Dr. Lalit B Varma, Coordinator at the Bhavan's Cultural Centre, Andheri passed away on 9th February 2019. He was 75. Born on 20th May 1944 at Amraili, Saurashtra, Lalit Varma took his degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai. He left his job in a multinational firm to pursue his passion for music and joined Bhavan. He received his basic education in music from his father Babulal Varma who was a court musician of the Maharaja of Baroda. Lalit Varma was a musician who belonged to the famous Gharana of Ustad Maula Baksh Khan Saheb - inventor of Music Notation system in India. He also received training under Ustad Rais Khan Saheb, an exponent of Sitar. As founder of Lalit Kala Mandir he held poetry sessions for new talents, for four decades. He wrote poems in Hindi and Gujarati. As an accomplished Harmonium player he had accompanied renowned vocalists such as late Pt. Vinayak Rao Patwardhan, Pt. Maniramji, Pt. Pratap Narayanji, Late Pt. Deodarji, Late U. Khadim Hussain Khan Saheb; Smt. Lalith Rao; Pt. Mani Prasad and many others. He also served as Hon. Secretary of Music Foundation. In 2018, the Hindustan Art & Music Society conferred Hon. Doctorate to Varmaji in recognition of his contributions in the field of literature, music and culture.
He was a workaholic, and he passed away while working in his office.
|
