"I believe in the gradual development and unfolding of the raga, an exposition so delicate that the listener should wait eagerly for the next phrase. My Guruji taught us to use surs like a miser parting with his money - a graceful, subtle movement so that the listener understood the importance of the placement of each note of the raga. I believe that listening is also an art, and that a discerning audience draws out the best from an artiste."--- Gangubai Hangal. To Gangubai Hangal, music is one medium that smoothes the path of intercommunion with god. She has been considered as one of the maestro of Hindustani classical Music.

Gangubai Hangal was attracted to music since childhood, and always possessed the urge to move forward, though belonging to lower strata of society. During her growing years, the upper caste people with whom they shared their neighbourhood made her a subject of intense ridicule. But, due her mother`s strong-willed nature, Gangubai had the courage to go forward with her lessons in music. However, she was initially more into stage performances. But, her inner musical genius made her to become a disciple, of Sawai Gandharva, the Kirana gharana master. She had to endure an arduous journey to and from her home to learn her lessons, but her urge to pick up every nuance of classical music did not for once make her feel that she was toiling for it. And, Gangubai was indeed an excellent student, with the rare talent to learn and assimilate everything on the way. They are evident in her renditions that come as a stark contrast with other female singers in Hindustani classical. She possesses an uncanny tonal quality of grave masculinity and timbre, which astounded every listener, given her bodily structure standing just in the opposite. She was very true to her gharana style of performance in beautifully performing the vilambits.

Gangubai Hangal is today the revered matriarch of Hindustani classical music. Well into the ninth decade of her long and fruitful life, Gangubai can be deemed as the last of the great beacons who lived through the most prolific and tumultuous eras of Hindustani music, one whose music and outlook have come to symbolize the true grit of tradition, as well as that of uncompromising aesthetic values. Importantly, her struggles to overcome the barriers of caste prejudice and gender discrimination clearly mark her out as a heroic pioneer, as a guiding light for generations of women singers to come. Her plain attire, unaffected manners and uncompromising dedication are itself the hallmark of the bygone era on Indian classical music.

Gangubai was born in Dharwad into a family of boatmen or Gangamats in 1913. By tradition, they were regarded as quite low in the caste hierarchy. Gangubai picked up her first lessons in music from her mother Ambabai who was trained in the Carnatic system. Once her mother noticed that the classical strains of music being played in a record shop in Dharwad were gripping the little girl`s attention. She immediately realized that the child had music within her and went about training her. It was her mother, whom Gangubai remembers with profound gratitude and emotion to this day, who prompted her to choose music both as a career and as a passion. Realizing Gangubai`s love for Hindustani music, her mother put her under the tutelage of one Hulger Krishnacharya.

After learning under him for a while, Gangubai decided to continue her training with Sawai Gandharva, which she did from 1937 on. Though stage dominated her life for a while, the allure of Sawai Gandharva`s high classicism weaned her away from the stage. She found the entire ideal and inspiring virtues that she was looking for in a guru, like dedication, perfectionism and purity of style, in the Kirana maestro. Initially, her training sessions with him were infrequent given that he was involved with a travelling drama troupe. Fortunately, for her, the troupe soon wound up, leaving her to enjoy prolonged training sessions with Sawai Gandharva, lasting seven to eight hours a day, in his village in Kundgol, where he settled permanently. She had to travel 30 km by train from her town to reach the railway station nearest to Kundgol, from where she covered the rest of her journey to her guru`s house on foot. Her guru-bhai, Bhim-anna, Bhimsen Joshi - whom she lovingly refers to as `Bhim-anna` - would sometimes meet her at the station and walk with her to their guru`s house. Their topic of conversation was, of course, music. But her ardour for music was so great that distance never seemed to be a problem. Another singer whose music influenced her deeply was that of Zohrabai Agrewali.

Growing up as she did in a predominantly Brahmin neighbourhood was nerve-racking for a sensitive girl hailing from the lower caste. She had to come face-to-face with pretty many harsh realities in everyday life, being made the hapless victim of scorn and ridicule from the Brahmin men. Yet, all these external constraints only strengthened her resolve to reach the level of perfection she envisaged. In the meantime, she also began living with a large-hearted Brahmin lawyer, Gururao Kaulji, who was as eager to encourage her career as he was to support her life. It was permitted, in those times, for Brahmin men to accept women from the Gangamat caste as paramours. Kaulji asked her to be his legally wedded wife; but she felt that one so highly placed ought to marry from their own caste. Though he married a second time, he never abandoned Gangubai until the time of his demise.

At that time when Gangubhai Hangal was a young girl, the societal response towards the professional musician`s family was not appreciable at all. She has faced many hurdles as the daughter of Amambai and her Brahmin accommodator Shri Chikkurao Nadgir. Thus for Gangubhai, her position in the said society was undefined. She was in neither the position from where she cannot even claim the privileges nor the freedom from the Brahminical order. Her situation became unbearable. At the age of 16 years, she was settled down with Gururao Kaulgi, who was an LLB. When she was at her 20 years, he died of an illness. Gururao Kaulgi did not kept any money to live her livelihood. At that time HMV called for her first recording and paid her rupees 400.

What is most striking about Gangubai Hangal`s voice is its broad masculine timbre. Those who expect female voice to be pleasingly melodious, would be stunned when they hear her deep-toned, rumbling voice emerge like a powerful windstorm from this diminutive woman. In fact, no woman in classical Indian music possesses such a bass as Gangubai, which could easily be mistaken for a male voice.

Gangubai`s music has come to be associated with depth, dignity and gravity, matched only by her guru-bhai, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. But one has to tune into this deep and resonant voice with one`s inner ear to understand the classical grace and emotional intensity of her style. Its depths are filled with broad and luminous movements. As with most Kirana singers, her singing attains its haunting emotional effect when she sings the slow vilambit section in the low register.

Gangubai`s genius is best seen when she renders weighty raagas like Bhairav, Asavari, Todi, Bhimpalas, Pooorya Dhanashri, Marwa, Kedar and Chandrakauns. Her voice and approach lend these raagas a rare majesty. The absence of vocal range in her case is compensated for by depth and dignity. Anyone wanting to get a fairly good idea of the depth and power of her voice should listen to her astounding and intense Asavari. Her Chandrakauns, Yaman and Abhogi are all fine specimens of her art. Her longer Marwa is ruggedly expansive and gives a sense of awesome severity in the slow section, while her tarana is vigorous and lively. Of the live recordings released by Ninaad, her spacious Bhimpalas and Poorya Dhanashri are pure gold. They are instances of the rare poise she displays in her advanced years. The force and vigour of her voice have come down; but the flow is still as intense as it is pristine.

Gangubai is an uncommon instance of an artist who never compromised the stateliness of her art for popular applause. In fact, her life-style and approach carry the stamp of the uncompromising standards of yesteryears. Her tenacious classicism makes her the storehouse of many noble virtues, hardly seen in the present time.

Gangubhai Hangal was the breadwinner for her family. It was the time, when musicians were not being paid handsome money for their performances. She has undergone many pains and sorrows. Only one recognition of her talent mourned her. From the office of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a telegram was issued to Gangubhai Hangal in the year 1971. The telegram was carrying the news that Gangubhai has been selected for one of the highest prestigious civilian award `Padma Bhushan`.

Gangubhai Hangal has fetched the identity of being drifted into the melody of the raga. The happiness and sorrow has no place when she holds the tanpura. As she said, "There are many artistes who claim that once they hold the tanpura all happiness and sorrow is forgotten. This has not been my experience. When I sit for riyaaz, emotions well up. I can vividly remember the hardships I`ve been through ... the worry of what the next day will bring in its wake".