Zohrabai ambalewali biography books

I have a fascination for novels and films where a stately home is witness to the many happenings. That partly accounts for my love of Wodehouse &#; Blandings, Brinkley Manor, Belpher Castle, Rowcester Abbey &#; so many of these high-sounding names dominate his works and lend colour to the stories. I must however add that I am no fan of the series Downton Abbey, which I found terrible.

And then there is my other side &#; a huge love for tragic stories set in large homes &#; Wuthering Heights, The Last of Uptake, Jane Eyre, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, Rebecca&#; and in this category I also place the wonderful film Jalsaghar made by Satyajit Ray, based on a short story by Tarashankar Bandopadhyay. Chhabi Biswas is just superb as the ageing zamindar Bishwambar Roy. The venue that is witness to the entire proceedings of the film is the Music Room (Jalsa Ghar), which strangely enough, was not shot on location at the Nimtita Rajbari  that provides such a perfect backdrop for the rest of the scenes. The music room alone was set in a studio.

What can I say about a film that has Begum Akhtar singing, Waheed Khan singing, both of them appearing live, and the music provided by Vilayat Khan! But to me the highpoint is the eight minutes of high intensity Kathak performed by Roshan Kumari, the great dancer, who also happens to be the daughter of the early playback singer and actress Zohrabai Ambalewali. It provides the perfect build up to the climax, which after the spectacular performance, is set in relative silence.

I do know that Roshan Kumari was and is considered a front-ranking exponent of Kathak but I am surprised that such a dancer was not more in the forefront when it came to performances. What agility and what grace!

I keep going back to YouTube to see this repeatedly and so share it with you all so that you can also enjoy. By repeatedly seeing it I have detected some continuity issues in the shoot and I am sure a master like Ray must have pounced on them but let go

Lata Mangeshkar has had a state funeral and two days of national mourn­ing. People are truly shocked. Even though she lived to 92, Lataji was so much part of our lives, someone whose national status in India was unquestioned, that her loss is felt personally, even among the millions who didn’t know her. She was an iconic figure, instantly recognisable—ironically for some­one who was seen on film only decades earlier—but was the voice for many of the great Hindi film heroines, the nation and all of us as individuals.

Before the last rites were performed, many have said, on social media and in ‘print’, that they didn’t like her; that her singing had ‘gone off’; that she was rightwing, imperious and crushed the careers of others. Please. This is not the time to speak ill of the dead, but it is when we should reflect on why she touched the lives of so many people so deeply. Snide remarks have been made about her personal relationships, but she always maintained a dignified silence unlike some of her companions.

I didn’t know her well and I can’t write about Lataji as a person, though people whose opinion I esteem were very fond of her. Yashji (film director Yash Chopra) always called her “didi” and they had decades of friendship and memories to share. I met Lataji a few times and she was always very friendly, though I suspect that may be because she found my fandom and stuttering Hindi memorable. She was like a small bird, bright-eyed in a simple white cotton sari, with dazzling diamonds.

The film industry was a difficult place for women in the early days as even the public regarded it as disreputable (think of Guru Dutt’s Kaagaz Ke Phool, ). The more I hear of Lataji’s life story, the more interesting I find it. She has been attacked for her Brahminical behaviour, even though her maternal line was from the Gomantak Maratha Samaj, a Bahujan community which includes devadasis. The caste component of the film industry is rarely i

There are very few artists who never lose shine in the treasured legacy of memorable contributions. Zohrabai Ambalewali from the Ambala district of Punjab (British India) was a melody queen who mesmerised the ear-sense of masses with her soul-stirring, unforgettable masterpieces like &#;Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi, Jawani Beet Jayegi,&#; &#;Akhiyan Milake Jiya Bharmaake, Chale Nahin Jana,&#; &#;Gori Chali Piya Ke Des,&#; and numerous other musical milestones. It was the time when dense female voices with a deep nasal touch were encouraged in the sub-continental, male-populated music industry.

In those decades of the s and s when having a name, voice and identity was an act of rebellion among women in domestic margins Zohrabai Ambalewali embodied their delicate emotions, sensitivity, desires and hopes as a playback and semi-classical singer through a variety of songs in her liberating bravura. Zoharbai sang in pole position of the musical resurgence that broke the discriminatory walls between artsy courtesan culture and the &#;noble-women trope,&#; by uniting female singers on an equal podium.

It was the era when women from revered dynasties started adoring the aesthetic charm of the super-talented female artisans who were often linked to the &#;Baiji,&#; tradition of &#;Nautch-Girls,&#; that celebrated classical women entertainers in royal merriments of kings and Zamindars. Crossing the social stigmas and alleged moral bars, Zohrabai Ambalewali secured her place in the very first row of successful commercial playback singers with copious stunning melodious pearls that shocked the prejudiced edges.

From the Gramophone Record Company to the All India Radio

Born in Ambala in , Zohra Khatoon wasblessed enoughto grow up in a culturally prosperous household of great artisans. At the tender age of playing with dolls, she used to mumble songs. Under the guidance of her maternal grandfather who recognised her talent in the initial phase, Zohrajaan receive

I welcome the readers to the second and final part of the series. Today we will have a look at the duets and other songs by Amirbai Karnataki. Majority of the songs on the list are duets.
Before we go to the song list, let me tell you about the tragedy in Amirbai&#;s life.

She was a renowned singer and actress of her times and was on the top of her career. But her married life was not a happy one. I could not get the year of her marriage, it could be around late s or early 50s. She was married to an actor, called Himalaywala. He used to perform villainous roles in films, or so has been mentioned on some of the sites. Whatever it may be, he certainly was a villain for Amirbai. His career wasn&#;t successful, and he was a rotten brute. He was an alcoholic and a gambler. For him his wife was just a money making machine. He used to spend all of her money on his addictions. He started beating her up in the later years and Amirbai must have had a hard time adjusting to such abusive husband. She continued her acting career throughout thes. It is said that she had to bear the pain with a smile on her face for the films, and it was a very difficult time in her life.
When she finally gathered her courage, she decided to leave her home and go for a divorce. He demanded money and her car. In the end he cheated on her and ran away with her money and car without singing the divorce papers. A so called well wisher of her&#;s offered help, but actually forged her husband&#;s signature on the divorce papers. The matter got more complicated, but she finally got out of the marriage. She was very much shattered with all she had to face. She went into oblivion for a few years. Later, she married Badri Kanchwala, who was a journalist and the marriage continued without any complications.

It is said that Amirbai built a theatre, &#;Amir Talkies&#; in Bijapur, that&#;s still running strong. It was very unfortunate that even a singer of her calibre and reputation had to put up with