He was once pitched as one of India’s potential classical music stars. But Kumar Gandharva’s son has now been found suffering from depression and crooning for booze. Classical singer Mukul Shivputra, 54, was spotted sitting on the road outside a temple, begging for money so that he could buy his next drink.
On May 7, Mukul Shivputra, unwashed and dishevelled, was seen begging for money to buy booze outside a Sai Baba temple in Bhopal. When a passerby recognised him, he managed to flee the spot and remained untraced for the next five days. Soon after hearing the news, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan asked the culture department and the police to locate the singer.
Mukul Shivputra – Bageshree – Gunth Lao Malaniya : (Download)
Mukul Shivputra – Bihagda – Mandarwa Me Ab : (Download)
For five days, culture department officials and the cops searched for Mukul at several places, including temples in Bhopal. A team was rushed to Dewas, near Indore, where Mukul owns a house, then Nemawar and thereafter Jalgaon. The team however, returned empty handed. On May 12, a journalist saw him at the Hoshangabad railway station and informed the secretary, culture department. Officials found Mukul Shivputra suffering from dehydration. When the culture department contacted the singer’s family, they refused to take him back home.
Mukul Shivputra – Patamanjiri – Sajal Naina : (Download)
Mukul Shivputra – Shukla Bilawal – Laita Jaiyo : (Download)
“He isn’t begging because he is poor. He’s mentally unstable“, said a Bhopal based family source. “Having gone through a lot of mental stress, he took to alcohol and drugs. Mysterious disappearances have been quite normal with him. His family members parted ways with him because he splurged on drugs and alcohol even using debit and credit cards“.
Source : The Times of India, 15th May, 2009.
indianraga
Indian Raga 
sydhwaney@gmail.com said,
May 16, 2009 at 3:42 am
Dear Guptaji
This story has really upset me. But I am glad that the Government is at least trying to find him. I heard that he was found at the station and taken to a Nursing Home from where he has escaped again. Surely a good mental physician can medicate him and give him the rest he needs and help him recover.
PS: I tried to download the songs and hear but am unable to do so. Thank you once again for bringing this story.
Kind regards Sumi
indianraga said,
May 16, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Sumi, the problem is with the bandwidth limit on the file hosting server. It’s strange but it allows only 5 persons at a time to download or listen to the songs. I hope once this post gets older, you may be able to download the songs. You may also try refreshing the page and try again.
Ram Kolhatkar said,
May 17, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Dear Guptajee, Namakar I know Shree Mukul personaly for many years.He is ill and needs rehabilitation for chronic alchoholism. We have tried many a times. But the person himself should take initiative in the processe is very important.Unfortunatly the great GAYAK is not responding is our faith.We all should pray him and all mighty for his SEHAT .Ram
indianraga said,
May 17, 2009 at 8:00 pm
@ Ram Kolhatkar
I have deep respect for all artists, classical or otherwise. Like you, we all should pray for his sound health.
divakar s natarajan said,
May 26, 2009 at 8:46 am
Thanks for a wonderful site on our magnificent musical traditions.
It is my pleasure to welcome you and your esteemed friends to http://spriteleesathya.blogspot.com/2009/05/india-must-love-mukul-shivaputra-back.html where I suggest that our singing saint’s problem must be viewed in the context of our own attitudes and near helplessness in matters of substance abuse
divakar s natarajan said,
May 26, 2009 at 9:03 am
Thanks for your brilliant site on our magnificent musical traditions. Like most music lovers, I have been concerned by our singing saint’s problem.
I have suggested that these may be considered in the background of our own attitudes and helplessness with substance abuse issues.
You and your esteemed visitors are welcome to candidly discuss these issues at Sprite Lee’s Sathya.
26 May, 2009 09:01
r k tiwari said,
May 28, 2009 at 5:50 pm
I am resident of Bhopal, i feel really great sarrow to listen about the Gandharva Putra. I hope everything will be all right very soon.
I also was looking forward to download the song from this website but unable to do so.
Sunder Singh said,
May 28, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Only yesternight I heard Bhuvanesh Komkali.
Reminded of the legendary Shivaputra Siddaramayya Komkali.
Recalled memories of Mukul Shivaputra Komkali.
Now, I can offer only tears for the one who is gone for long and another who may be going.
आर्य said,
June 25, 2009 at 1:51 pm
भारत भूमि अपनी संतानों — अच्छी व साधारण — को अपने आँचल में उत्तम स्थान दे। गुप्ता जी आपका प्रयास अच्छा है।
vaidehee said,
June 28, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Hi,
Is there anyone who can help me with the residential address / contact number of Mukul Shivputra.
Subodh said,
July 21, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Thanks for such site. We all pray for him and govt and his family should also tke care of him
Vikrant Supekar said,
July 26, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Matchless site for to keep a track of Mukul Jee.
Munna Chennai said,
December 26, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I m from a small hamlet of Nellore district of AP. I m an engineer by profession n like Indian classical music very much. Really this article has disturbed me a lot. i would hv not cn this but it happened accidentally. I ws presented with few hindusthani clasicals of Mukul ji by my co-traveller during one of my official trips. I really n’joyed listening to them. But, nw its so painful to knw abt him this way. Lets pray Almighty to divert his mind from alchohol and remind him of his committed service towards Sangeetha Saraswathy reinstating his Janma Samskar. Namasthe, Munna.
WIKRAM SANADI said,
March 6, 2010 at 11:39 am
Dear Sir
We have very few jewels in our treasury of Indian Classical Music in its pristine form and glitter. I hope we create an awareness of how we are fast losing our singers, actors and stars of other media of yore to modern day vices. The Government of Madhya Pradesh should do every thing possible in its might and muscle to rehabilitate Pandit Mukul Shivaputra and take him from his hometown Dewas near Indore to Mumbai. There are many ways we can rehabilitate the ailing singer especially when we have the likes of Goenkaji of the Vipassana Meditation Centre in Mumbai etc. Please take this as a personal request from the bottom of my soul and remind the MP Government through any form of communication. I would like to keep a trace on recent developments on his rehabilitation via email each time – please.
regards and love
from
Music Group Mumbai (MGM)
Ashwin Pundalik said,
April 6, 2010 at 12:50 pm
I am posting something really late, sorry for that. Actually I was searching for some recordings of Mukulji and I came across this post. I was very upset when I read about him last year.
Mukulji is a singer with matchless talent and divine voice. Such a talent the world might have not seen in past thousand years. He is the greatest singer not only in his generation, but in allover Parampara of Hindustani classical music. I am searching his recordings like a mad for many years . It is a divine experience to hear him live or his recording…many times his voice has brought tears in my eyes…He is the only one who is taking Kumarji’s glorious music ahead in true sense rather than just mimicking his style, like most other people do.
what I feel is this man is not only great in music but his spiritual level is far beyond this world..He is like a sadhu with ‘aasman ki chot’ as described by Kabir. Certainly, I can say that this man has seen the god, and we poor people are fortunate to feel the presence of god in his music.
May god give him a healthy and peaceful life and may he keep singing for hundreds of years…
mukesh bharti said,
November 6, 2010 at 10:38 am
गुप्ता जी!
आपने जो लिंक और बंदिश शुक्ल बिलावल के नाम से डाली है , वो वास्तव मै अल्हैया बिलाबल है, मुकुलजी इसे “कल ना पड़त और लेता जा जो मारो देई सन्देश’ को तिलक स्मारक, पुणे में गया था. कृपया सुधार कर ले..
आपका प्रयाश सराहनीय है..
धन्यवाद, शुभकामनाओं सहित
मुकेश भारती
indianraga said,
November 8, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Please ignore the error and enjoy the music. The details of all songs posted on this blog are based on the sources from these are obtained.
kamal baria said,
December 22, 2010 at 9:54 pm
I read the news in the times and felt concerned…Pt. Mukul Shivputra is a gifted singer…Just listen to his rendition of tilak kamod..my god awesome
Omkar said,
January 23, 2011 at 10:52 am
When I attended the ‘Vasantotsav’ concert at Pune on 22.01.2011, I was expecting a grand musical extravaganza. And I was not surprised to see Rahul Deshpande and Swapnil Bandodkar giving their very best. It was indeed a musical treat for a young listener like me. But,
what shook me was the failure of Pt. Mukul Shivputra to sing..!!
I could not bear the tears Rahul Deshpande had in his eyes seeing his Guru not being able to sing. I wish i could have seen a better Pt. Mukul Shivputra..!
k.k.dhadhich.chhapar. said,
January 31, 2011 at 2:32 pm
guptaji. . mukul ji ke bare me dekh ke bahut bura laga ki aisa kalakar aise galio me ghum raha tha …kk.dhadhich.chhapar.
jai said,
July 20, 2011 at 10:07 am
what an explecit talent and great artiste. divine voce and knowledge of music. few are born with this magnitude of talent ,but many die because we fail to help them. we choose to cherish the memories than to preserve it. Someone need to fix this and not look for monetary gain . please help him so we can continue to enjoy this god’s given gift and talent. Maybe we All need to pray for him. we pray for all other things and is happy when we get positive outcome. please help Now before it is too late.
ramakrishna shanbhag said,
September 27, 2011 at 3:21 pm
According to me Kumarjis music is not easy to understand and digest.It requires total devotion and very long association to follow his values.one should have analytical and comparitve nature with others singing. unless you know the voice modulation you can not sing it. Shri narayan pandit violinist mumbai(now in Karnataka). was an associate of kumarji he has totallyunderstood kumarjis music& he demonstrtes it authentically. i am lucky to be with him for 7 years now & he has composed nearly 300 new generation bandishes on the same line of guru.All are hand written only 1-2 students are able to absorb .My son Master Arpith Shanbhag is one among them.Pandithji has not permitted him to perform before BIG singers for some undisclosed reasons.
lakshmi p gohokar pune. said,
December 3, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Today with a heavy heart and great faith in the Almighty, i attended Shri Mukulji’s concert in Pune. Brilliant performance in spite of a bad throat. Nevertheless enjoyed. Pray that Mukulji gets back in his form and delights his fans and wellwishers.
Waman B.Jambekar said,
January 14, 2012 at 7:55 pm
Its really great to listen to Mukulji.He has got such a divine voice,any one can forget everything while listening ti Mukulji.He is definately undergoing a bad perioed, But Iam sure He will bounce back & become the matchless master of Hindustani Classical.We all should prey for His wellbeing
Gauri Shinde said,
February 10, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Prayers & good wishes for the great singer!!!
milind sohoni said,
March 4, 2012 at 12:41 am
recent whereabouts, anyone?
i would like to go and meet him and put my head.
send me an email at sohoni@cse.iitb.ac.in
Vijay talkhandkar said,
May 27, 2013 at 11:19 am
Thanx for providing such a precious raga
our love is with mukulji forever