Husna Bai: The tawaif who made Hindustani music a respectable profession for women artists

Of the four greatest singers of classical Hindustani music, Husna Bai alone belongs to the tawaif, or courtesan tradition. Despite a decline in reputation, she stuck to the roots of the structure and the elevations of this genre. Speaking of Husna Bai (together with ‘Surshree’ Kesarbai Kerkar, Girija Devi, and Kishori Amonkar), Kumud Dewan Jha, in her paper “The Alpha Songbirds: Independent and Vibrant”, writes, “As women performers, they are the path-breakers. In terms of innovation, they have spawned their own gharanas [school/tradition] within the framework of the traditional and historical gharana in which they were trained. Their performances are imbued with a genius interpretation of raga and the literary underpinnings of the compositions they sing.”

Hindustani classical music has largely been a male bastion, but these women have raised the bar. As far as Husna Bai was concerned, it was all the more amazing because she overcame social hurdles that came her way, as her work was often seen through a narrow lens because she came from the tawaif tradition. Despite being termed “baiji” she rose above the class of mere performers and created a niche for herself. She made the profession for women “highly sought after and revered artists”.

For women, it...

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