Swami Vallabhadasa
(1904-1972)
About Vallabhadasa
These recordings of Swami Vallabhadasa were made in Thailand in the 1960s. Harmonium support is provided by “Bhagatji,” a blind musician who used to accompany, among others, Omkarnath Thakur. He is accompanied on the tabla by Swami Hari Prasadji who runs a Gurukul in Pardi, Valsad.
From Sangeetagyon ke Samsmaran (1956, Sangeet Natak Akademi) by Vilayat Hussain Khan ‘Pranpiya’:
Swami Vallabhdasa was affiliated to the Swaminarayan Temple in Ahmedabad. For 15 years he traveled to Baroda to take tAleem from Ata Hussain Khan. His hard work has borne fruit and today he is counted among the finest vocalists of India… His outstanding trait is that all the money he earns from music goes into the support and propagation of our musical heritage. Swamiji has established the Shree Vallabh Ashram in Bombay, the expense for which was to the tune of one lakh rupees. The inaugural ceremony in 1950 was graced by Faiyyaz Khan and a number of eminent musicians. Faiyyaz Khansahib, Swamiji and myself sang at the day’s mehfil. This was the last performance of Faiyyaz Khan for he passed away a few days later. Swamiji had also received taleem from Faiyyaz Khansahib. He has now taken up residence in Bombay.