B'lore: Yeddy to Name Music & Fine Arts University after Gangubai
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jul 22: Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has announced that the proposed university for music and fine arts being set up in the state will be named after renowned Hindustani vocalist Gangubai Hanagal, who passed away this morning.
As a mark of respect to the celebrated Hindustani vocalist, who had earned national and international name and fame for her accomplishments, the government would be installing a statue in Hubli city, the chief minister said while participating in the discussion on the condolence resolution moved by speaker Jagadish Shettar in the state assembly on Tuesday.
The state government has declared a two-day mourning and the legislature adjourned the day’s sitting without transacting any business after unanimously adopting the condolence resolution, in which members cutting across party lines paid lavish tributes to the deceased Hindustani vocalist.
With the last rites of the renowned singer scheduled to take place in her native place of Hubli on Wednesday, the chief minister said the government would offer full state honours. Schools and colleges as well as government offices in the entire Dharwad district have been given holiday for two days on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said Gangubai Hangal, who represented the voice of tradition by capturing the essence of Hindustan classical music and upholding the legacy of the Kirana Gharana, was member of the Legislative Council from 1990 to 1996. Former Chief Minister Veerendra Patil nominated the musician to the Upper House.
Born in a remote village Hanagal in Dharwad district, Dr Hanagal scripted an incredible saga of struggle to reach the pinnacle of a musical career. She had bagged the country’s most coveted awards including Padma Vibushan, Padma Bhushan, Tansen Award, Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Akademi Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Chief Minister said.
The musician staged programmes with noted musicians such as Bhimsen Joshi and Mallikajun Mansur. The Chief Minister termed the demise of Dr Hanagal as a great loss to Hindustani classical music, particularly the Hindustani music
Jagadish Shettar recalled illustrious career of Dr. Hanagal, whose house is located in Hubli-Dharwad Central assembly constituency he represents, and said she had received seven honorary doctorates from various universities and 48 national and international awards. She served as Senate member of Karnatak University, Dharwad. She received felicitation from nine prime Ministers and five presidents.
Noting her contributions in various fields, the Speaker said she participated in the Gokak Movement, and fought for the establishment of the Karnataka High Court bench and north-west railway zone in Hubli. As mark of protest, she tendered her resignation to the Chairperson post of the Karnataka Sangeetha Natak Academy during the Gokak movement, Shettar said. (EOM)
Cutting across party-lines, members of the Legislative Assembly have urged the Centre to honour renowned Hindustani vocalist Gangubai Hanagal with the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna posthumously.
The ruling BJP, Congress and Janata Dal (Secualr) members condoled the death of the singer on Tuesday and said musician deserves the honour. Speaker Jagadish Shettar, who moved an obituary reference, said many people felt she should get the honour and expressed the hope that it would come true.
Shettar recalled his meeting with Hanagal two days ago at a hospital and said she had accepted the invitation to formally open the music school, being built on the lines of a ‘Gurukul’ by the State government at a cost of Rs five crore on a five acre land.
Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah noted towering contributions of Dr. Hanagal to the Hindustan music and said she defied caste barriers to become the voice that swept the musical landscape in a career spanning over five decades. She had displayed photographs of programmes performed both in the country and abroad at her residence and her house has become a small exhibition centre. An invocation by Dr Hanagal at the historic session of the Indian National Congress session at Belagum in 1924, which was attended by Mahatma Gandhi, had received wide appreciation. She fully devoted her life to the world of music and earned fame. She had all qualifications to honour with Bharat Ratna, Siddaramaiah said.
Revanna (JD-S) said the House should take a decision on awarding Bharat Ratna posthumously to Dr. Hanagal and forward the proposal to the Centre.
Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S Suresh Kumar said the Government would consider the members’ suggestion and added that the state was considering instituting a national award in her honour. Besides Dr. Hanagal, the Dharwad has produced several musicians noted them are Bhimsen Joshi, Basavaraj Rajguru, Kumara Gandharva, Panchakshari Gawai, and Mallikarjun Mansur, he said.
Kumar compared Dr. Hanagal to the Himalaya Mountain and said she had all facets of life and nobody can fill the space created by hear death.
Minister for Medium and Major Industries Murugesh Nirani said the music school would be inaugurated soon. A sum of Rs two crore had been sanctioned for the renovation of Dr. Hanagal’s house.
Chandrakanth Bellada (BJP) noted contributions of various musicians and said appealed to the government to implement all promises made, including establishment of the music school in Dharwad.
T.B. Jayachadra (Congress) said there were no words to explain the achievements of Dr Hanagal and welcomed the Government’s move to name the University for Music and Fine Arts, Mysore, after the singer.
B C Patil (Congress) and several other members recalled her contributions to the music. As a mark of respect to the departed soul, the House observed a minute silence. After paying condolences, the House was adjourned for a day.
Gangubai Hangal - the rising octave that transcended barriers
New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) A rebel who broke caste and gender barriers, a perfectionist and a singer par excellence - this is how Hindustani classical vocalist Gangubai Hangal will always be known to her numerous fans and fellow musicians.
The doyenne of the Kirana Gharana, who died in Karnataka's Hubli town Tuesday morning at the age of 97, had often said that she made music because she felt it was her duty to hand down her music to future generations for posterity.
"I don't think she has died, but has only stopped crooning in her melodious voice. Till recently she was singing, in spite of her old age and ill health. I don't think anybody like her will be ever born again. She was a star in the art fraternity," noted playwright U.R. Ananthamurthy told IANS.
In her musical career, Hangal was almost reborn when she lost her voice after a brief illness but returned with a new masculine one that was considered more gifted than many of her contemporaries.
"Initially, Hangal had a sweet and a high-pitched voice. But mid-career, she lost her voice after a brief illness. When she recovered, the tenor of her voice changed and it acquired a masculine timbre. She overcame the problem and continued to sing in her new androgynous voice, which was powerful than many male singers," said veteran music writer and Hindustani classical music aficionado Kuldeep Kumar.
Born on March 5, 1913, in a small town called Hangal in Dharwad district (now Haveri district) in Karnataka, Hangal was often looked down upon by her peers since her boatman-agriculturist father Chikkurao Nadiger was from the fishermen's caste.
Hangal was also ridiculed as a "gaanewali" for being one of the few women trying to breach the male-dominated world of Hindustani classical singing.
However, Hangal, whose mother Ambabai was a Carnatic musician, went on to become one of the illustrious members of the Kirana Gharana founded by Ustad Abdul Karim Khan. Other exponents like Bhimsen Joshi, Roshanara Begum (Pakistan) and Mallikarjun Mansur also belonged to the gharana.
"After an early spell of training under exponents Dattopant Desai and Krishnacharya, she learnt music for over 15 years from Sawai Gandharv," said Sanjeev Bharghava, a Delhi-based culture activist and promoter of Hindustani classical music.
As a child, she ran around the house trying to snatch bits of gramophone music being played around street corners.
"Gangubai had several odds stacked against her. But she smashed her way through them. She broke gender and caste barriers in music and should rather be described as the 'father of khayals'. The emancipation of women in Hindustani classical music began with her," added Bhargava.
Gangubai was part of a group that sang to welcome Mahatma Gandhi and other Congress leaders at the 1924 Belguam session of the Indian National Congress. She used to sing at Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and her big break came at a concert in 1933 in Bombay.
"For my first recording, when HMV invited me to Bombay, I went because they were taking care of the journey and sightseeing. Later, they gave me Rs.400 for my third recording but my family was annoyed as my name read Gandhari Hubali on the record," she wrote in her memoir "Nanna Badukina Haadu" (The Song Of My Life).
Gangubai had a great sense of humour.
In her memoir, she sums up the male domination in the field of classical singing thus: "If a male musician is a Muslim, he becomes an Ustad. If he is a Hindu, he becomes a Pandit. But women like Kesarbai and Mogubai just remain 'Bai's."
At the age of 16, Hangal married Gururao Kaulgi, a Brahmin lawyer. Her two sons were by her side when she died. Her only daughter died earlier in 2003.
Hangal succumbed to cardiac and respiratory problems, but had been suffering from bone cancer since 2001.
"I invited Gangubai Hangal to perform in Delhi in 2002 but she could not come because of the bone cancer," Bhargava said.
Hangal's last concert was held three years ago in Dharward, when she was 94. She held the audience in thrall.
"I remember sending a team of young musicians for festival to Dharwad three years ago. We requested Gangubai Hangal to bless the musicians. We also sent a team to Gangubai's home and recorded her voice," Jayant Kastuar, secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), told IANS.
According to Kastuar, Gangubai was also made a fellow of the SNA - an honour given to only 30 musicians.
"There were three qualities that set her apart - respect for music and guru, devotion, hard work and warmth," Mumbai-based Hindustani classical vocalist Padma Talwalkar told IANS on phone.
The most abiding influence in her life was her guru Sawai Gandharv. "He would teach us one note and would not go further till we mastered it. We were taught to make most of sur and made to practise for hours," Hangal had once said.
As a result, she had the ability to innovate on one raag for two-three hours at a stretch, recalls Talwalkar.
The musician was honoured with prestigious awards like the Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy Award in 1962, the Padma Bhushan in 1971, Padma Vibhushan in 2002 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1973.
Hubli: Classical Singer Gangubai Hangal Dead
IANS
Hubli, Jul 21: Hindustani music exponent Gangubai Hangal died in Karnataka's Hubli town Tuesday morning following cardiac and respiratory problems, family sources said. She was 97.
Hangal died at 7.10 a.m. at the Lifeline Emergency Care Centre in Hubli, about 480 km from here. Close family members, including her three sons and two daughters, were by her side.
Nagraj Tankasali, director of the private hospital, told IANS that the singer had died of cardiogenic pulmonary oedema.
The doyenne of the Kirana Gharana was awarded India's prestigious civilian honours of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in 1971 and 2002 respectively.