Here comes Gauhar Jaan

Indian history is replete with tales of valour, sacrifice and tragic endings. The world of art and music too has its fair share of stories- some, which we know, and others, which need to be told.

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The life of acclaimed, much ahead of her time, Gauhar Jaan is one such story. Vikram Sampath’s meticulously and heart warming researched book, My Name is Gauhar Jaan has immortalised this beautiful and talented singer’s life which has now, rightfully so, caught the attention of those in the world of theatre and drama.

The much acclaimed play, Gauhar Jaan has won critical acclaim and will be staged in Chandigarh, under the auspices of the Durga Das Foundation on April 10 at the Tagore Theatre.

Gauhar Jaan, who was one of the most flamboyant, feisty and news making artiste of her time, with her photograph on match boxes and post cards, unfortunately went into oblivion. To her goes the credit of being the first Indian and woman to record on the gramophone. Born Eileen Angelina Yeoward in Azamgarh, in what was then the United Provinces, in 1873, Gauhar was a woman of exceptional beauty, talent and grace. She symbolised the secular ethos that Indian classical music is known for—her grandmother was Hindu, grandfather British and father Armenian Christian. She embraced Islam and remained a devout Muslim all her life, though most of her compositions were replete with Krishna bhakti.

In the culturally vibrant atmosphere of Benaras, Gauhar’s innate talents in music, dance and poetry blossomed as she moved from Benaras to Calcutta to establish herself in the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. She and her mother were counted as among the most famous baijis of Calcutta. In 1902, Frederick William Gaisberg, the Gramophone Company’s first India agent, chose Gauhar as the first Indian artiste to record.

In her illustrious career, Gauhar recorded close to 600 records in over 10 languages. Her repertoire was vast and ranged from the weighty khayal and dhrupad to the supposedly lighter forms of thumri, dadra, kajri, hori, chaiti and bhajan.

The historic play, titled, Gauhar Jaan has a powerful star cast that does justice to her amazing life. Enacted by the versatile Rajeshwari Sachdeva, who plays the younger protagonist while well-known Sufi singer Zila Khan plays the older one. Denzil Smith and Anuj Gunwara, acclaimed theatre artistes from Mumbai, are the male leads.

Sponsored by The Tribune, play’s limited invites are available at the Nehru Bhavan, Sector 24, Chandigarh, on a first come first serve basis. —TNS