra (2002)
• Hu Tu Tu (1999)
• Sar Utha Ke Jiyo (1998)
• Satya (1998)
• Maachis (1996)
• Prem Granth (1996)
• Rangeela (1995)
• Guddu (1995)
• Aaina (1993)
• In Custody (1993)
• Parampara (1992)
• Dil Aashna Hai (1992)
• Thalapathi (1991)
• Lamhe (1991)
• Lekin... (1991)
• Henna (1991)
• Kurbaan (1991)
• Aaj Ka Samson (1991)
• Patthar Ke Phool (1991)
• The Blow (1991)
• Shiva (1990)
• Parinda (1989)
• Bhrashtachar (1989)
• Toofan (1989)
• Purani Haveli (1989)
• Chandni (1989)
• Hero Hiralal (1988)
• Libaas (1988)
• Thikana (1987)
• Hifazat (1987) directed by Prayag Raj
• Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985)
• Utsav (1984)
• Sadma (1983)
• Masoom (1983)
• Disco Dancer (1982)
• Prem Rog (1982)
• Hum Paanch (1980)
• gaman (1978)
• Paheli (1977)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Suresh Wadkar at the Internet Movie Database
• Suresh Wadkar sings Marathi ghazal