O Gaanewali

Entertaining the nobility of India, her life was different from the other women around her. She had financial independence, she could choose her patrons and partners, and most importantly, she was highly skilled at her art, her music! 

Tawaifs and women performers were given a reputation- one that made their life difficult and tainted them as prostitutes and sex workers. Unfortunately history doesn't credit them enough for their most valuable contribution to Indian Culture- Their Music! Even though they were known for Thumri, Dadra, other semiclassical forms like hori, jhoola, chaiti and so on, they were the first performers to set ghazals to tune and bring them to the performance space as a music genre. We will be tracing the evolution of this beautiful genre that gained popularity through the performance of Tawaifs and many other women performers over the years. Their rich cultural heritage and art is what we hope you start remembering the Gaanewalis by!

Age Group 12+ For This Show | No Interval

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