Asgari Bai (25 August 1918 – 9 August 2006) was an Indian

Dhrupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music (for example in the Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampradaya), and is als ...

singer. She was a recipient of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, Tansen Samman, Academy Samman and Shikhar Samman.

Early life and career

Asgari Bai was born in Bijawar,

Chhatarpur Chhatarpur is a city and a municipality in Chhatarpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Chhatarpur District. History Chhatarpur was founded in 1785 and is named after leader Chhatrasal ...

, to a family of court singers. Her mother, Nazir Begum, was a court singer for the Bijawar royal family, and her grandmother, Balayat Bibi, was a court singer for the

Ajaigarh Ajaigarh or Ajaygarh is a town and a nagar panchayat in the Panna District of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. Ajaygarh is the administrative headquarters of tehsil in Panna district, Ajaigarh State was one of the princely states of I ...

princely state. She had come with her mother, Nazeera Begum, to

Tikamgarh Tikamgarh (also spelled as Tikamgadh)is a town and a tehsil in Tikamgarh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city serves as a district headquarters. The earlier name of Tikamgarh was Tehri (i.e., a triangle) consisting of thr ...

, where at age eight, she started her musical training under Ustad Zahur Khan, a noted Dhrupad singer from

Gohad Gohad is a city and a municipality in Bhind district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A town of historical importance it is situated close to the city of Gwalior. The Gohad Fort is located here. History The state's formation happened in ...

, Bhind. Under his tutelage, she trained rigorously for fifteen years and eventually became the main court singer for the

Orchha State Orchha State (also known as Urchha, Ondchha and Tikamgarh) was a kingdom situated in the Bundelkhand region and later a princely state in British India. The state was ruled by Bundela clan of Rajput, Rajputs. It was located within what is now the ...

and remained so till age 35. That is when, she married Chiman Lal Gupta, a textile mill manager in Agra, and had five sons and three daughters. However after the death of her husband in 1958, she was abandoned by her in-laws, and returned to Tikamgarh. Here, she started selling pickles to make ends meet but continued her riyaz on the side. Eventually, at age 63, she gave her first public performance at the Allauddin Khan Sangeet Samaroh in Gwalior in 1981. Soon, she made a name for herself with "her phenomenal command over tala, her breath-control and exquisite delineation of

ragas A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, from the perspec ...

" and an uncanny similarity of her voice to

Begum Akhtar Akhtari Bai Faizabadi (7 October 1914 – 30 October 1974), also known as Begum Akhtar, was an Indian singer and actress. Dubbed "Mallika-e-Ghazal" (Queen of Ghazals), she is regarded as one of the greatest singers of ghazal, dadra, and thu ...

. In her last years, she fell into dire straits and even offered to return her awards. Subsequently, then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babulal Gaur sanctioned Rs 1 lakh for her. She made news shortly before her death when she alleged that her eldest son Babu forged her signature and withdrew over Rs 1 lakh from her pension account and also tried to sell her awards. She died on 9 August 2006 in Tikamgarh, following a prolonged illness and was survived by four sons and three daughters. The following day, she was laid to rest in Tikamgarh, with full state honours.

Awards

She received

Tansen Samman Tansen Samaroh or Tansen Sangeet Samaroh () is celebrated every year in the month of December in Behat village of Gwalior district, Madhya Pradesh. It is a 4-day musical extravaganza. Artists and music lovers from all over the world gather here t ...

of the Madhya Pradesh government in 1985, the Sikhar Samman in 1986, and

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

in 1986, given by the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama, and receiving the Padma Shri in 1990.

In popular culture

''Ashgari Bai'' (1998), an Indian documentary film directed by Priti Chandriani and Brahmanand S. Singh, explores her life as an exponent of Dhrupad.

References

External Links

बुंदेलखंड दर्शन डोट कॉम
बुन्देलखण्ड की विस्तृत जानकारी
Asgari Bai Documentary by IGNCA: Vol I-IVAward return over son fear
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asgari Bai 1918 births 2006 deaths Singers from Madhya Pradesh People from Chhatarpur People from Tikamgarh Hindustani singers 20th-century Indian women singers 20th-century Indian singers Women musicians from Madhya Pradesh Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts