Women from Kolkata
12 Tuesday Mar 2013
Editor’s note: As part of Margazhi.org’s March tribute to women in the performing arts, we are happy to share content contributed by our patrons and subscribers and writers. In this series, we are happy to present the first – an article by Dr.Nita Vidyarthi – who has written a tribute to some of the Kolkatta women who have left an indelible mark in the minds of connoisseurs. Read on and let us know if you have similar thoughts to share or women that you would like to pay tribute to. Mail us at editor@margazhi.org.
Author: Nita Vidyarthi; Image Courtesy: tamilnation.com, songbird.me,eadt.co.uk; chandrakantha.com
The contribution of women of Kolkata in Classical Music and Dance has long been a matter of pride for the country. Many have by now become history, but the memories of its glorious past linger in the minds of not only the audience but also of practitioners, teachers, scholars and the common man and some vestiges of its achievements can still be witnessed.
The dancers and Baijis many of whom moved down from the North, settled around the Bow Bazaar area possessed a treasure trove of music and dance. The first to be mentioned is the legendary Gauhar Jaan, (26 June 1873-17January 1930), a premier vocalist in Kolkata in the musical world of 1890-1910 and also a Kathak dancer , a disciple of the legendary Bindadin Maharaj.
Frederick William Gainsberg of The Gramaphone Company, established in 1898 came down from England to record her singing in the “First dancing Girl, Calcutta”. The label First indicated not only her elevated position but the her pioneering art of mastering the technique of condensing the performance of elaborate melody of the Hindustani Classical music in just 3 ½ minutes, thus becoming a role model to the vocalists of future. India’s first disc, 78 rpm. had Gauhar singing a Khayal in raag Jogiya recorded in November 2, 1902 in a makeshift recording studio in a 2-roomed hotel in Kolkata with a princely amount of Rs3000. That one bold step changed the face of Indian Classical music! She ruled the world of Indian music and popularised light Hindustani classicals, “Kachha Gana” through her about 600 records ,composed Ghazals and could sing in 10 different languages including French, English, Persian Arabic and Pushto. So her training and style reached out to a wider range of audience. This was remarkable as several Ustads those days ignored the recording medium completely and Gauhar recorded the music taught to her by her Ustads .This helped in racing the development of Indian Classical music and preserving our musical tradition of at least 3-4 generations preceding her own! These were the glorious days of musical history shared by other women singers of raga-based songs from stage , Harimoti, Sushila, and the acclaimed Binodini Dasi (1863-1942) whose contribution to the success and development of Bengali Classical songs were immense, the most important being their communication with the connoisseurs as well as the lay audience.
The early nineties saw Dipali Nag and Malabika Kanan , vocalists of rarity contributing not only with their teaching and performances but by helping students to gain a footing in the field. Sandya Mukherjee , the President of the West Bengal State Music Academy a distinguished , vocalist along with member- Secretary Malabasree Das with Kaushiki Banerjee organise regular training, workshops, competitions, performances including the prestigious annual Uday Shankar Dance Festival inviting dancers from home and abroad, thus giving an opportunity of learning, educating and entertaining.
ITC Sangeet Research Academy boasts of Gurus like Vidushi Girija Devi, Subhra Guha and Kaushiki Chakravarty Desikan to train scholars many free of costs and conducts short term music appreciation courses, also free. The internationally renowed veteran Sitarist Joya Biswas, a disciple of the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar , dissipated her knowledge through performances and teaching . Bengals’s own Bishnupur Gharana, has really no female vocalist but a young sitarist Mita Nag, daughter and disciple of the distinguished Monilal Nag in the male-dominated domain propagating the nuances of this rare Gharana. Rupasree Bhattacharya is the only female Harmonium player an accomplished vocalist too who have accompanied the top musicians of the Hindustani classical music. Acclaimed Singer Riddhi Bandopadyaya ‘s endeavour of collecting , documenting and performing the songs of the Baijis of Bengal is a path-breaking effort of preserving and enriching the field of classical/semi-classical vocal music. And then there is 27 year-old Rimpa Shiva one of the few female tabla-players of the Farukhabad style ,known for her incredible speed and control, an idol for women wanting to break the preconception that tabla is the male -dominated instrument. Singer Sanchaita Chaudhuri’s effort of helping needy students of Classical music under the banner of “Guru Parampara” cannot be overlooked.
In the field of dance, the distinguished Manipuri singer and dancer Guru Kalavati Devi is reworking and salvaging the songs of Raas-leela and documenting some of the lost dance movements together with her daughter Bimbavati. Guru Dr. Thankamani Kutty too not only trains but provides necessary back-up to stage their skills and be self sufficient. Her Classical Performing Arts Research Centre is providing a platform and elevating the status of Classical Music and Dance. Kathak danseuse Chetna Jalan offers dancers to stage their skills with free facilities of light and sound in her Padatik Buildwell Theatre together with a small Honorarium for them every Friday evening. Oindrilla Dutt through her organisation Open Doors had promoted many a great dancer and singer like Priti Patel, Sharmila Biswas , Chitresh Das, Vani Jayaram and others thus giving Calcuttans an opportunity to watch and appreciate master performances. Then there is Darshan Shah of Weavers Studio for the Arts who has great strategies to present and elevate the classical arts by organising shows both for the common public and niche audience.
The city has lots of them !
Effort comes in all cases, directly from those trained performing artists , practitioners, teachers, the promoters of arts, those who help or sponsor them to perform and the audience or listeners not to forget the critics and the media and almost all of them being women an image of “Stree-Shakti”.