Renowned Pakhawaj player of UP and Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner Dinesh Prasad has passed away. He collapsed on the stage during his performance at the Santakada Festival in Lucknow and was later declared brought dead at the hospital. On Monday, doctors at Lari Cardiology Center declared him brought dead on arrival at the hospital. On Monday, Dinesh Prasad was performing during the festival in Lucknow along with other musicians like Ilyas Hussain Khan, Ilyas Khan, Shrikant Shukla, Zeeshan and Siddiqui.
Madhavi Kukreja, the organizer of the festival, saw him fall before her. He told that Dinesh Prasad stopped playing Pakhawaj for a few minutes during the performance, but resumed later. He felt some uneasiness. He asked for a glass of water. But within a few moments he fell on the stage. The incident happened around 3 o’clock. Madhavi and her team took him to the Lari Cardiology Center where doctors declared him brought dead.
Born in Mathura in 1956, Dinesh Prasad belonged to the Mathura Gharana of Pakhawaj players and learned the art from his father, Babulalji. After working in the Kathak Center of UP Sangeet Natak Akademi, he moved to Lucknow in 1989, from where he retired in 2014. Dinesh Prasad was also honored with the prestigious UPSNA Award in 2005 for his work as a Pakhawaj player and promotion of Pakhawaj playing.
Dinesh Prasad is survived by his wife Kamlesh, three daughters, Nidhi, Shruti, Ruchi and son Piyush. His son Piyush said that my father was a heart patient. He had suffered a heart attack earlier as well, but his health was stable. The whole family is in shock. He got ready and went to the program in the morning and had also rehearsed a day before.