About the Book

THE FIRST-EVER PORTRAIT OF ONE OF THE GREATEST VOCALISTS OF HINDUSTANI CLASSICAL MUSIC—GANGUBAI HANGAL.
Most tea stalls had gramophone players. Men with endless cups of hot tea listening to the music spooling out from the enigmatic gadget was a common sight. Women stood at windows or at the doorsteps of their homes on muddy streets, hoping that the wind would blow in their direction and shower them with some exquisite music too. For Gangu, it was sheer joy to run from one tea stall to the other. She would invariably plead with the shopkeepers to play Zohrabai’s record. “What will you sing for us if we play the record for you?” they would fondly ask this little enthusiast. Gangu had learnt a few songs from her mother and she would instantly offer to sing for them. The shopkeepers were only too happy to oblige the endearing Gangu.

Gangubai Hangal is among the greatest Hindustani classical music vocalists of India. She was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, given a state funeral, memorialised on a stamp and there are concerts in her memory to this day.
Born in 1913 in Dharwad into a family with a rich musical tradition, young Gangu’s interest in music was piqued by many things, not least by the magical new technology that was the gramophone. But her life and her artistic journey truly began when she became a disciple of Sawai Gandharva at the age of seventeen. By taking refuge in her guru, Gangubai was able to distance herself from the devadasi community to which she belonged, and move on to the concert stage, radio and recording studios. In many ways, Gangubai’s life ran parallel to the journey of India itself. From being inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to being part of the changing landscape of Indian music, hers was a life poised between the riches of tradition and the promise of modernity.
A Life in Three Octaves is an intimate, warm-hearted account of a remarkable human being and an extraordinary artiste whose music held many polarities in tension—tradition and innovation, system and originality, the personal and impersonal.

About the Author

Deepa Ganesh is a writer and journalist who was Deputy Editor, The Hindu for two decades. Currently, she works with RV University, serving as Professor, Executive Director of the University’s Centre for Visual and Performing Arts. She has great interest in literature, languages, music and theatre, and was the editor of Sahitya Akademi’s magazine Aniketana for three years. She is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi’s Translation Award.