Kahan gaye wo log

What can I say for these photos?? it is like showing light to the SUN. She was exactly like a SUN. giving warmth and inspiration to thousands while burning herself. She needs no introduction For almost 75 years her voice spelled magic over Indian audience. She was a symbol of struggle, determination , hard work, dedication, self pride- swabhiman. without complaining to anybody.
Immortal she is- GanguBai Hangal.

Dheer Gambheer was her voice, heavy swaras, whatever she sang is now a standard for others to follow and achieve.  And she has set high standards.

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Music: Dhondutai Kulkarni (1927-2014)

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Music: Dhondutai Kulkarni (1927-2014): Dhondutai Kulkarni, the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana stalwart, refused to flow with the tide of populism, and consolidated her position...

Respected Gulab Bai ji- a diamond of Nautanki

There was a song in the film mujhe jeene do picturised on Smt Waheeda Rehman ji.

nadi nare na jao sham paiyan parun.

it was an immortal song.  Everyone must have heard it many times, but only few knew that it was a famous song sung by Smt Gulab Bai. She was a famous actor in Nautanki.
Nautanki had always been a male dominated field of art. Same was in other fields, even films were too!! remember males used to act female roles.  
Similarly in Nautanki also males dominated the scene. I had heard from my grandmother that there was a BAN on Trimohan nautanki. Trimohan was that time a famous nagada (drum) player. There was strict regulation about the timings as to when he can play his drum and when he is not allowed.
song.
At Kanpur there was a workshop, where Gulab Bai had given talk-discussion-cum workshop on Nautanki and associated Music. That time i saw her. later with time i could not pursue that field.

She came to join trimohan ji's company as singer-dancer. In those women in nautanki were considered not good. to understand one can see the film Teesri Kasam, where RajKapoor and Waheeda Rehman ji acted. She played role of a dancer of Nautanki, that was known as company. yes in those days nautanki theatre group worked as company. Even famous Begum Akhtar also worked in Theatre-but they were called as Parsi Theatre, not company or Nautanki. In Kanpur there were few famous dancer-singers of Nautanki. Gulab Bai became instant hit. Its pity that not much Audio-Visuals are available on her. Who could have imagined that one day time will change and Nautanki will fade alongwith Smt Gulab Bai. But Gulab Bai ji was made of steel character. while working in Nautanki, at a later time she raised her own Comapany. I think She would have been first women owner of a Nautanki Company. Which department collects data on such facts? Art and Culture Ministry? As it happens in every field She was also victim of back-stabbing. She suffred financial loss. But She always stood up and lived life of dignity. I think her daughter lived in Kanpur near Rail Bazar area? She even I have respect for Gulab Bai and writing for her, But never visited her home. 

Is it due to society's or peer pressure? Only rarely we used to go to city, only to catch train at Kanpur Railway station. But never could have taken a brave step to visit that area so as to meet her.

1 2 3 4 5.

History untold, re-told, historians revisiting their works

I had been ardent admirer of works of history writings. Romila Thapar is one of the famous writers on history. I had seen her talks/interview on Doordarshan. Those days only doordarshan was the medium.  So whatever was shown to us, we did try to grasp it.

Other personality who caught my attention was Smt Tara Ali Baig. One program was aired on doordarshan many years back involving history. Tara Ali Baig was the anchor of that program. The content-wise the program was very good. But when she appeared on screen then it seems we are listening to someone telling things true from heart. Few people have this quality.

I have heard Shri VIDYA NIWAS MISHRA also, he was sounded to me full of HISTORY and historical facts.  once he told that he is professor of Indology in some university in USA. Once i visited one professor's house at BHU. some Prof Tripathi, while talking to him i pointed out the name of VidyaNiwas Ji, Prof Tripathi commented that "Only Oratory". 

And actually contrary Shri Vidya Niwas Mishra ji did talk at IIT Kanpur on the ORAL TRaditions in India. There was lack of documentation over the centuries. Knowledge carried on through ORAL traditions. Even though few scholars wrote, but not on Paper, on Palm leaf, BHOJPATRA or other. These were not durable, or lost to floods, fire, NEGLECT or to pest (termite) etc. Later in British period lots of these MANUSCRIPT were taken away by EUROPEANs by giving MONEY to the poor scholars. (i desist myself from using the word greedy). The situation was bad in those days.

Romila ji  as I found on her TV appearances was always having others on their toes with her critical analysis. Once she told about the situation of SOMNATH temple. But that was way far from the normal perception of people.

I am also reading the early India, a revised version of her book came out. As she said in TV interview that with the advancement in many methods, technology, the knowledge and PROOF which are available now with us then things must be read/retold with all such available sources. So as to correct the earlier works of history. Thus anything which is available now-days may help in developing (correcting !!) our knowledge about the history. Be it coins, excavations, painting, any work of literature, sculpture etc etc sources can be astoundingly endless.

historians are not in agreement on  fixing the date of KALIDAS.  And also there is point of contention,  whether Kalidas is a one person or many.

Thus There is need to develop a database of all archaeological excavations, Digitization of the findings, art facts or anything which is found together with photos.

Then comes,  related studies done of any such findings those can be linked.

Links to any recorded things in History, Literature, local folklore etc

TOP PRIORITY- Digitization of Manuscripts of all libraries across India, database of their records.

Database of oral traditions- Folklore, music, paintings-Ritual paintings (such as patta chitra, and in Madhubani wall paintings)

Koothu, Kudiyattam or the Kathakali are known to have old traditions and works dating back to thousands years. These can be documented.

SANSKRIT was the language in which lots of old works are said to be written.  I think I will not be able to study all the treasure of SANSKRIT in my lifetime. Because over the years SANSKRIT was kept outside of our life. Nobody study SANSKRIT at school, nor anybody reads at their HOME. All were running after learning ENGLISH, which was language of GORA SAHIB.

Jones published translation of  SHAKUNTALAM in ENGLISH in 1783??

In process what happened we are totally CUT Off from our ROOTS. Whatever knowledge was available with our ancestors and generations was ONLY in SANSKRIT. that we are unable to read. That means our own future path of progress is in Dark. They succeeded in pushing us towards darkness. Though they themselves came out of DARKness, as we studied the Renaissance of EUROPE in History books of NCERT.

Works on Natya Shastra, which is said to be a VED itself, fifth Ved.  Works of CHANAKYA, Vatsyayan’s Kamasutra, CHARAK Samhita- Sushrut Samhita, KALIDAS, ARYABHATT, BHASKARA, Brahmagupt, LILAWATI or the GEET GOVIND,

Then there is RAJTARANGINI by KALHAN written in KASHMIR is also in Sanskrit. This is said to contain the lineage of kings of Kashmir. This might prove that in Kashmir people had the knowledge of writing and preserving PROMOTING the works like lineage. This was way back in 1077 AD. 

Around  300 BC the Maurya King took over the NANDA dynasty. Thus the work of CHANAKYA must be belonging to this era??

I had read the Banbhat ki atmakatha in Hindi written by Dwedi ji…There the plot of story has been the war of Harsh Vardhan and PULKESHIN (or pushya mitra??).

I read KADAMBARI. now days no one reads these books in Sanskrit. 

But first the need of hour is DIGITISATION of manuscripts. 

Saraswati Mahal-thanjaor, KELKARS, Raja (??) BUX library-Bihar, RAMPUR-library established by Nawab Rampur, another institution is working in Mysore or Banglore also. these can be roped into making a big database of our TREASURE.

DIGITAL INDIA can be an opportunity.