Hyderabad : FICCI Ladies Organisation(FLO), Hyderabad Chapter organized an interactive Workshop on Music Appreciation on “Women in Indian Music Tradition” with Vikram Lall, an award-winning architect, educator, author, and patron of the arts here in city today
Women and music have always shared a symbiotic relationship in India. The illustrate talk by Vikram Lall, a cultural theorist from Delhi presented the place of women in Indian musical traditions and the place of music in the lives of women in India.
Vikram who associated with Indian School of Business as a client representation architect did lot of research and work in Indian Art, Culture and has been a historian. While addressing an interactive session, he said “women empowered music tradition in India and music empowered women”.
The interactive session demonstrated the transformative role of women in the development of different traditions of music in India, at the same time highlighted the importance of music as medium of their own empowerment. Tracing the importance of feminine voice in history of Indian musical traditions, Vikram Lall explored the development of different musical forms such as Bhakti sangeet, Khayal, Thumri, Ghazal and Film music. In his audio-visual presentation each genre was explored through the lives of selected performers and presented it so well captivating the audience.
Women and Bhakthi tradition was originated in South India. Relious poetry was the domain of men. But, Meera Bhair broke that convention. Gandhi loved Bhajans, Many Meera Bhai songs and poetry he used to love. After Meera Bhai, the poet saint, Ms. Subba Lakshmi fulfilled the Meera’s role. Starting from Women and Bhakthi music, Vikram gave an elaborative picture how different forms of music dominated in the last hundred and fifty years of India.
He explained at length, Thumri music, the song of courtesans and interpretative dance song. Women have dominated in Thumri music. She was one of the first performers to record music on 78 rpm records in India, and released by Gramophone Company of India, he said.
Speaking further he added Gauhar Jaan sang a Khayal in Raag Jogiya and it was recorded in the year 1902 by Fred Gaisberg, an assistant to Emile Berliner, the father of Gramophone record.
The recording was done in a makeshift recording studio in two large rooms of a hotel in Kolkata, and at the end of the trial recording Gauhar Jaan announced – “My name is Gauhar Jaan”. Gauhar Jaan agreed to do the recording session for a princely sum of 3,000 rupees. By 1903, her records started appearing in Indian markets and were in great demand. He highlighted how Gauhar Jaan became an icon of Thumri Music and went on to become the highest income tax payer in Kolkata.
Then who spoke about Begum Akthar, who is also known as Bibbi, a Ghazal woman in man’s world.
She was a well known Indian singer of Ghazal and Thumri. She was a legend in her lifetime, who achieved enormous fame at a very young age and gave joy to millions of listeners of many generations, including doyens like Mehdi Hasan, Talat Mahmood, Madan Mohan, Pt. Jasraj and Pt. Ravi Shankar.
Then Vikram Lall spoke about Gharana Style music. This system of music was parked in the family it selft. This was a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style.
He talked about Hirābai Barodekar a renowned Indian Hindustāni classical music singer, of Kirana gharana. She also sang along with her younger sister, Saraswati Rane, whom she also trained, in jugalbandi style. She was known for Khayal form of music which means that interpret the bhav of raas. She subsequently became a role model for many. Many used to follow her.
Hirabai Badodekar from Maharashtra was top most artist of her time. She was expert in Khyal, Thumri and Bhajans, She said to have instrumental in popularizing Hindustani Classical Music among the masses in the country.
She was truly pioneer of concerts by women artists in India. She was the first female artist who introduced ticketed concerts in India. She was always amazingly popular on stages and her shows were jam-packed. A very fragile, honey voice, emotive factor, peaceful and exorbitant vocal clarity are her strengths. She was admired by the real class and those were mass. Her amazing rendition of ‘Taar Sa’ was very popular and became her hallmark. She made Kirana gharana more popular and rich.
Then he spoke about film music, hwo Saraswati Devi pioneered and became of the first women music director of Hindi Film. He also explained how classical, folk, theatre and Bengali Jatra, Maharashtra’s Tamasha and Utter Pradesh’s Nautanki have bonded songs and music.
And Vikram said, in those days those who looked good and sang well could only become film stars. They used practice songs for months together. They used to sing and dance together.
All the audio clips of various women singers who referred to were played for the pleasure of the audience.
When asked though women dominated music scenario in the last 100 years upto 1960s, how come we don’t have good women music director today, he replied that may be women in those days were more educated and more talented than now he said.
As a practicing architect he has designed a diverse projects ranging from urban planning to schools, housing, airports, commercial and office buildings. Several landmark buildings designed by him have got critical acclaim and have been published internationally, such as the Akshardham temple in Delhi and the Buddha Smriti Park in Patna
He was a featured expert in the BBC’s “Seven Wonders of the Buddhist World” documentary:
His projects have been extensively covered in several national and international journals.
Vikram has taught at several architectural schools of India and abroad, and continues to be a Visiting Faculty at the prestigious School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
Vikram’s passion for the conservation and promotion of India’s rich cultural heritage led to the formation of a non profit organization called SAAR, Society for Art Appreciation and Research. For SAAR, Vikram has curated concerts and given presentations on literary, artistic and musical traditions of India in India and overseas. Currently, he is directing and anchoring a television series on the history of musical traditions of India for Doordarshan, India’s National Television broadcaster.
Earlier before beginning the session, the members observed two minutes silence to show their solidarity with the victims of Paris terror attack, those died in the natural calamity that has shaken Chennai, those who lost life in bomb explosions in Beirut. Everyone one in the audience was asked to pray for peace and harmony.
Welcoming the gathering Rekha Lahoti, Chairperson of FLO Hyderabad said the 30 member, the biggest ever delegation of FLO Hyderabad would go to an interstate visit to Guwahati in December.
We will take a break from FLO activities in December and will return in new year in January for a session with Bijay Anand, the famous actor, currently playing the role of Janak in the famous serial “Siya ke Ram”. He will address us on a very different topic – Transformation of Life through Kundalini yoga, cleansing of mind and opening of chakras in the body, Rekha informed..
In February we will have much awaited discussion on online and offline retail business by the MD of Amazon and the MD of Future Group, Rekha informed.