Two aspects that strike the listener almost immediately about the artiste's voice are its rich timbre and inborn fluidity, these being qualities, which every aspiring singer strives for. Smt. Manik Bhide has been fortunate enough to be blessed with both these qualities since her childhood in Kolhapur, almost as if it was preordained that hers would be a life centered around music.

Recognizing these natural endowments, young Manik received encouragement from her parents to learn classical music and so it was with the late Shri Madhukarrao Sadolikar that Smt. Manik Bhide began her career. Her exposure was to the Jaipur school because her teacher had himself been taught by Ustad Manji Khan and Ustad Bhurji Khan, both sons of the illustrious Ustad Alladiya Khan who was the founder of this gharana.

After her marriage to the young scientist, Shri Govind Bhide, Smt. Manik Bhide moved to Bombay where in course of time she met Smt. Kishori Amonkar and with whom she learn for 15 years, gaining a broad understanding of the Jaipur gayaki.

Smt. Manik Bhide career stretches back more than 25 years. In this period she has performed at all important classical music centers in the country. She is also a popular artiste over Akashwani.

Next to performing their art, what most artistes cherish is teaching, for the gift of music must be passed on. Not only is there much personal satisfaction derived from it, but more importantly, in balance is the survival of a parampara. So like many experienced artistes Smt. Manik Bhide she has taught a number of students and continues to do so to this day.

Of the lot she has trained, it must be especially gratifying for Smt. Manik Bhide to see her own daughter, Ashwii Bhide Deshpande, rising to prominence at a relatively young age. Through her daughter's achievements, there is also the added assurance that the sanctity of her parampara will be preserved so that yet another generation of performers may benefit from it.

The Nayaki Kanada on side one opens with a Madhya laya khayal in taal Roopak. This raga bears the Kanada ang stamp in that the nishad-pancham union is prominent. The approach to komal gandhar in avroha is also vakra.

Like other Kanada ang associates, this raga too offers much scope for swar-vistaar and the artiste expertly displays her abilities in this sphere by employing various note patterns and by moving about in different registers with great facility. The chhota khayal of the Nayaki swings to the Jaipur idiom. Fast tans, skilled layakari and mastery over swar. All these key inputs are noticeable in the artiste's performance.

On Side Two the Bihag is unfolded commencing with a vilambit khayal in teentaal. The raga is Auduva - Sampoorna as it leaves out the rishab and shaivat notes in the ascending scale and takes in all seven notes of the saptak in the descending scale.

The presence of the Bihag is instantly perceived through the prominence given to the vadi note gandhar, the nishad and the natural madhyam. The raised variety of the madhyam is also limitedly used in descending patterns.

By the shift of the sam note from the low register nishad in the vilambit to the upper shadja in the drut, the artiste is able to explore note patterns in fresh territory before concluding the raga.