Event Details

Neela Bhagwat and Jerry Pinto have translated selections of the poetry of ten women bhakti poets from Maharashtra. These have been published by Speaking Tiger as The Ant Who Swallowed the Sun; The Abhangs of the Marathi Women Saints. The book has already been lauded as a "splendid achievement" (Ranjit Hoskote). Join us for an evening of song and poetry as we celebrate the brave and passionate voices of  women such as Muktabai,Janabai, Soyarabai, Nirmala, Vatsara, Kanhopatra, Rajai and Gonai.

Neela Bhagwat is a renowned exponent of the Gwalior gharana. With her background of Masters in Marathi, she has been engaged in composing khayals based on her own experiences as well as social concerns. After the 1993 riots in Mumbai, she turned to mediaeval saint poetry, which reflects the inner voice of love for all, irrespective of socio-cultural differences. That was when her compositions of Kabir, Meera, Sahajo and Marathi saint-poets like Tukaram, Chokhamela, Soyarabai and others appeared on the music scene. She has twenty audio CDs to her credit--some showcase Gwalior gharana khayaal while others are based on saint poetry. She is also the author of four books.

Jerry Pinto has translated several books from Marathi including the seminal dalit autobiography, Baluta by Daya Pawar; When I Hid My Caste and other Stories by Baburao Bagul and Strike a Blow to Change the World by Eknath Awad (all published by Speaking Tiger). He is on the board of MelJol, an NGO that works in the sphere of child rights and teaches at the Social Communications Media department of the Sophia Polytechnic. 

Date: Friday, 29th January 2021, 5.00 pm

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