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Born into a family steeped in music, Mahendra was initiated to the art by his father, Shri Devidas Toke, who himself was deeply influenced by Ustad Amir Khan. When Khansaheb passed away, Mahendra was still an infant. Thus, he had no direct exposure to his muse. Hence, it is remarkable that he has gone beyond mere imitation to imbibe the sonorous, contemplative quality, the subtle architectonics of sur and laya, the sense of poetic finesse, which are the essence of the Late Ustad`s gayaki. The call to music was so compelling that Mahendra abandoned his studies in electronics engineering to devote himself totally to music in 1988. Recognition had already come when, in 1985, he won the gold medal at All India Radio’s annual music contest in Pune. In 1986, he won the Ganheera Puraskar, named after the Kirana doyenne Hirabai Badodekar.
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