In the late 40s, he was stricken with
tuberculosis and was told by doctors that he would never sing again. He was advised to move to the drier climate of
Dewas, Madhya Pradesh for his health. For the next six years, Gandharva endured a period of illness and silence. Doctors told him that trying to sing could be fatal and that there was little hope of recovery. Stories of Gandharva in this period depict a man lying in bed and listening to the sounds of nature around him: birds, the wind, and passing street singers. They also detail how he would hum to himself, almost inaudibly. Hess speculates that this was the beginning of Gandharva's radical new conception of the
nirguni bhajan, which celebrates a formless (
nirguna) divinity. In 1952,
streptomycin emerged as a treatment for tuberculosis, and Gandharva began to take it. Gradually, helped by excellent medical support and care from wife Bhanumati, he recovered and began singing again. However, his voice and singing style would always bear the scars of his illness: one of his lungs had been rendered useless, so he had to adapt to singing with a single lung. His first post-recovery concert took place in 1953. The illness greatly affected Gandharva's singing in later years – he was to be known for powerful short phrases and his very high voice. Gandharva also experimented with other forms of singing such as
Nirguni bhajans (
devotional songs),
folk songs, and with both
ragas and presentation, often going from fast to slow compositions in the same raga. He is remembered for his great legacy of
innovation, questioning tradition without rejecting it outright, resulting in music in touch with the roots of
Indian culture, especially the folk music of
Madhya Pradesh. His innovative approach towards music led to the creation of new ragas from combinations of older ragas. His style of singing attracted considerable controversy. Veteran singer
Mogubai Kurdikar did not consider his
vilambit (slow tempo) singing interesting and his own teacher, Deodhar, criticized some aspects of Gandharva's singing, but their relationship was strained from the 1940s when Gandharva married Bhanumati. According to Pandharinath Kolhapure's book on Gandharva, Deodhar was against the match. But, the criticism mostly centered on his vilambit gayaki. His singing in faster tempos, particularly his mastery over Madhya-laya, was widely revered.
Vasundhara Komkali, Gandharva's second wife and also his student, formed a memorable duo with him in
bhajan singing. Sometimes, she provided vocal support to his classical renditions. Their daughter, Kalapini Komkalimath, would later accompany both her parents on
tanpura. Some of Gandharva's
musical philosophy is carried forward by his son
Mukul Shivputra and daughter, as well as by students such as
Madhup Mudgal,
Vijay Sardeshmukh, and
Satyasheel Deshpande. The Kumar Gandharva Foundation (Mumbai), formed by his student Paramanand Yadav, promotes the development of
Hindustani music and
Carnatic music. Gandharva's grandson Bhuvanesh (Mukul's son) has also made a name for himself as a classical singer. For a long spell, Gandharva's activities as a musician were managed by his friend and tabla accompanist Vasant Acharekar. Acharekar was
Vasant Desai's assistant in the 1950s but later devoted himself fully to his role as an accompanist to classical singing until his death in the late 1970s. Gandharva had friendly relations with the noted Marathi literary couple
Pu La Deshpande and
Sunita Deshpande. Gandharva was a
musicologist as well. During his illness, when he was advised complete rest, he spent time
contemplating different aspects of music. He had his own thoughts about many different ragas, styles of rendition, and different types of composition. Gandharva was awarded the
Padma Bhushan in 1977 and India's second-highest civilian honour, the
Padma Vibhushan in 1990. == Personal life ==