Rasoolan Bai
Encyclopedia
Rasoolan Bai was a leading India
n Hindustani classical music
vocal musician. Belonging to the Benaras gharana, she specialized in the romantic Purab Ang of the Thumri
musical genre.
Baazar, Mirzapur
, Uttar Pradesh
, in a poor family, though she inherited the musical legacy of her mother Adalat, and displayed her grasp over classical Ragas as an early age. Recognising this at the age of five, she was sent to learn music from Ustad Shambhy Khan, Ashia Kahn and Ustad Maju Khan.
. Her first performance was held in Dhananjaygarh court, after its success she started getting invitations from local Rajas of the time, thus she went on to dominated the Hindustani classical music genre for next five decades, based in Varanasi
and became the doyenne of Benaras gharana.
She used to sing on All India Radio
and Doordarshan till 1972, and her last public singing was held in Kashmir.
She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
in Hindustani music Vocal in 1957 by Sangeet Natak Akademi
, India's National Acedmy of Music, Dance and Theatre. Despite an illustrious musical career, she died in penury, running a small tea shop next to the radio station where she had often broadcasted from.
Rasoolan Bai and the tawaif
or courtesan tradition of women musicians was featured in the film The Other Song by Saba Dewan, also featuring her more famous song, “Lagat karejwa ma chot, phool gendwa na maar”, a 1935 Gramophone recording
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
vocal musician. Belonging to the Benaras gharana, she specialized in the romantic Purab Ang of the Thumri
Thumri
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music.The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects of Hindi called Poorbi and Brij Bhasha...
musical genre.
Early life
Rasoolan Bai was born in 1902 at KachhwaKachhwa
Kachhwa is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mirzapur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Kachhwa is located at . It has an average elevation of 84 metres .It is around 30 km. away from Varanasi Cantt.-Demographics:...
Baazar, Mirzapur
Mirzapur
Mirzapur is a city in the heart of North India, nearly 650 km between Delhi and Kolkata and also equidistant from Allahabad and Varanasi. Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Mirzapur has a population of a little over 205,264 and is renowned for its famous carpet and brassware industry...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, in a poor family, though she inherited the musical legacy of her mother Adalat, and displayed her grasp over classical Ragas as an early age. Recognising this at the age of five, she was sent to learn music from Ustad Shambhy Khan, Ashia Kahn and Ustad Maju Khan.
Career
Rasoolanbai became an expert in Tappa singing as well as Purab Ang, ThumriThumri
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music.The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects of Hindi called Poorbi and Brij Bhasha...
. Her first performance was held in Dhananjaygarh court, after its success she started getting invitations from local Rajas of the time, thus she went on to dominated the Hindustani classical music genre for next five decades, based in Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
and became the doyenne of Benaras gharana.
She used to sing on All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
and Doordarshan till 1972, and her last public singing was held in Kashmir.
She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
in Hindustani music Vocal in 1957 by Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
, India's National Acedmy of Music, Dance and Theatre. Despite an illustrious musical career, she died in penury, running a small tea shop next to the radio station where she had often broadcasted from.
Rasoolan Bai and the tawaif
Tawaif
A tawaif was a courtesan who catered to the nobility of South Asia, particularly during the era of the Mughal Empire.The tawaifs contributed to music, dance, theatre, film, and the Urdu literary tradition.-History:...
or courtesan tradition of women musicians was featured in the film The Other Song by Saba Dewan, also featuring her more famous song, “Lagat karejwa ma chot, phool gendwa na maar”, a 1935 Gramophone recording
External links
- Rasoolan Bai Biography and Music at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....