"I've learnt that life has both good and bad to offer." For example, as a child, Gangubai recalls that the brahmins in her neighbourhood would accept pickle made by her mother, Ambabai, or use the dry leaf plates which they sold but urchins would throw cow-dung slurry on her when she passed their houses. "Our status as a family of hereditary courtesans did not stop them from helping when my mother was unwell butthey would begin banging tin-pots to drown my music making every time I sat for riyaaz."

Born in 1913, to a family of musicians from Hangal (a small village in north Karnataka from where she gets her second name) her family shifted to Hubli where she has lived since 1928. In keeping with the tradition of hereditary courtesans settling down with one patron Ambabai settled down with a Brahmin, Chikkurao Nadgir. And following in her mother's footsteps Gangubai settled with Gururao Kaulgi at the age of 16. "I was only 20 when he died of an illness." And yet the four years spent together cost her dear. "He was an LLB but he did not have the acumen to attract clients. He took to running various businesses and lost money in all of them. I had to keep selling jewellery and utensils to pay bank loans. This happened so often I lost count."

She also cannot remember exact dates in her life but the joy of nostalgia is still there. "For my first recording when HMV invited me to Bombay I went because they were takingcare of the journey and sight-seeing. Later they gave me Rs 400 for my third recording but my family was annoyed as my name read Gandhari Hubali on the record."

Why did she train Hindustani music and not in Carnatic like her mother? "Mother wanted it as she was very fond of Hindustani music. Light music was never my forte. My voice is more suited to singing only pure classical." Which is why she prefers to sing at a concert rather than a recording. "Of course I am tense on stage till the right note is struck but once that happens I am in the flow of the raga." And the audience cannot distract her. "I remember a concert where the audience went on sending chits asking me to sing Marathi songs. I did namaskar and entreated them to listen to what I sing. My feeling moulds my music. If you kill that my music ends."

There is none of the affected stylised demeanour that one has come to identify with senior artistes in Gangubai. In fact her charm lies in the fact that she knows what she does not know. "Ihave shortcomings like everybody." And her sticking to khayal is yet another expression of her integrity to art.

Awards Received

Padmabhushan 1971

Central Sangeet Natak Akademi 1973

The State Sangeet Natak Akademi 1962

Dinanath Pratishthan 1997

Manik Ratan 1998