May 23 2024 to May 23 2024 6 p.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Indian Music Experience Museum

Brigade Millenium Rd, opp. Wood Rose Club, JP Nagar 7th Phase, Bengaluru 560078

Event Description

Date: May 23 | Thursday Time: 6pm – 7pm

Venue: Indian Music Experience Museum (IME)

Join us for an evocative exploration of “The Lost Songs of the Courtesans,” where we delve into the rich, yet often overlooked, musical heritage of the tawaifs. These talented courtesans of India were not just entertainers but sophisticated artists who preserved and innovated classical music and dance traditions. In this talk, Manjari Chaturvedi will uncover the dynamics of their original songs, tracing their journey from the intimate, elegant mehfils to the grand stages of Bollywood. Through uncovered documents and insightful oral histories, she will examine how these melodies have transcended time and space, influencing popular culture and embedding themselves in the collective consciousness of the public. Discover how Bollywood has reinterpreted and immortalised these songs, ensuring their legacy endures even as the world around them has changed. This is a unique opportunity to appreciate the cultural significance of the tawaifs’ music and its lasting impact on India’s artistic landscape. This is a BIC Elsewhere Programme. While the majority of our events find a home at our premises in Domlur, BIC Elsewhere represents our commitment to bringing conversations, arts, and culture directly to diverse audiences. Through this initiative, we collaborate with various venues, extending the reach of our events beyond our own space. These partnerships not only breathe life into our gatherings but also play a crucial role in cultivating an environment for the flourishing of arts and culture in the city. 

Speaker

Manjari Chaturvedi Classical Dancer, Director & Choreographer

Manjari Chaturvedi has taken the traditional form of Kathak to a different level and has created her own style, her own brand of dance. With over 500 concerts in 25 years in more than 36 countries with 405 musicians, her work is vast, performed in Europe (France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, U.K. & Ireland, Armenia, Georgia), the Middle East (Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kuwait), South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka) and Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan) along with Australia and America. She is the founder of the concept ‘The Courtesan Project’, which has become one of the most successful dance revival movements in today’s time. Giving a voice to women and 100 years of creative contribution to theatre, cinema and performing arts, the Courtesan Project is recognised, loved and appreciated for its unique storytelling and the highlights of the forgotten legends of music and dance. This project is a medium to draw the attention of society toward our erstwhile courtesans and how discriminatory practices impacted not only their lives but also of their families. Thus, advocating and creating much required space for them as an ‘artist” in society through cultural activism and social change.