Biography

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. Sulashree Pratishthan (Pune) awarded him a three-year scholarship (1986-88) to pursue Hindustani classical music. In 1987, he received the Late Yeshwantrai Purohit Award from the Vile Parle Music Circle, Mumbai. In 1989, the Maharshi Gandharva Vedvishwa Vidyapeeth, New Delhi, awarded him with a gold medal. Toke’s music is a journey of spiritual exploration. The immersion is so total that for the cognoscenti it is a revelation of the sublime, while even the most casual listener cannot escape its spell, which lingers on for hours and days after the concert. As a staff artiste of AIR Ahmedabad, he often broadcasts from the station. The prestigious national platforms on which he has sung more than once include Bharat Bhavan (Bhopal), National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai), Sur-Rang Sangeet Smruti Samaroh (Mumbai), Tansen Sangeet Samaroh (Gwalior), Baba Harvallabh Sangeet Samaroh (Jalandhar), and the Saptak Festival (Ahmedabad).