The Music Room

The Music Room (published 2007) by Namita Devidayal

Namita Devidayal begins this memoir-biography with an account of her own journey in to this world, as a young student of Dhondutai Kulkarni (1927-2014), a revered music teacher, who belonged to the Jaipur gharana.

Initially, the ten-year-old Namita is not too enthusiastic about her music lessons, which take place in Dhondutai’s cramped apartment in a somewhat seedy part of Bombay. However, she forms an instant connection with the gentle Dhondutai and as time passes, her passion as well as proficiency grows. She is soon seen as a potential successor. 

To her teacher’s disappointment, Namita does not pursue music as her vocation and, following her university years, is drawn to writing instead. But she keeps up her vocal practice as best she can, and continues to spend time with Dhondutai over the years. In the spaces between their practice, she teases out from Dhondutai stories about her early life. About the formidable Alladiya Khan (1855-1946), the founder of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, his son Bhurji Khan who was Dhondutai’s guru for many years; and about her time training under the tempestuous Kesarbai Kerkar (1892-1977), one of the most celebrated Indian classical singers of the 20th century. 

She explores the history and the transition of this musical tradition - with the entry of the Mughals and eventually under the patronage the various princely states in pre-independence India - from a "medium of prayer to a form of high art”; she writes about the various gharanas, their distinctive qualities and tightly guarded secrets, and the incredibly syncretic nature of the music itself as it evolved over the centuries. 

Dhondutai, while not unknown, did not achieve the level of fame that she probably deserved. This book is a loving tribute, from a student who absorbed much more from her than just her music.

You don’t need to be a Hindustani music enthusiast to enjoy this book. But if you happen to be one, and you haven’t yet read this, a wonderful treat awaits!