The passing of celebrated Indian classical singer Pandit Yashpaul on July 3, 2023, on Guru Purnima left his students and admirers in sadness. Born on March 22, 1937, he was a member of the Agra Gharana, and was trained by Vilayat Hussain Khan and Yunus Hussain Khan. He composed many pieces of music under his pen name ‘Sagun Piya’ and was a founder member of the music department at the Panjab University. He was the recipient of the National Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the Punjab State Award.
Prof Harvinder Kaur, who had been a student of Pt Yashpaul since 1987, expressed her sadness at the loss of her guru. She spoke of his great talent and said that to understand the depth of his knowledge, one had to be well-versed in classical music. He had been trained by Chhote Ghulam Ali Khan and his music had a distinct Punjabi trait due to his influence by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Neelam Paul, chairperson of the Music Department at the Panjab University, remembered her early days when she was an assistant professor and was told by her teacher, Ustad Aqeel Ahmed, that Pt Yashpaul was also a disciple of the Agra Gharana and could be trained under him.
Kashish Mittal, who had
