Part Two: Two Journeys through the History of Hindustani Music

Saba Dewan and Namita Devidayal are the authors of Tawaifnama and The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan respectively. While the former is a multi-generational chronicle of one family of well known tawaifs with roots in Banaras and Bhabua, the latter tells the story of the sitar maestro Vilayat Khan. In the first part of this conversation, they talked about the making of the books, the complex lives their protagonists lead, how these complexities are perceived. In the second and final part, they discuss the impact of Bhatkhande-Paluskar reforms and the advent of recording technology on Hindustani classical music. This programme was organised at the May Day Bookstore and was moderated by Ashwini Deshpande.