Women in the field of Classical music in India
15-05-2024
Abstract
The industry of classical art and creativity in India is still a majorly male-dominated area and inclusivity is conditioned by the backing of male support. These structural inequalities are also present in the classical music industry in India and are reinforced on many levels. This essay discusses the hierarchies in this field of classical music are dominated and maintained by masculinity. Through the use of secondary data, I draw attention to how these inequalities affect women’s entry/rise in the workforce of creative industry. While much of the reasons for such less participation or under-representation happen to be conventional, the continuation of this can be due to lack of challenges to such a structure for a long time. The workplace culture of the field of classical music is shaped by how well the audience can accept a particular artist. However, in today’s world, the power of social media cannot be undermined in creating a strong fanbase.
Introduction
Indian classical music, since times immemorial, is a field that has achieved high levels of appreciation as a form of art. As narrated by history, the field has seen the participation of both men and women as professionals. However, like in most other professions, there has been a high level of gender discrimination in the field. Many women performers of Indian classical art field have been unable to rise to much prominence unless backed by male support in the form of a guru especially.
Traditionally, unless a woman received guidance through the tradition of guru-shishya Parampara (the legacy of teacher and their student), they could not rise to limelight. Also, the acceptance of audience was significant and women had difficulties to win the hearts of people if they were on their own. This is true for all the areas ofIndian classical music – vocal,the field of percussion, and various instruments like sitar, flute and so on.The backing of an Ustad or a Pandit has always been playing a long way in the career of their students and the role has been of greater importance in the lives of women who wanted to excel in the field.
However, the backing of a guru was not a single necessity required by women to excel. There have been instances in which women who, in spite of being incredible performers, remained unrecognised and thus, records of whom do not exist.
Discrimination in the Field of Indian Classical Music
There have been times when even the backing or support of a guru (even if he were a family member) could not help a woman to receive or remain in limelight. Discrimination in this field includes, apart from lack of inclusivity, lesser pay and even harassment of the women on various levels and degrees. Male dominance has shaped their career graphs and the discriminations have been found from very subtle to very gross levels. Very few women could rise up the ladder and even if some had exclusive skills to excel, they had to give up their career for pressure from their families, especially from their husbands and in-laws. The example of Annapurna devi, the daughter of Ustad Allauddin Khan, can be cited to elaborate how the structural patriarchal institutions shaped the careers and lives of female performers. She was denied training because it was against the will of her in-laws (she was married to Pt. Ravi Shankar for a period of her life). However, her musical inclinations caught the attention of her father and thus, felt the need to stop denying and start offering her the training that she deserved. As per her father’s order, she chose the surbahar instead of the sitar. She received her trainings strictly within the patriarchal structures and according to the patriarchal norms(Sreeram, 2018).
The percussion industry in India also lacks female performers and the few that there are receive fame and gravitas mostly during March - the month which has International Women’s Day (8thMarch). Apart from that, they are also remembered during the times of Navaratri as the festivals celebrate the power of women or nari-shakti(Nair, 2021).
However, they receive very less encouragement through the rest of the year. Women are mostly not encouraged to be percussionists and the aspect of rhythm has always been associated with masculinity. Thus, the representation of women in this field remains very less.
The tawaif culture,or that of the courtesans, can be considered as another example in which women have been discriminated against in this field of classical art. The history of the culture of tawaifs goes back to the Mughal era and their role in the preservation of Hindustani classical music and semi-classical music can never be undenied. In the pre-colonial and the colonial era, they were regular in the courts of Nawabs in Lucknow or Zamindars in Kolkata (where they were referred to as baijis). There they were expert performers of pure classical music (like Dhrupad, Dhamar and Khayal) and also semi-classical (like Thumri, Dadra and Kajri). In this highly male-dominated field, it is significantly commendable that these women performers rose to the limelight and emerged as an elite class of performers. However, these women were not treated with respect by the society and considered pariah. In a highly male dominated field like this, the female performers had to endure disrespect and very few could struggle and prove themselves. Thus, in such a background as well, it can be noticed how the women needed to submit to the pleasure of men in order to rise in the field(Majumdar,2022).
Instances of Success
Few of the notable female performers who received wide acceptance includeGauhar Jaan, Akhtari Bai Faizabadi, Mogubai, Kurdikarand KesarbaiKekar.
Gauhar Jaan was the first recording artist in the country. Gramophones came to India in the early 1900s and she was the first artist whose singing got recorded.She was, consequently, referred to as the “Gramophone girl”. Her example is very interesting to note especially because in a field that is based on patriarchal structures, the rise of a woman as the first commercially recorded artist of the subcontinent is very commendable.Plus, her example served as an inspiration to many courtesans who started singing for records. As already mentioned, the courtesans were not very respected in the society and were looked down upon. Thus, the Union Home Ministry of India issued a notification in 1946 forbidding courtesans from singing for the All India Radio, the burgeoning aspirations came to an abrupt stop(Sangeet Sadhana, n.d.).
Akhtari Bai Faizabadi was popularly known as Begum Akhtar and received the title of Mallika-e-Ghazalb. Her mother, Mushtari Begum, was a courtesan. She was inspired by GauharJaan and was one of the first women who gave public performances. Though her married life made her encounter discouragements which initially led her to quit singing, she came back to the field breaking all barriers. She was awarded the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan award (posthumously) by the Indian government, as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music in 1972(ibid).
Apart from these few women, as already mentioned, the structural hierarchies in this cultural field always had men on top. This is more so because such structures rarely received confrontations or challenges. However, since the second half of the previous century, there have been some official efforts to make this field more inclusive. Though the pace of progress was very gradual, every little effort should be counted. For instance, in 1952, BV Keskar, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, revoked this directive and ordered that all female Muslim singers be referred to as "Begum" and all female Hindu singers as "Devi"(ibid).
Manju Mehta, the 'first woman sitar player' to win the coveted Tansen Samman in 2018, has gained prominence in recent years. She has been outspoken about the conservatism she encountered in spite of her amazing and admirable position in classical music. And in the field of classical singing, the names of Sudha Mudgal and Vidushi Kaushiki Chakrabortycan never be overlooked(Jana, 2020).
Conclusion
In the 21st century, the role of the digital media can never be undermined in building an audience. This has started to serve as a turning point in the careers of female performers who want to excel in the field of classical music. It is social media that contributed to the rise of popularity of Rasika Sekhar, a renowned female flutist. Other female instrumentalists and classical singers have started using social media as a platform to create their own audience by going beyond the traditional hierarchies.The Nandy sisters (Antara Nandy and Ankita Nandy) have becomevery popular on social media and their songs are used by people to crate reels all over Instagram and Youtube.
The trend has become fiercer since the pandemic when many have started their own YouTube channels and Instagram and Facebook accounts and monetising their talent and also building a fanbase. The power of social media cannot be overlooked and the female performers in Indian classical music who want to excel in the field and become singers or musicians, in today’s world, have started building their own narrative by establishing themselves as performers.
References
Author Bio
Ms. Barsha Chattaraj has graduated in Political Science (M.A. and Hons.) from University of Calcutta, Scottish Church College, Calcutta, respectively. Her research interests are in the area of gender studies, particularly gendered politics through violence and everyday life of marginalized and vulnerable communities. She has been a part of an MPI project as a Research Assistant. She is also independently working as a researcher in Gender politics. Previously, she worked as a digital content creator and digital journalist at various organizations including Opoyi, The Rising Youth.
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