The Music Room: A Memoir

by adminIndia

The Music Room: A Memoir

Namita Devidayal

Language: English

Pages: 320

ISBN: 031253664X

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


When Namita is ten years old, her mother takes her to Kennedy Bridge, a seamy neighborhood in Bombay, home to hookers and dance girls. There, in a cramped one-room apartment lives Dhondutai, the last living disciple of two of the finest Indian classical singers of the twentieth century: the legendary Alladiya Khan and the great songbird Kesarbai Kerkar. Namita begins to learn singing from Dhondutai, at first reluctantly and then, as the years pass, with growing passion. Dhondutai sees in her a second Kesarbai, but does Namita have the dedication to give herself up completely to the discipline like her teacher? Or will there always be too many late nights and cigarettes? And where do love and marriage fit into all of this?
 
A bestseller in India, where it was a literary sensation, The Music Room is a deeply moving meditation on how traditions and life lessons are passed along generations, on the sacrifices made by women through the ages, and on a largely unknown, but vital aspect of Indian life and culture that will utterly fascinate American readers.

The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India: Exploring Transgressions, Contests and Diversities (Routledge Studies in South Asian History)

Mr Todiwala's Bombay: Recipes and Memories From India

The Krishna Key

Indian Takeaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only way was by asking his brother, the maharaja, to hire Alladiya Khan as the court singer of the state. Once, he and his brother happened to be in Bombay together, and he heard that Alladiya Khan was performing somewhere. He grabbed the opportunity and took the maharaja to the concert. Not surprisingly, Shahu Maharaj fell in love with the Khansahib’s music. He felt he would be an asset to his state and invited him to be his court musician. So Alladiya Khan and his family moved to Kolhapur.

Make Dhondutai his student. But at the time, he had felt she was too young. Instead of saying ‘no’ outright, he had deflected the situation by asking for a fee that he knew was unaffordable. In those days, people had a strange way of communicating. They often spoke in riddles. Things were not to be taken at face value and life was filled with hidden meanings and cryptic messages. Above all, one had to be patient. Dhondutai described her first lessons with Bhurji Khan to me and I saw the.

Most prominent citizens of Delhi, made a trip to Lyallpur, and actually laid his turban down in front of Mushtari Begum with a plea that she leave his son for ever.’ And so she did. Like Mushtari Begum, most women enjoyed a brief burst of popularity in local circles, while they were still young, attractive, and performance-worthy. Most of them sang enough to be able to please their patrons and his friends. Some among them broke out and became legends in their time. But regardless of their.

Distant celestial beings, but little people, who needed to be bathed, dressed, loved and remembered just as one would a child or an old parent. These were her daily companions. It was now time to chant the prayers out loud, the final commemoration. Dhondutai poured oil into a little silver lamp which was waiting patiently with its wick erect. She lit the lamp, and rotated it in front of the altar while reciting her prayers. Half an hour later, we were done. As she got up slowly from the prayer.

Old palace and a smaller Bhavani temple which was used privately by the king and his select courtiers. It was a gorgeous square courtyard, under a translucent roof which let in natural light. A first-floor gallery above ran along all four sides. This was where the queens and their ladies would sit and listen to musicians and watch dancers and performers. A mammoth chandelier hung from the ceiling, swinging ever so gently, perhaps so as not to disturb the delicate cobwebs that appeared and.

Download sample

Download