Hirabai Barodekar was born into an exceptionally legendary family of Hindustani singers, who were the trendsetters of the Kirana gharana. She was the daughter of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and the niece of Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan. It is very well understood that she took to singing from a very early age. Her mother, though wanted her to pursue her studies seriously, but, Hirabai was much more attracted in music and arts. She trained under both the stalwarts, and also under his famed brother Sureshbabu Mane. During her early years, she was more attracted to on-stage performances and had been a fine stage actress. Yet, classical music was beckoning her to establish her position securely. Though of an extremely shy disposition, she was cajoled by the formidable Kesarbai Kerkar to sing for the public. And, since then, her contribution has been breathtaking to every form of classical music she had laid her hands upon. She was a true follower of the Kirana style of rendition, and had contributed substantially to the Marathi musical genre.

Apart from Ustad Abdul Karim Khan`s own talented contributions to the musical society, he had given three highly gifted children, Sureshbabu Mane, Hirabai Barodekar and Saraswati Rane, all of whom were greatly responsible for the dissemination of the Kirana style in several parts of the country. Of the three children, it was Hirabai who achieved a great deal of fame during her lifetime. She was born in Miraj in 1905 to Abdul Karim Khan`s second wife, Tarabai Mane. The listeners, who flocked to listen to her marvellous voice, honoured her with the title `Kirana ki Koyaliya` (The Nightingale of Kirana).

The young Hirabai, or Champakali as she was called, who had inherited her father`s genes, was keen on becoming a singer, to which her mother was of a different opinion - she wanted her to continue with her studies. Hirabai would often neglect her studies and repeat the lessons, which Abdul Karim Khan was teaching her brother, Sureshbabu Mane. At the subliminal level, she was absorbing a great deal from her father though she never trained under him. Though brought up in Islamic traditions, all the children were brought back to the Hindu fold following their mother`s return to the royal house of her parents in Baroda where they grew up.

Later, Hirabai was to learn under her illustrious paternal uncle, Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan and adopt his elaborate method of raaga development. She also learnt under her brother, the prodigiously gifted, though ill-fated, Sureshbabu Mane for a long time. It was he who groomed her in the features of Kirana gayaki.

Besides being a classical singer, Hirabai was also a fine stage actress. Her elegant features and her fine singing voice were her greatest assets. She was the first woman to appear on the professional Marathi stage. To Hirabai goes the credit for having introduced classical music in the place of light music into Marathi natya sangeet. She both sang and also acted in different roles, so much so that she became quite a celebrity in Maharashtra. She quit the stage when cinema started making deep inroads into the cultural scene. Though she acted in a few films, the impact she made on celluloid was not comparable to the stir she created on stage.

Her soft and flowing voice came to be noted when she had turned 15. The fastidious Kesarbai Kerkar was impressed with her voice and confidently decided to introduce this introverted teenager to the to the formidable Calcutta audience, comprising of several musicians and connoisseurs. Hirabai`s reticence and lack of concert experience threw the sponsors into grave doubts about her performance. But they were assured otherwise by Kesarbai herself. It was when Hirabai started her recital that all in the room realized the marvellous potential she possessed. Her career as a classical musician commenced from that point. In the 1950s and 1960s, she was easily one of the most popular woman singers in Maharashtra. Her command over natya sangeet and thumri also widened her audience base. Hirabai did a lot to popularize classical music among the people, especially among women, such that her music became the topic of discussion in several households. She settled down in Pune among the people and the audience who loved her, and who gratefully acknowledged the major role she played in disseminating Kirana gayaki in western India.

Hirabai`s music offers the quintessence of Kirana gayaki. Her soft, pleasingly nasal and tonally rich voice resembled her father Abdul Karim`s. Her training under Abdul Waheed gave her raagavistaar a mellow depth and steadiness, as her long period of instruction under her brother Sureshbabu Mane gave her a deep insight into the aesthetic nuances of several aspects of the Kirana style. She was thus able to beautifully blend the contemplative strain of Abdul Waheed with the rich emotionalism of Abdul Karim in her music. She would elaborate a raaga using the note-by-note badhat style characteristic of Kirana masters in a serene and stately manner, taking care to invest each note with the right emotional touch or caress. Her recordings of Yaman and Multani illustrate her rich vocalism. Her soulful Multani has been hailed by many as one of the greatest ever recorded. It has become the touchstone by which other singers` renditions are judged to this day. The delicate touches of karuna ras she invests the bandish Kavan desh gaye with, makes it an unforgettable experience.

Her haunting Bageshri shows her fine sense of melody as it does her ability to weave a mesh of corresponding moods. Great attention is lavished on each note. The composite mood evoked is one of viraha-shringar. Her lovely composition Man mohe laga, brings one to mind the dichotomous feeling of union and separation of lovers. Her brilliant and unforgettable Ramkali conveys the profound spiritual ambience of dawn brilliantly. Hirabai has also brought out an album with her sister Saraswati Rane, in which they give an excellent duet performance of Chandrakauns. Today her legacy is carried on by her accomplished disciple Prabha Atre, a well-known scholar-singer in her own right.

Unlike the other women singers from Western India who had to face a lot of opposition and problems, either from society or those related to finding a guru, Hirabai had a relatively smooth life and career. She was the only woman singer in pre-Independence era, who was able to balance popular appeal and success with an unwavering devotion to the high doctrines of classicism. These traits were to prove inspiring to many women singers that followed.