Deo pays tribute of prize money to Kale

In a tribute to recently deceased legendary music composer Shriniwas Khale, noted Marathi composer and recipient of this years Lata Mangeshkar award from the Maharashtra government, Yashwant Deo, has decided to hand over the Rs. 2 lakh prize money to the family of the veteran composer.

Deo made the announcement after receiving the award from Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan here last night. The award function was organised by the state cultural department.

Deo learned music from his father, spending his early years in Pen and Nagpur before settling in Dadar. A physics graduate, he joined All India Radio as a sitar player where his job also involved checking if poems or songs were music worthy.

He is known for his compositions in Bhav Geet, a semi-classical form where poems are composed to music. He has composed music for more than 40 Marathi plays and films, including 'Saaz', which was loosely based on the lives of sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosale.