The Godkhindis, Pt Venkatesh, Pravin and Shadaj, are probably the first family which has three generations playing the Bansuri- bamboo flute together on the stage. Pandit Venkatesh Godkhindi, the senior most flautist of Karnataka, aged 69, has been performing for the past 40 years and is the guru for his son Suramani Pravin Godkhindi. Pravin, aged 36 yrs, happens to be one of the most sought after and prolific flautists of the country. The youngest of the three, Master Shadaj Godkhindi, aged 8 yrs, is Pravin’s son. He made his stage debut at the tender age of 3 ½ years. He is fortunate to be trained by his grandfather and father. They are accompanied on the tabla by Kiran Godkhindi, elder brother of Pravin, thus making it a family affair all the way.

They have performed all over the state of Karnataka last year for a wonderful response. Some major concerts where they have performed are Mangalore, Shimoga, Hubli, Manipal and Bangalore. They also recently performed for the Ramakrishna Ashrama in Bangalore. They have released a DVD “Swar Sagar” which is a live recording of a great concert held in Mangalore’s T M A Pai auditorium. In December 2008 they were invited for a grand performance by the Qatar Kannada Koota as part of their Vishwa Kannada Sammelan.

The presentation of the concert is so unique that the music connoisseur loves the combination of the three generations, playing in tandem trying to outdo each other in a playful jest and always complimenting each other. In short, the first 3 generations of flautists of India, are indeed a treat to watch as well as hear.