COURTESAN TALES
India Today|July 10, 2023
Two recent books focus on the life histories of courtesan performers
Saba Dewan
COURTESAN TALES

SAHELA RE

By Mrinal Pande; translated by Priyanka Sarkar

HARPERCOLLINS

COURTING HINDUSTAN

The Consuming Passions of Iconic Women Performers of India

By Madhur Gupta RUPA

Highly trained, professional female singers, dancers and entertainers, called tawaifs in northern India and devadasis in the south, have disappeared from contemporary India's cultural and social life. Refracted through a prism of sexual morality, their memory lives on, however, in popular literature and films as either scheming seductresses or hapless victims in need of redemption.

Mrinal Pande's novel Sahela Re, translated into English from the Hindi original (2008) by Priyanka Sarkar, is a nostalgic search for lost histories of musicians, especially tawaifs, their patron families and the social, cultural and political context within which Hindustani music-making took place in late 19th- and early 20th-century India. Woven with multiple narratives in the form of letters, the novel is refreshingly free of the stereotypes and moral trappings that have dogged the representation of tawaifs.

The search introduces the readers to the enigmatic Anjali Bai of Anglo-Indian descent, her mother Hira Bai originally from Kumaon, their friends, the mother and daughter pair of Husna Bai and Allahrakhi Bai, and a host of other characters. Their journeys from performing in mehfils in cities like Banaras and Lucknow to making the transition, with the advent of new technologies, as gramophone artists, playback singers and radio artists makes for engaging reading.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM INDIA TODAYView all
A Looming Pilot Crisis
India Today

A Looming Pilot Crisis

With Airlines Looking To Expand Their Fleet And The Country Unable To Produce Flyers Fast Enough To Keep Up With The Escalating Demand, Indian Airlines Could Be Heading For A Pilot Shortage

time-read
6 mins  |
December 16,2024
The Gut Alarm
India Today

The Gut Alarm

New research shows how unhealthy food and lifestyle habits have damaged Indian guts, causing a raft of serious physical and mental ailments

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 16,2024
FROM CULTIVATION TO COUTURE
India Today

FROM CULTIVATION TO COUTURE

The ‘peasant’ who built a £5bn empire clothing the super-rich, Bruno Cucinelli’s clothes are now the must-haves for the royalty of Hollywood and Silicon Valley

time-read
6 mins  |
December 16,2024
A DESIGN DELIGHT
India Today

A DESIGN DELIGHT

India Today Spice gets an exclusive first look at the Volkswagen ID.4 E-SUV, months before its arrival in India.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 16,2024
THE BIG PICTURE
India Today

THE BIG PICTURE

Coming home to the movies has become easier. However, the new approach to home entertainment is much more nuanced, devoid of extra cables and a confusing tech-jungle. That’s where Optoma AZH430UST, a projector that stays so close to the wall, it’s practically a decoration, fits in. But don’t let its proximity fool you, it’s packed with features.

time-read
1 min  |
December 16,2024
HAUTE OFF THE RUNWAY
India Today

HAUTE OFF THE RUNWAY

Lakme Fashion Week presented collections from over 45 designers who explored new materials, experimented with silhouettes, and embraced sustainability with their collections. Here are some standout moments from LFW 2024.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 16,2024
THE END OF INNOCENCE
India Today

THE END OF INNOCENCE

Sudeep Chakravarti's Fallen City is an in-depth account of a double murder that shook the nation in 1978

time-read
2 mins  |
December 16,2024
The Middle PATH
India Today

The Middle PATH

Nityan Unnikrishnans latest solo show at Chatterjee Lal, Mumbai, is a depiction of our attempt to cope with the crumbling realities of our lives

time-read
2 mins  |
December 16,2024
A FIGHT TO THE FINISH
India Today

A FIGHT TO THE FINISH

In Ground Zero Bastar, the war against Maoists registers big successes in 2024, with blanket presence, tech-enabled ops and a no-holds-barred strategy

time-read
7 mins  |
December 16,2024
Naidu Says More the Merrier
India Today

Naidu Says More the Merrier

SO CONVINCED IS NAIDU THAT HE NOW WANTS TO REVERSE THE LAW: ONLY CANDIDATES WITH TWO OR MORE CHILDREN WILL BE ABLE TO FIGHT THE POLLS

time-read
3 mins  |
December 16,2024