Sharan Rani Backliwal
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Sharan Rani Backliwal | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Sharan Rani Mathur |
Born | Delhi | 9 April 1929
Died | 8 April 2008 Delhi | (aged 78)
Genres | Indian classical music |
Occupation(s) | instrumentalist, music scholar |
Instrument(s) | sarod |
Sharan Rani (also known as Sharan Rani Backliwal,
Her private collection of 379 musical instruments ranging from the 15th to the 19th century is now part of the "Sharan Rani Backliwal Gallery of Musical Instruments" at the
Early life and training
She was born Sharan Rani Mathur in the walled city of
Musical career
From the late 1930s, Sharan Rani presented her sarod recitals on the concert stage in India for over seven decades. She was one of the first to record for
Concerned that the rich Dhrupad tradition was fading away, some of her solo recitals were accompanied by both Tabla and Pakhawaj.
Rani was one of the earliest artists of All India Radio and Doordarshan. She was popularly known as 'Sarod Rani' (The Queen of Sarod). Sharan Rani was the first woman Instrumentalist of India who achieved international acclaim.[7][8]
Musical authorship and teaching
Backliwal also wrote a history of the sarod, titled The Divine Sarod: Its Origin, Antiquity and Development,
Backliwal taught music through the Guru–shishya tradition and never took any fees from her students. Many students also lived in her house as her resident-disciples for several years, free of charge.
Backliwal donated to the
Musical Instruments Collection
The collection includes instruments that represent various gharanas and regions spanning from the 15th to the 19th century. These are as follows:[10]
- Mayuri Sitar (1850) acquired from a royal family in Rajasthan
- Tiger Head Rabab from Kashmir
- Durbari Sitar (1850)
- Vina (1825)
Personal life
In 1960, she married Sultan Singh Backliwal who belonged to a prominent Digamber Jain business family of Delhi. In 1974, they had a daughter, Radhika Narain.[3] After battling cancer for a few years, she died on 8 April 2008, a day before her 79th birthday.
Awards and honours
In 2004, the government of India honoured select artists by conferring upon them the title of 'National Artiste'. Sharan Rani was the only woman instrumentalist to receive this title.
Other awards and honours she received include:
- Vishnu Digambar Parithoshik (1953)
- Padma Shri (1968)[11]
- Sahitya Kala Parishad Award (1974)[12]
- 'Acharya' and 'Tantri Vilas' (1979)
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1986)[13]
- Rajiv Gandhi award for Vocational Excellence (1993)
- Distinguished Alumni award by Delhi University (1997)
- National Excellence award (1999)
- Padma Bhushan (2000)[11]
- Lifetime Achievement award (2000)
- Maharana Mewar Foundation award (2004)
- Kala Parishad award from Bhopal (2005)
Discography
Sharan Rani : The Legendary Queen of Sarod (Music today) (2008)[14]
The Great Sarod Virtuoso (1967)
Musique Classique Indienne (1967)[15]
References
- ^ "Sharan Rani passes away: (1929 - 2008)". ITC Sangeet Research Academy. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008.
- ^ "When the music faded: Sharan Rani Backliwal, India's first woman sarod exponent, is no more". The Hindu. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Collecting musical instruments with a mission". The Times of India. 25 September 2002. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013.
- ^ "Strumming new tunes". India Today. 6 March 2008.
- ^ "When the music faded". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ Lowen, Sharon (28 May 2019). "Sharan Rani, popularly known as 'Sarod Rani': A modern-day Mira". The Asian Age. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Sharan Rani, popularly known as 'Sarod Rani': A modern-day Mira". 28 May 2019.
- ^ "Sharan Rani Mathur".
- ISBN 978-1-85743-122-3.
- ^ "Collecting musical instruments with a mission - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2009)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Tribute to a Maestro-Sharan Rani".
- ^ "SNA: List of Akademi Awardees". Sangeet Natak Akademi Official website. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012.
- ^ "Sharan Rani - the Legendary Queen of Sarod by Sharan Rani".
- ^ "Musique Classique Indienne LP 1968 VOGUE". Amazon.