Gangubai Hangal

"Throat surgery left her with a masculine voice, but the doyenne of the Kirana gharana turned it into an advantage through years of hard work."

"I learned 60 compositions in drut laya within a year."

"It is a myth that music rides on a great voice. Gangubai disproved it every living moment of her life. Indian classical music is neither a perfect piece of poetry nor a premeditated symphony. It does …"

"It took me back more than 40 years when I first heard her at a Sangeet Mahotsav organised by the state government in Bombay, as it was called then. The khayal in Shuddha Kalyan captured me and I remai…"

"I remember stealing fruit from our neighbour's mango trees. More than the act of stealing, I remember the neighbours being horrified that a singer's daughter should step into their compound. I would b…"

"Music, for Gangubai, was an expression of faith and the note had to be searched and discovered each time a phrase was attempted. …In her case, a penetrating search for the note was more important than…"

"It’s a hard life, she said, and not everyone can bear the hardships that are part of a life of music."

"Gangubai Hangal's primary guru in music was Sawai Gandharva. She has also acknowledged the inspiration and influence of her mother Ambabai and Zohrabai Agrewali on her musical development. Her singing…"