The Hindu
Belgaum, Mar 13: A history is said to have been created in the field of music with the doyenne of Kirana gharana, Gangubai Hangal, giving a public concert at 94 here on Sunday.
The event, which could enter the Guinness Book of World Records, also turned out to be a public performance coinciding with the 75th anniversary of a glorious musical career of Ms. Hangal.
Renowned harmonium exponents R.K. Bijapure and Tulshidas Borkar and novelist Chandrakant Kusnoor were present.
This rare event was organised by the Belgaum-based Academy of Performing Arts to celebrate her 94th birthday and 75th anniversary of her professional career.
Sanchalak of the academy Hayavadan Joshi felicitated Ms. Hangal by presenting her with a citation in recognition of her contribution to Hindustani classical music. Mr. Kusnoor was also felicitated. The felicitation was preceded by an impressive "guruvandana" by students of T. Ravindra Sharma.
But the great mother and guru found it difficult to overcome the sorrow of the death of her daughter and able disciple, Krishna Hangal ("Kittakka"), who was always with her at every performance, giving vocal support.
She broke down and concluded her brief speech mentioning that Belgaum has been her "maternal home" and she always felt at home in this city of music lovers who were the first to honour her on every occasion. She recalled the "welcome song" she rendered in front of a galaxy of leaders at the Congress Session presided over by Mahatma Gandhi in Belgaum in 1924.
The momentous occasion arrived at 12.55 p.m. when Ms. Hangal took the audience by storm, holding them spell bound for 20 minutes. She rendered the traditional composition "ab mori baat... " in raag "shuddh sarang" and another bandish "boli na bol hamse piya... " in "bhairavi," both set to "teentaal."
The vocalist had no difficulty in establishing the mood of the raga in the typical Kirana gharana style.
As her robust voice, defying her age, scaled to notes in the upper octave (up to gandhar), a loud applause from the audience was obvious