imported>Tony1 at 02:09, 28 July 2021

2021-07-28T02:09:37Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Meeta Pandit
| image = Meeta Pandit.jpg
| caption = At MERU Concert, Netherlands
| image_size =
| birth_place = New Delhi, India
| death_date =
| origin = India
| instrument = Vocals
| genre = [[Indian classical music|Indian classical]], [[Hindustani classical music]]
| occupation = Vocalist
| years_active = 1983–present
| label = [[EMI]], [[Saregama]], [[Underscore Records Pvt. Ltd.|Underscore]]
| associated_acts =
| website = [http://www.meetapandit.com/ www.meetapandit.com]
}}
'''Dr. Meeta Pandit''' is a [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani Classical]] vocalist and a leading exponent of the [[Gwalior Gharana]]. She is the granddaughter and disciple of [[Krishnarao Shankar Pandit]] and daughter of Laxman Krishnarao Pandit. She is the sixth in the unbroken lineage and the first woman in the family to have taken up music as a profession.

==Early life==
Meeta was born in New Delhi, India.<ref>{{cite news|title=Meeta Pandit taking classical music to the young|url=http://zeenews.india.com/home/meeta-pandit-taking-classical-music-to-the-young_434740.html|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Zee Media Corporation Limited|publisher=Zee News|date=5 April 2008}}</ref> She is the daughter of Abha Pandit, a homemaker and Pt. Laxman Krishnarao Pandit, a veteran singer of the [[Gwalior gharana]] and [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] awardee.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tagore Akademi Ratna and Tagore Akademi Puraskar |url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/tagoreawards.htm |website=Sangeet Natak Akademi |publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi |access-date=7 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707094419/http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/tagoreawards.htm |archive-date=7 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lakshman Pandit is the last surviving doyen of the hoary Gwalior gharana|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lakshman-pandit-the-last-surviving-doyen-of-the-hoary-gwalior-gharana/1/252809.html|website=India Today|publisher=India Today Group|access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ongoing legacy|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/ongoing-legacy/article915171.ece|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|date=27 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Awards) |url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/awardeeslist.htm#HindustaniMusicVocal |website=Sangeet Natak Akademi |publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi |access-date=7 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530204253/http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/awardeeslist.htm |archive-date=30 May 2015 }}</ref> She spent her childhood in New Delhi, where she attended St. Mary's School until higher secondary, and earned a bachelor's degree in Commerce from [[Lady Sriram|Lady Sri Ram College]], [[Delhi University]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Campus Days – Trading notes|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/dance/campus-days-trading-notes/article1156212.ece|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|date=4 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lady Shri Ram College For Women|url=http://lsr.edu.in/Department-Profiles-2015.pdf|website=lsr.edu.in|publisher=Lady Shri Ram College|access-date=7 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331075844/http://lsr.edu.in/Department-Profiles-2015.pdf|archive-date=31 March 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Meeta began training with her grandfather [[Padma Bhushan]] Pt. [[Krishnarao Shankar Pandit]] and her father Pt. L.K Pandit at the age of 3. Growing up in a house where music ustads and her father's disciples visited day in and day out, and all conversations centered around music, she was exposed to the finer aspects of music from a very young age.<ref>{{cite news|title=With music genres on tabs|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/375981/with-music-genres-tabs.html|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Deccan Herald|publisher=Deccan Herald|date=22 December 2013}}</ref> However, as a teenager, she was encouraged by her parents to take up a more stable profession than music, primarily due to the irregular working hours and solo travels involved, making it a difficult career choice for a woman.<ref>{{cite news|title=A young star of classical music traditions|url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/a-young-star-of-classical-music-traditions|access-date=7 January 2016|publisher=The Sunday Guardian|date=26 October 2013}}</ref> Her elder brother Tushar Pandit was in fact, being groomed to take the family legacy forward. He was pursuing a PhD in [[Hindustani classical music]] when he met with a fatal road accident in New Delhi on 1 September 1994 at the age of 27.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obituary|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/TUSHAR-PANDIT/tributeshow/41411491.cms|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Bennette, Coleman & Co. Ltd.|work=The Times Of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=I Was Prepared For Everything God Had In Store For Me|url=http://www.tehelka.com/2014/06/i-was-prepared-for-everything-god-had-in-store-for-me/|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Tehelka.com|publisher=Tehelka.com|date=28 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093319/http://www.tehelka.com/2014/06/i-was-prepared-for-everything-god-had-in-store-for-me/|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Upholding a family legacy, and also going beyond it|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/upholding-a-family-legacy-and-also-going-beyond-it/article1825467.ece|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|date=9 April 2007}}</ref> Meeta, who was pursuing her bachelor's degree at the time and preparing for an [[MBA]], decided to take up the cudgels of carrying on the legacy and went on to pursue her masters in music. She completed her PhD in the [[Hindustani Classical music]] by the age of 27.

==Career==
Meeta gave her first performance on stage at the age of 9, during a 3-day music festival ‘Prasang’ organized by her grandfather, Pt. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit at [[Bharat Bhawan]], [[Bhopal]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A young star of classical music traditions|url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/a-young-star-of-classical-music-traditions|access-date=7 January 2016|publisher=The Sunday Guardian|date=26 October 2013}}</ref> At the age of 15, she performed at the Sankat Mochan festival in [[Varanasi]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Meeta Pandit taking classical music to the young|url=http://zeenews.india.com/home/meeta-pandit-taking-classical-music-to-the-young_434740.html|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Zee Media Corporation Limited|publisher=Zee News|date=5 April 2008}}</ref> one of India's biggest annual classical music and dance festival.<ref>{{cite news|title=Let the music linger on|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/sankat-mochan-sangeet-samaroh-is-a-festival-of-openness/article7232003.ece|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|date=21 May 2015}}</ref> She has performed at almost all the major classical music festivals of India and abroad which include the prestigious [[Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival]] in 1999 and 2014,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sawaigandharvabhimsenmahotsav.com/meeta-pandit|title=Meeta Pandit {{!}} sawai gandharva bhimsen mahotsav|work=sawaigandharvabhimsenmahotsav.com|access-date=3 May 2019}}</ref> the [[Dover Lane Music Conference]], [[Kolkata]] in 2013 and 2019 and the [[Tansen Samaroh]], [[Gwalior]] in 2011,2013 and 2019 .
[[File:MAHOTSAV.jpg|thumb|450x450px|Meeta Pandit Live in Thane – Photograph Credits: Dhanesh Patil 2017]]

Other notable performances :

*[[India International Centre]] (2011 & 2014)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iicdelhi.in/webcasts/view_webcast/a-celebration-of-carnatic-and-hindustani-music/|title=India International Centre{{!}}A Celebration of Carnatic and Hindustani Music|work=www.iicdelhi.in|access-date=3 May 2019}}</ref>
* Nadaneerajanam, as a part of [[Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams|Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam]]
*[[WOMADelaide]], New Zealand and Australia
*[[Melbourne Recital Centre]] (2015)
*[[Darbar festival]], Milton Court Concert Hall, London (2018), United Kingdom
* MERU Concert (2012, 2015) [[Netherlands]]
* Ram Marathe Smruti Sangeet Samaroh, [[Thane]] (2017)
* Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki Music Festival, [[Kala Academy]], Goa
* Pancham Group, [[Satara (city)|Satara]]
* Pracheen Kala Kendra, [[Chandigarh]] (2016)
* Bagri Foundation, London (2015)
* Ustad Alladiya Khan Sangeet Samaroh, [[Chembur]], [[Mumbai]] (2015)
* ViViDa Sangeet Sammelan, [[Pune]] (2013)
*[[National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)|National Centre for the Performing Arts]], [[Mumbai]]
*Swarzankar, Pune
* Pt. Sharatchandra Arolkar Smruti Sangeet Samaroh – Khayal Trust, [[Mumbai]]
*[[Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan]], [[Jalandhar]], Punjab (1998 and 2015)
* Shri Bhaini Sahib, Satguru Jagjit Singh Sangeet Sammelan (2017)
* C.R. Vyas Sangeet Samaroh, Vadodara (2015)
* Saptak Music Festival, Ahmedabad
* Ustad Shaik Dawood Tabla Trust, Hyderabad
* Soorya Festival, Trivandrum, Kerala
* Krishna Gaan Sabha, Chennai (2013 and 2015)
* Delhi Classical Music Festival (2013)
* Thumri Festival, Delhi (2017)
* West Bengal State Music Academy Music Festival, Kolkata (2017)
* Jnana Pravaha Music Festival, Birla Sabhagar, organized by Sangeet Ashram, Kolkata (2011)
* Strauss Reflected with David Murphy, [[John Suchet]] and Sinfonia Verdi at [[Cadogan Hall]], London (2017)
* Bharat Sanskriti Yatra, Stein Auditorium, [[India Habitat Centre]], New Delhi
* Madhya Pradesh Diwas, organized by the [[Government of Madhya Pradesh]], Bhopal (2018)
* 'Aadya', [[Bharat Bhavan]], Bhopal (2017)
* ' Swara- Music for Life', organized by Banyan Tree Events, Jaipur (2015)
* De Meervaart, Netherlands
*[[Jaipur Literature Festival|Zee Jaipur Literature Festival]], Jaipur (2018)
* SaMaPa Sangeet Sammelan,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/city-of-temples-reverberates-with-vocal-recitals-of-srinivas-meeta/|title=City of Temples reverberates with vocal recitals of Srinivas, Meeta|last=Excelsior|first=Daily|date=19 February 2016|work=Jammu Kashmir Latest News {{!}} Tourism {{!}} Breaking News J&K|language=en-US|access-date=3 May 2019}}</ref> New Delhi and [[Jammu]] (2015)
* 'Sapthak', [[Bangalore]]
*Akashwani Sangeet Sammelan
*Shimla Classical Music Festival
*Chowdhury House Music Conference, Kolkata (2019)
*INK Conference, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (2019)
*Adab-E-Mausiqui -Patna Literature Festival, Patna, Bihar (2019)
*[[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation|Gala Concert, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]] Summit (SCO), Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (2019)
[[File:Meeta Pandit (16685422070).jpg|thumb|389x389px|At the WOMADelaide Festival, New Zealand.]]

===1995–2000===
Between 1995 and 2005, Meeta performed extensively in prestigious festivals in India and abroad in France, Germany, London, Switzerland, Norway, [[Rome]], United States, Russia and [[Bangladesh]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Meeta Pandit taking classical music to the young|url=http://zeenews.india.com/home/meeta-pandit-taking-classical-music-to-the-young_434740.html|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Zee Media Corporation Limited|publisher=Zee News|date=5 April 2008}}</ref>

Through a special project by French Embassy in New Delhi, she stayed in Paris for three months as an "[[Artist in Residence]]" in 2003. There she collaborated with the [[Jazz pianist]], Allie Delfau, as a part of an Indo-French project.<ref>{{cite news|title=With music genres on tabs|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/375981/with-music-genres-tabs.html|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Deccan Herald|publisher=Deccan Herald|date=22 December 2013}}</ref>

She represented India as the Cultural Ambassador of India to Pakistan during the [[South Asian Association For Regional Co-Operation]] (SAARC) Summit in [[Islamabad]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite news|title=Upholding a family legacy, and also going beyond it|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/upholding-a-family-legacy-and-also-going-beyond-it/article1825467.ece|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|date=9 April 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Music Maestro|url=http://www.womansera.com/showarticle2.php?id=1537|website=Womensera.com|publisher=Woman's Era|access-date=7 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095928/http://www.womansera.com/showarticle2.php?id=1537|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Public Service Broadcasting]] Trust and [[Prasar Bharati]] made a film titled – "Meeta: Linking a Tradition with Today” – which documents her life and growth as a singer in 2005.<ref>{{cite news|title=A young star of classical music traditions|url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/a-young-star-of-classical-music-traditions|access-date=7 January 2016|publisher=The Sunday Guardian|date=26 October 2013}}</ref>

===2005–2019===
In 2008, Meeta presented a music appreciation series called "Swar Shringar" on World Space Satellite Radio.<ref>{{cite news|title=With music genres on tabs|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/375981/with-music-genres-tabs.html|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Deccan Herald|publisher=Deccan Herald|date=22 December 2013}}</ref>

She collaborated with [[Amsterdam]] based [[Tabla]] player, Heiko Dijker on an album called "The Luminance Project". This album was launched in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=Indian classical needs support to sustain itself: Meeta Pandit|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/art-and-theatre/indian-classical-needs-support-to-sustain-itself-meeta-pandit_116598.html|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Zee Media Corporation Limited|publisher=Zee News|date=5 August 2012}}</ref>

Since 2009, she has been a consultant with [[Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts]], New Delhi, a premier government-funded arts organization in India. Among other things, she is involved in a project archiving more than 60 living [[maestros]] representing different [[genres]] and [[gharanas]] of [[Hindustani Classical music]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Ongoing legacy|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/ongoing-legacy/article915171.ece|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu|date=27 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lady of Lineage|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/Lady-of-Lineage/2014/04/13/article2163298.ece|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=The New Indian Express Group|publisher=The Sunday Standard|date=13 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Diva of classical music|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110807/spectrum/book6.htm|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=The Tribune|publisher=Tribune India|date=7 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Gems from classical music maestros recorded for posterity|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/gems-from-classical-music-maestros-recorded-for-posterity-114072300909_1.html|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Press Trust Of India|publisher=Business Standard|date=23 July 2014}}</ref>

Meeta sings in different genres such as [[bhajan]], [[thumri]], [[tappa]] and [[ghazal]] and has proved her mastery over [[khayal]] and [[tappa]]. She actively promotes [[Indian Classical music]] worldwide. She has also been actively coaching budding singers from India and abroad in her attempt to spread [[Indian Classical Music]] globally.<ref>{{cite web|title=Music Maestro|url=http://www.womansera.com/showarticle2.php?id=1537|website=Womensera.com|publisher=Woman's Era|access-date=7 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095928/http://www.womansera.com/showarticle2.php?id=1537|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> She often performs for [[SPIC MACAY]] in various schools and colleges to ignite an interest of Indian Classical Music in students.

==Awards==

===Before 2005===
* The 'Golden Voice of India' by the Singers Society of India – 1989
* 'Sur Mani' by Sur Singar Samsad – 1992
* 'Excellence in Music' Award: by Lady Shri Ram College – 1995
* 'Full Circle Inner Flame Award', Full Circle Publishing Pvt. Ltd, 1999. (Awarded by [[Inder Kumar Gujral|I.K Gujral]])<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography|url=http://www.last.fm/music/Meeta+Pandit/+wiki|website=last.fm|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref>
* 'Yuva Ratna' – Youth Excellence Award by Rotaract Club – 1999
* 'Sur Mayank' – Pt. Nikhil Banerjee Smriti Award: Sangeet Bhavan (Lucknow) – 2001
* 'Yuva Ojaswini Award' – 2005<ref>{{cite web|title=Meeta Pandit|url=http://sawaigandharvabhimsenmahotsav.com/meeta-pandit|website=Sawai Gandharva Bheemsen Mahotsav|publisher=Sawai Gandharva Bheemsen Mahotsav|access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Meeta-pandit0150.jpg|alt=Meeta Pandit|thumb|320x320px]]

===2006–2015===
* FICCI Young Achiever Award for Indian classical music for 2007.
* [[Bismillah Khan]] Award by [[Sangeet Natak Academy]] for 2007<ref>{{cite web|title=Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2007|url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/yuva2007.htm|website=sangeetnatak.gov.in|publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi|access-date=7 January 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404063238/http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/yuva2007.htm|archive-date=4 April 2016}}</ref>
* Delhi Ratna – Art and Cultural Trust of India – 2009
* Art Karat Award for her contribution to the field of music – 2013
* SaMaPa Yuva Ratna award for contribution to Classical Music – 2015<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/music/santoor-maestro-bhajan-sopori-announces-samapa-awards/|title=Santoor maestro Bhajan Sopori announces SaMaPa awards|date=18 November 2015|publisher=The Indian Express|agency=The Indian Express|access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref>
* Bhav Bhaveshwar Rashtriya Samman −2015
* JP Award −2017, instituted by the Loknayak Jaiprakash International Studies Centre, New Delhi.

==Discography==
* Raga Rang ([[Saregama]])
* Arpan ([[Underscore Records Pvt. Ltd.|Underscore Records]])
* Young Maestros ([[Underscore Records Pvt. Ltd.|Underscore Records]] and [[Musictoday]])
* The Luminance Project ([[EMI]] Virgin)
* Gharana Aur Parampara (Gwalior Gharana) – Vol 1 ([[Prasar Bharti]] and [[Doordarshan]])
* Gharana Aur Parampara (Gwalior Gharana) – Vol 2 ([[Prasar Bharti]] and [[Doordarshan]])

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandit, Meeta}}
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian female classical singers]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Delhi]]
[[Category:Singers from Delhi]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women singers]]

Meeta Pandit - Revision history

imported>Tony1 at 02:09, 28 July 2021