Founder

Late Pandit Vinaya Chandra Maudgalya

Multifaceted personality, renowned musicologist, performer, music educator and vaggyekara (Hindustani-composer) Pandit Vinaya Chandra Maudgalya was the Founder Principal of the 'Gandharva Mahavidyalaya' and Director of the 'Gandharva Choir'. Born on 2nd April, 1918, he had his early music training at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Lahore (now in Pakistan) and was later trained at Pune under the eminent musician, late Pandit Vinayak Rao Patwardhan, a disciple of late Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.

Pandit Maudgalya had been an advisor and music composer of songs for the 'N.C.E.R.T, a member of Board of studies, an examiner in Music at several Universities and a member of the Audition Board at 'All India Radio'. He was one of the National Conductors and a member of the Programme Advisory Committee. He was the Chairman of the 'Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai' and Director of the Saraswati Samaj, New Delhi.

He contributed articles and biographies in news-persons, magazines and journals and was a writer in the field of Indian Music; he was the associate editor of two journals "The Indian Music Journal and Sangeet Kala Vihar". His monograph "Pandit Omkar Nath Thakur" (biography) was published by the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi (1966) and the book "Sangeet Bacchon Ke liye" published by the Publications Division of the Government of India (1987). "Geet Manjari" is the collection of his over 100 selected classical compositions with notations (1990); another publication 'Gunjan' contains 20 songs on various themes to be sung by children of different age groups. His several compositions for choral singing are available in books and with the A.I.R. archives.

He made pioneering efforts for propagation of music amongst general masses. To benefit the students and scholars he had been organizing music soirees, work-shops, conferences and symposia on Indian music.

Pandit Maudgalya visited the Soviet Union as a member of the Indian Cultural Delegation in 1971 and again in 1976 at the invitation of the Department of Culture
of the U.S.S.R. where he studied the Soviet System of Music Education with special attention to choral singing from the primary to the conservatory level. He took the "Gandharva Choir" to the United States of America in 1972. "Gandharva Choir" also represented India at the International Festivals held in
Philippines (1981), Hungary and Poland (1984). Sponsored by the I.C.C.R. he conducted a lecture demonstration tour to France, Holland, Austria and U.K. in 1988 and China in July 1990.

For his contributions in various aspects of Music he won several prestigious honours: Padmashri  Award (1984), Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman (Delhi Administration) (1987), Ustad Hafiz Ali- Memorial Society Samman (1994), besides the Rotary Club Award (1993), Delhi Citizen Council Award (1990), Raja Ram Mohan Roy Teachers Award (1987) and amongst many others.