Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar was born at Kurundwad in Maharashtra in the year 1872 in a family of Kirtankars. Vishnu could not continue his studies due to an accident which affected his eyesight and so he applied himself to the study of music. Under the patronage of the Chief of Miraj he studied the art under the late Pandit Balkrishnabuwa Ichalkarnjikar After 12 years of music study at Miraj, Vishnu Digambar toured far and wide in the country, and coming to Lahore decided to make it his "Karma Bhoomi", subsequentlylaunching there his Gandharva Mahavidyalaya on the 5th of May 1901.

Musicians and musicologists were notheld in high esteem in society in those days; but Vishnu Digambar was able to dispel the prevalent prejudice by his own personal example. He realised that all great art had to draw its inspiration from contemporary life and bereft of its social values it was like pioneer and a revolutionary both in his outlook and methods. A system ofrotation was evolved by him for the Indian Music, and he later published a large number of text books for the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Panditji came in close contact with the National Leaders such as Lala Lajpat Rai, Lokmanya Tilak, and Mahatma Gandhi and was able to enlist their support for his own cause,- the regeneration of Indian Music.

He used to attend the Sessions of the Indian Natinal Congress and rouse the audience by the power of his musical appeal. He excelled the devotional music and gave to the Bhajan "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram", its present musical content.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India