Gangubai Hangal

A powerfull voice which spelt magic for almost 75 years was none other tha than our great Dr GanguBai Hangal. Hers was a life full of struggles.

Since childhood she had to struggle on daily basis.

As a girl she must have felt bad at her heart when fellow ow neighbours commented over her ancestry, her vocation etc etc. She later told someone who wrote her biographical work that she used feel very bad when she traveled 30 Km by train to go to home of her guru Sawai Gandharv to learn and on the way people commented and crowded to see se a “Ganewali”.

What would have been the mental state of a child who wanted to learn music but people were just commenting com on her as “GANEWALI”. In n those times singing was not considered a good profession. On the other hand people of higher caste used to keep a lady belonging to a community who was considered as low caste. They lived with these ladies and several children were born but they did not own these ladies or their biological children. These men were from upper caste, were married and had their ow own families. Despite of all they exploited these ladies, ladies Owing to a “tradition” or prevalent social custom mostly suiting su to these men.

But with a great determination and hard struggle She and her mother achieved a great success. It is written that her mother AmbaBai, who was a singer stoped singing Carnatic music when she learnt that her daughter GanguBai has liking to Hindustani. Mother then arranged lessons for Hindustani. Thus the mother sacrificed her singing lest her singing may influence the young GanguBai, who has started leaning Hindustani.

H Both these ladies had to manage their livelihood and and keeping a TRADITION of Music alive,

They had to keep PURITY of Music- Ragas etc. Thus with a great struggle GanguBai achieved a Name for herself.

When she Sang in hall L7, IIT Kanpur it was a great moment for me to be there, and to witness her singing on the stage. Later Back Stage I touched her feet for blessings and told her that I am a student of Kathak, She told oh good but, I stop learning Dance as her mother or someone said Dancing may disturb her vocals. Had She been a Boy she could have lived with her GURU Sawai Gandharv as Pt BhimSen Joshi was doing. She was a girl she could not do that thus she had to travel 30 Km by train and then go walking to her guru’s home just to learn music for one or two hours. It was her passion for music that drove her or kept her overcoming all the hazards of journey.

She Died on 21 July 2009. Thus in this month of July we remember her.

Her simplicity is still remembered by most of the people of her time. Here in these photos you can see her with all time greats.

HiraBai Bordekar, Ravishankar, Kishan Maharaj, Pt BhimSen Joshi, Mallikarjun Mansoor.

Pt Jasraj and the below is the picture of humility a great voicethe Saraswati of India, Lata Mangeskar bowing at the feet of a great doyen of Classical Music Smt GANGUBAI HANGAL. As the Great MS has one favorite that was her daughter Radha. Smt GanguBai also had star of her eyes that was Smt Krishna. Almost every concert Smt Krishna used to accompany her mother. She was also picture of simplicity. But She died at age of 75 and her death traumatized Smt GanguBai ji. But she carried on with her life till her death at age of 96(97)