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Requiem in Raga Janki [Hardcover] NEELUM SARAN GOUR
Allahabad, early twentieth century. The British rule across India, but Avadhi culture is thriving. In this city where singers, musicians and poets assemble, a star emerges. Janki Bai Ilahabadi enthrals listeners wherever she performs, and counts as her fans maharajas and maharanis, poets and judges, nawabs and government officials-everyone. She is Janki 'Chhappan Chhuri', Janki of the fifty-six knives-attacked in her youth, she survives miraculously. Brought up in a nautch house, she rises to become the queen of Allahabad, her voice taking her from penury to palaces and royal durbars.
Based on the real-life story of Hindustani singer Janki Bai Ilahabadi (1880-1934), Requiem in Raga Janki is the beautifully rendered tale of one of India's unknown gems. Moving from Hindustani classical music's earliest times to the age of the gramophone, from Tansen's mysticism to Hassu Khan's stringent opposition of recordings, this is a novel that brings to life a golden era of music through the eyes of a gifted performer.
Based on the real-life story of Hindustani singer Janki Bai Ilahabadi (1880-1934), Requiem in Raga Janki is the beautifully rendered tale of one of India's unknown gems. Moving from Hindustani classical music's earliest times to the age of the gramophone, from Tansen's mysticism to Hassu Khan's stringent opposition of recordings, this is a novel that brings to life a golden era of music through the eyes of a gifted performer.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published June 14, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 27, 2019
Janki Bai Illahabadi was one of the first recorded artists of India, an artist whose records can still be found and whose voice can still be heard. She was a courtesan, an Indian Classical singer with an extensive training in the field by great maestro Ustad Hassu Khan. Born to Shivbalak and Manki, a family of sweets sellers in Benaras, tragedy befell her family when her father left the house in search of his mistress. Her mother was then betrayed and duped by one of her friends and sold to a kotha in Allahabad. It was then that Janki was introduced to those dingy alleys of Allahabad where she could have easily faded into oblivion amidst the sea of unfortunate women like her. But that wasn’t meant to happen. For her mother recognised her talent and arranged for her to be mentored by the great master. The rigorous training bore fruit when she was invited to sing in a royal court. So enchanted was the Maharaja that she was lavished with riches along with a high praise. She then rose onto become one of the greatest singers of the time that was also witness to singers like Gauhar Jaan of Calcutta.
One of the famous anecdotes about her life (of which I was utterly unaware) is that she had received fifty-six (Chhappan) knife stabs while very young but had miraculously survived them. She then came to be known as Chhappan Chhuri Wali and slowly, over time, it acquired the meaning we are acquainted with today. Today in Hindi, the word is used to refer to a haughty woman.
Requiem in Raga Janki is a heavily fictionalised biography of the singer written by Neelum Saran Gour. The author is also from the city of Allahabad. In her attempt to tell the story of the once famous songstress, the author succeeds in making Janki Bai come out of dark alleys of obscurity and claim her long lost place of recognition. Gour not only explores her journey to becoming a famous Courtesan but she also, through her vivid imagination, tries to explore Janki as a woman fraught with anxieties about love, religion, relationships and fame. By telling her story, she gives her a voice, because voices like her are either forgotten sooner or are not accorded due reverence. And to forget these voices is akin to forgetting a past which is as much a part of our history as it is of our musical heritage. Gour’s work thus deserves a recognition which hasn’t apparently come its way yet.
To begin with, author’s depth of research - on Janki, on the time she lived in, the customs and social mores, on the history of classical singers and on the knowledge of Ragas, is apparent in her writing. Add to it her flawless writing, attention to detail, an evident grip on the vernacular, lucid and almost poetic prose and what we have is a book that would someday be certainly known as a classic in Indian writing in English.
In the very well crafted narration, we not only become privy to the real incidents in Janki’s life, her journey to fame but also to the gifted poetess that she was. Here Janki’s conversations with famous poet Akbar Illahbadi, with whom she shared a good rapport in her lifetime, glitter with beautiful couplets. It is well mentioning that though Janki’s couplets are mainly taken from her work “Diwan-e-Janki”, the couplets attributed to poet Akbar here are composed by the author herself. And if you get to read this work, which I think you should, you would be mesmerised by the sheer brilliance of her writing.
This book has been one of my best reads of 2019 and I would recommend it to everyone who wishes to explore a part of our history through the life a singer who carved her own destiny in times when women were subjugated and confined to roles given by society.
One of the famous anecdotes about her life (of which I was utterly unaware) is that she had received fifty-six (Chhappan) knife stabs while very young but had miraculously survived them. She then came to be known as Chhappan Chhuri Wali and slowly, over time, it acquired the meaning we are acquainted with today. Today in Hindi, the word is used to refer to a haughty woman.
Requiem in Raga Janki is a heavily fictionalised biography of the singer written by Neelum Saran Gour. The author is also from the city of Allahabad. In her attempt to tell the story of the once famous songstress, the author succeeds in making Janki Bai come out of dark alleys of obscurity and claim her long lost place of recognition. Gour not only explores her journey to becoming a famous Courtesan but she also, through her vivid imagination, tries to explore Janki as a woman fraught with anxieties about love, religion, relationships and fame. By telling her story, she gives her a voice, because voices like her are either forgotten sooner or are not accorded due reverence. And to forget these voices is akin to forgetting a past which is as much a part of our history as it is of our musical heritage. Gour’s work thus deserves a recognition which hasn’t apparently come its way yet.
To begin with, author’s depth of research - on Janki, on the time she lived in, the customs and social mores, on the history of classical singers and on the knowledge of Ragas, is apparent in her writing. Add to it her flawless writing, attention to detail, an evident grip on the vernacular, lucid and almost poetic prose and what we have is a book that would someday be certainly known as a classic in Indian writing in English.
In the very well crafted narration, we not only become privy to the real incidents in Janki’s life, her journey to fame but also to the gifted poetess that she was. Here Janki’s conversations with famous poet Akbar Illahbadi, with whom she shared a good rapport in her lifetime, glitter with beautiful couplets. It is well mentioning that though Janki’s couplets are mainly taken from her work “Diwan-e-Janki”, the couplets attributed to poet Akbar here are composed by the author herself. And if you get to read this work, which I think you should, you would be mesmerised by the sheer brilliance of her writing.
This book has been one of my best reads of 2019 and I would recommend it to everyone who wishes to explore a part of our history through the life a singer who carved her own destiny in times when women were subjugated and confined to roles given by society.
December 31, 2022
As a woman writer, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the female gaze. How do I, as a woman, separate myself from what I have been taught about the world and its genders and, instead, tell the story for what it is?
To say that Neelum Saran Gour’s book only accomplishes the female gaze would be to do this incredible book a great injustice. It is a lot of things, this book. Yet, that’s what this novel is to me. Female gaze in its true sense. It is a reminder of why, as a woman, I chose to be a writer.
Requiem in Raga Janki is a partly fictionalised biography of musician, tawaif, wife, mother, and woman, Janki Bai Illahabadi. While Janki Bai truly existed, much of her story is unrecorded, and what is recorded is (according to the author and the unnamed narrator) a self-edited version of her real story. We follow Janki from her childhood, through when she was attacked in her youth, winning her the title of Chhappan Chhuri (56 knives), to when she trains to become a musician, becomes a sort-after mehfil-singer, and, ultimately, to her life outside of music and her death.
My favourite thing about this book is the way it is written. An unnamed narrator tells us Janki Bai’s story. We know hardly anything about the narrator except that she is a woman, and perhaps a dancer or singer herself in the kotha that Janki was a part of. The narrator opts for a circular structure: between pages of description of Janki’s attack, she might introduce that Janki’s father had a mistress in his own home, before continuing her description of the attack.
One thing is for sure: the narrator will always come back to the points she introduced in passing and fully flesh them out. This kind of narration reminds me that events in out life are almost never chronological. Events and memories of those events overlap until we can’t separate them. Happenings in our lives are connected in ways we can’t even begin imagine. I think the narrator (and the author) recognise that each event in Janki’s life has significance at different places, and that it holds different roles at different points in her life.
I also liked that the narrator (and author) acknowledges that just because Janki fabricated a story about herself and shaped how we remember her, does not mean her story is any less valid.
Joey Soloway, in their speech at TIFF, speak of how, very often, the female gaze is confused for a “woman’s story” or the “one-dimensional writing of male characters.” They insist that the female gaze is neither of these. In their own words, “Female gaze is an empathy generator that says I was there in that room and this is my shame, humour, light, and I will put it in my protagonist.” This means that in a truly non-male-gaze story, all characters are well rounded, and they assert their presence, their existence.
All of Gour’s characters in this book are very well fleshed-out with fear, anger, joy, purpose, ambition, pretences, desires, and dreams that mesh to from a whole being rather than caricatures that have jumped out of an old lore. What is better is that irrespective of age, religion, or gender of these characters, they have been created with care and nuance.
Gour is an absolute mastermind when it comes to using words to make us feel. And she does this with such grace and subtly, you’ll never know when you fall in love with a character, a raga, or an emotion that appears in her book. Her descriptions of love are some of the best I have ever read. In softer moments, she intertwines her descriptions with music and raga metaphors. But in other moments of sharp (and painful) clarity, she offers us sections like this one:
Gour captures the harder, more invisible emotions that hide inside all of us and converts it into words with a surprising ease. At least, she makes it look easy. For instance, there is a point in the book where Janki realises that, despite the glamourized, all-encompassing story of music that she has been taught by her music gurus, she can never truly become one with her music. Music is a part of her; it is not her. About the turmoil in Janki’s mind, Gour gives us this:
I was absolutely surprised at how quickly this book became a favourite, an instant 5-star one. In many ways, Requiem in Raga Janki reminds me of the Indian Hindi-language film Shakuntala Devi. It has a similar circular narrative about women, their passions, their desires, and the lives of the people around them, asserting their existence. If you enjoyed that movie, this one is definitely for you.
I honestly believe this book found me, rather than the other way around. I don’t know what a life-altering book is, but I know that this is how I want to write. I want to bring characters alive for someone the way Gour brought Janki Bai alive for me. I think a part of Janki will live with me always. Is that what a life-altering book is?
To say that Neelum Saran Gour’s book only accomplishes the female gaze would be to do this incredible book a great injustice. It is a lot of things, this book. Yet, that’s what this novel is to me. Female gaze in its true sense. It is a reminder of why, as a woman, I chose to be a writer.
Requiem in Raga Janki is a partly fictionalised biography of musician, tawaif, wife, mother, and woman, Janki Bai Illahabadi. While Janki Bai truly existed, much of her story is unrecorded, and what is recorded is (according to the author and the unnamed narrator) a self-edited version of her real story. We follow Janki from her childhood, through when she was attacked in her youth, winning her the title of Chhappan Chhuri (56 knives), to when she trains to become a musician, becomes a sort-after mehfil-singer, and, ultimately, to her life outside of music and her death.
My favourite thing about this book is the way it is written. An unnamed narrator tells us Janki Bai’s story. We know hardly anything about the narrator except that she is a woman, and perhaps a dancer or singer herself in the kotha that Janki was a part of. The narrator opts for a circular structure: between pages of description of Janki’s attack, she might introduce that Janki’s father had a mistress in his own home, before continuing her description of the attack.
One thing is for sure: the narrator will always come back to the points she introduced in passing and fully flesh them out. This kind of narration reminds me that events in out life are almost never chronological. Events and memories of those events overlap until we can’t separate them. Happenings in our lives are connected in ways we can’t even begin imagine. I think the narrator (and the author) recognise that each event in Janki’s life has significance at different places, and that it holds different roles at different points in her life.
Because I carry in my memory not just the stories but the ancestors of stories too. Is that hard to understand? That stories have their parent stories and grandparent stories?
I also liked that the narrator (and author) acknowledges that just because Janki fabricated a story about herself and shaped how we remember her, does not mean her story is any less valid.
We may decide to respect her fictions and give her the benefit of the doubt, making some concession for her instinct for subterfuge. After all, we are arguably more than the sum of the situations that overtake us in life. We are also the denials we practise, the alternative images of ourselves we cherish and all our alter-histories. We are also the people we wish we were and all the things we wish had happened.
Joey Soloway, in their speech at TIFF, speak of how, very often, the female gaze is confused for a “woman’s story” or the “one-dimensional writing of male characters.” They insist that the female gaze is neither of these. In their own words, “Female gaze is an empathy generator that says I was there in that room and this is my shame, humour, light, and I will put it in my protagonist.” This means that in a truly non-male-gaze story, all characters are well rounded, and they assert their presence, their existence.
All of Gour’s characters in this book are very well fleshed-out with fear, anger, joy, purpose, ambition, pretences, desires, and dreams that mesh to from a whole being rather than caricatures that have jumped out of an old lore. What is better is that irrespective of age, religion, or gender of these characters, they have been created with care and nuance.
And though one’s belly must be filled and one’s vanity be honoured, still there is cause aside and apart from these, such a cause as the world's fools and saints and artists and madmen of genius have known.
Gour is an absolute mastermind when it comes to using words to make us feel. And she does this with such grace and subtly, you’ll never know when you fall in love with a character, a raga, or an emotion that appears in her book. Her descriptions of love are some of the best I have ever read. In softer moments, she intertwines her descriptions with music and raga metaphors. But in other moments of sharp (and painful) clarity, she offers us sections like this one:
She was seasoned enough to know there was no such thing as lasting love. Only an accumulation of small kindnesses, many things built up into a semblance of ancourage, an intuiting and an answering of dire needs in an unstable equilibrium of compromises.
Gour captures the harder, more invisible emotions that hide inside all of us and converts it into words with a surprising ease. At least, she makes it look easy. For instance, there is a point in the book where Janki realises that, despite the glamourized, all-encompassing story of music that she has been taught by her music gurus, she can never truly become one with her music. Music is a part of her; it is not her. About the turmoil in Janki’s mind, Gour gives us this:
To breathe free of its tyranny, to forget it for a week, a day. Not to cede so large a portion of my soul to it. For surely there were other summonings, hankerings of the body and the heart, that this austerity of art peremptorily exiled.
I was absolutely surprised at how quickly this book became a favourite, an instant 5-star one. In many ways, Requiem in Raga Janki reminds me of the Indian Hindi-language film Shakuntala Devi. It has a similar circular narrative about women, their passions, their desires, and the lives of the people around them, asserting their existence. If you enjoyed that movie, this one is definitely for you.
I honestly believe this book found me, rather than the other way around. I don’t know what a life-altering book is, but I know that this is how I want to write. I want to bring characters alive for someone the way Gour brought Janki Bai alive for me. I think a part of Janki will live with me always. Is that what a life-altering book is?
September 7, 2020
Exclusive writing has always been a Win-Win for me. even if the story is bland, a storyteller with her/his narration and imagination can weave absolute magic. I wouldn't call Requiem in Raga Janki bland though, just an evening thumri with good lyrics and amazing melody.
__
Janki Bai Illahabadi, forever associated with the number 56, Janki Chhappanchhuri. A young Benaras girl who was introduced to music at a tender age, Janki moved to Allahabad with her mother and brother, which was to become eventually her city of fame. one of the first gramophone record artists of the era, she became a reputed courtesan whose voice and dignity rose her to fame. Born to Shivbalak and Manki, Janki Bai grew up in the dingy alleys of Allahabad amidst nautch girls when tragedy befell the family after Shivbalak went chasing after his mistress and her mother was duped into being sold in a kotha. Manki recognised her daughter's cognizance of music and thus Janki embarked on a journey under maestro Hassu Khan to become one of the foremost songstresses of the time.
___
The book of course, is heavily fictionalized. Though it is a novel, Requiem in Raga Janki is largely anecdotal in prose. The lyrical writing had me smitten. It is a little difficult to get into, but once absorbed, the book seeps you in immediately. Filled with the classism of Urdu and Awadhi, Raga and Thumri, Requiem in Raga Janki is resplendent. I wonder why it hasn't received the attention it deserves.
4.5⭐
__
Janki Bai Illahabadi, forever associated with the number 56, Janki Chhappanchhuri. A young Benaras girl who was introduced to music at a tender age, Janki moved to Allahabad with her mother and brother, which was to become eventually her city of fame. one of the first gramophone record artists of the era, she became a reputed courtesan whose voice and dignity rose her to fame. Born to Shivbalak and Manki, Janki Bai grew up in the dingy alleys of Allahabad amidst nautch girls when tragedy befell the family after Shivbalak went chasing after his mistress and her mother was duped into being sold in a kotha. Manki recognised her daughter's cognizance of music and thus Janki embarked on a journey under maestro Hassu Khan to become one of the foremost songstresses of the time.
___
The book of course, is heavily fictionalized. Though it is a novel, Requiem in Raga Janki is largely anecdotal in prose. The lyrical writing had me smitten. It is a little difficult to get into, but once absorbed, the book seeps you in immediately. Filled with the classism of Urdu and Awadhi, Raga and Thumri, Requiem in Raga Janki is resplendent. I wonder why it hasn't received the attention it deserves.
4.5⭐
September 16, 2018
The plot is set in the early twentieth century Allahabad, our protagonist is Janki Bai Illahabadi & this is her story. India is still under British rule but culture and art is still flourishing, it has proven to unite people together by not just describing the beautiful facets of life but also raising the voice against oppression. We trace her journey from being abandoned by her father at a young age to get sold along with her mother to a nautch house (kotha), we trace her journey from there to the great artist she came to be. She is also known as Janki ‘Chhappan Chhuri’ & behind this name lies a horrific story but don’t let that define her as she is much more than that. Her art even mesmerized King George V so much that he gifted her with 100 guineas.
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December 10, 2025A fine book! It is a fictionalised biography of a complex woman who survived all sorts of assaults on her body and her heart, and was one of the best known singers of her time. I especially enjoyed the poetry and the banter between Janki and Akbar Ilahabadi (some of the poems are translated, but some also invented by the author, or so the notes suggest).
January 29, 2024
There’s adoration and vehemence, there’s melody and rhyme….
And trust me, I did not know a thing about Jankibai Illahabadi – the courtesan who would not reveal her countenance – the face which had been scarred by 56 slashes of a knife. An incident which would earn her the popular name “Chhappan chhuri”.
She was the ‘woman with 56 stab wounds’. She netted this designation when she was confronted by a police constable Raghunandan. She was simply 12 years old and had declined his sexual overtures..
Exasperated by this, Raghu stabbed her 56 times.
For the rest of her life, she sang from behind the drape. Her voice won her tributes and treasures beyond hallucination ……
This book communicates her story.
If you enjoy poesy, music, the syntax of the Indian Ragas, the classical ‘nazm’ and ‘shayari’, the ‘fanaa’ and the ‘fankaar’ behind the creation – if you’re in search of a tale of illumination and grandeur through art, this book is for you.
A friend recommended it to me.
And once again I was humbled by him. So less I know of the history of my own land’s icons.
Most recommended.
And trust me, I did not know a thing about Jankibai Illahabadi – the courtesan who would not reveal her countenance – the face which had been scarred by 56 slashes of a knife. An incident which would earn her the popular name “Chhappan chhuri”.
She was the ‘woman with 56 stab wounds’. She netted this designation when she was confronted by a police constable Raghunandan. She was simply 12 years old and had declined his sexual overtures..
Exasperated by this, Raghu stabbed her 56 times.
For the rest of her life, she sang from behind the drape. Her voice won her tributes and treasures beyond hallucination ……
This book communicates her story.
If you enjoy poesy, music, the syntax of the Indian Ragas, the classical ‘nazm’ and ‘shayari’, the ‘fanaa’ and the ‘fankaar’ behind the creation – if you’re in search of a tale of illumination and grandeur through art, this book is for you.
A friend recommended it to me.
And once again I was humbled by him. So less I know of the history of my own land’s icons.
Most recommended.
April 6, 2024
"A mere princeling like you, when dead, is easily replaced, but never an artist like me.’
The best parts of this book to me were anecdotes about Indian singers and musicians - there are scores of them. The story itself might not impress as fiction- which is fair as it is a biographical account. There is a first person narrative in the begining by a character and he often talks or rumours but as the story progresses, the narrative takes a more conventional mode as the story progresses. There are many cameos like those of Gauhar and Akbar Illahabadi. Recommended if you wish to appreciate the rich culture of Indian music by reading stories and myths associated with it.
The best parts of this book to me were anecdotes about Indian singers and musicians - there are scores of them. The story itself might not impress as fiction- which is fair as it is a biographical account. There is a first person narrative in the begining by a character and he often talks or rumours but as the story progresses, the narrative takes a more conventional mode as the story progresses. There are many cameos like those of Gauhar and Akbar Illahabadi. Recommended if you wish to appreciate the rich culture of Indian music by reading stories and myths associated with it.
October 22, 2019
A fictionalized account of the life of Jankibai Illahbadi (1880-1934) who was a popular songstress-courtesan, recording artist, and resident of Allahabad.
Filled with resplendent prose coupled with the classicism of Urdu and Awadhi showered all over the book in good measure.
A beautiful take on India's unknown gems,this one is a perfect blend of fact and fiction.
Filled with resplendent prose coupled with the classicism of Urdu and Awadhi showered all over the book in good measure.
A beautiful take on India's unknown gems,this one is a perfect blend of fact and fiction.
July 21, 2019
Yesteryear Lucknow comes to life. A rare portrayal!
May 23, 2020
Requiem in Raga Janki - Neelum Saran Gour
In the late 19th century streets of Benares, a girl is born to a family of sweetmeat sellers. Her talent for singing is recognised early and she is trained by some big names and eventually comes to be known as a musical prodigy. Tragedy befalls her and her face is scarred with, as the legend goes, 56 stabs, giving her the moniker 'Chhapan Churi'. A string of betrayals and she ends up in a brothel in Allahabad and the rest as they say is (forgotten) history.
Janki Bai Ilahabadi was a widely known 20th century Hindustani Classical singer from the city of Allahabad (or Prayagraj, for the sake of current political correctness) and was one of the first recorded artists in India. She grew up in a brothel and thanks to the obstinacy of her mother, was trained under the tutelage of a great master. Rigourous training and eventual performances in royal courts turns the tide of her misfortunes and her name grows in fame and wealth.
The book is a fictionalised biography of the artist narrated in mellifluous poetic prose. Imaginative storytelling interspersed with tales from mythology, lores from the illustrative history of Hindustani music (passed down orally much like the tradition itself), beautiful articulations of musical ideas, verses in Urdu and Hindi make this a very memorable narrative. Historical events of political importance and other historical figures also find an appearance in the story and are depicted with grandeur, befitting the opulence of high culture of that age.
On the flip side, the book also reads as a study on the inner life of Janki and her struggles with love and marriage, her flirting interest in poetry and her dilemma with religion to find identity and social acceptability eventually leading to her disintegration into fury and misery. It stands as a portrait of a self made woman in an era with much prejudice against such women.
Well researched and written with much grace, this a delightful read and brings to life a forgotten figure from history.
The writer, Neelum Saran Gour is a professor of English at the University of Allahabad. The book won the Hindu Prize for Fiction in 2018.
In the late 19th century streets of Benares, a girl is born to a family of sweetmeat sellers. Her talent for singing is recognised early and she is trained by some big names and eventually comes to be known as a musical prodigy. Tragedy befalls her and her face is scarred with, as the legend goes, 56 stabs, giving her the moniker 'Chhapan Churi'. A string of betrayals and she ends up in a brothel in Allahabad and the rest as they say is (forgotten) history.
Janki Bai Ilahabadi was a widely known 20th century Hindustani Classical singer from the city of Allahabad (or Prayagraj, for the sake of current political correctness) and was one of the first recorded artists in India. She grew up in a brothel and thanks to the obstinacy of her mother, was trained under the tutelage of a great master. Rigourous training and eventual performances in royal courts turns the tide of her misfortunes and her name grows in fame and wealth.
The book is a fictionalised biography of the artist narrated in mellifluous poetic prose. Imaginative storytelling interspersed with tales from mythology, lores from the illustrative history of Hindustani music (passed down orally much like the tradition itself), beautiful articulations of musical ideas, verses in Urdu and Hindi make this a very memorable narrative. Historical events of political importance and other historical figures also find an appearance in the story and are depicted with grandeur, befitting the opulence of high culture of that age.
On the flip side, the book also reads as a study on the inner life of Janki and her struggles with love and marriage, her flirting interest in poetry and her dilemma with religion to find identity and social acceptability eventually leading to her disintegration into fury and misery. It stands as a portrait of a self made woman in an era with much prejudice against such women.
Well researched and written with much grace, this a delightful read and brings to life a forgotten figure from history.
The writer, Neelum Saran Gour is a professor of English at the University of Allahabad. The book won the Hindu Prize for Fiction in 2018.
September 17, 2025
Fished it out from a pile of old books sitting in some obscure corner of a book stall. Left it unattended for almost a year before casually pulling it out to read. Neelam has written a deliciously beautiful semi biography of Janki Bai… coloured in rich tones of late colonial India. The evolution of the artist and her music through the years tugs at the deepest cords of one’s heart. Incorporating important life events of Janki Bai and providing the proper context for each while retaining the fictional quality of a novel is what elevates this story much more than a mere biographical account. The language is as beautiful as ever…. Like the flow of a raga. This is one underrated novel which should get more recognition.
April 5, 2024
This is the real-life story of an Indian singer known as Janki Bai Ilahabadi, who was also known as 'Chhappan Chhuri' as she was attacked fifty-six times with a knife. She survived and became a famous singer of the early twentieth century.
While reading the book it felt so composed, it brings us the air of the golden era of music. Janki Bai was such a strong character.
She lived a long life and faced fame as well as criticism.
She is the character that you need to read about.
And the songs give a golden glimpse of the beautiful world of music.
While reading the book it felt so composed, it brings us the air of the golden era of music. Janki Bai was such a strong character.
She lived a long life and faced fame as well as criticism.
She is the character that you need to read about.
And the songs give a golden glimpse of the beautiful world of music.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews