Amongst 20th century giants of vocalism, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (born 1922) enjoys the rarest combination of popularity and stature. He has charmed three generations of music lovers with his awesome renditions of khayal, thumri, and bhajan-s in Hindi, Kannada, and Marathi. According to reliable estimates, he has probably delivered more than 10,000 concerts during his career spanning six decades, and recorded over a 100 discs. He is also the only Hindustani classical vocalist to have earned the Platinum Disc of the Gramophone Company of India (HMV).