Song Sung True: A Memoir

$36
Item Code: IDF439
Author: Malka Pukhraj
Publisher: Zubaan Publications
Language: English
Edition: 2004
ISBN: 8186706607
Pages: 384
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 8.8" X 5.8"
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Shipped to 153 countries
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More than 1M+ customers worldwide
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100% Made in India
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23 years in business
Book Description
From the Jacket:

One of the grand 'singing ladies' who began their lives in the first quarter of the twentieth century, Malka Pukhraj was educated in Urdu, Persian, music and dance. These latter two became her life and she began her career as a court singer in the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, going on to become an independent performer, whose voice and words are now familiar to millions in the subcontinent.

In this remarkable, witty and candid account, Malka Pukhraj recalls her rich and eventful life. 'My birth' she begins, 'was nothing short of a miracle'. Then, in her simple and inimitable style, she takes us through her childhood as a court singer, her absorption in her music, and her bewilderment and than gradual understanding of the intrigues of court life. From singing and dancing, to acting, from childhood to adolescence and romance, and finally to marriage and family, the author brings the reader close to her sorrows and joys, her dilemmas and concerns, and ends with a moving and poignant account of the acceptance of old age, and all that it brings with it.

About the Author:

Saleem Kidwai is a historian who taught at Delhi University. He is co-editor, with Ruth Vanita, of Same Sex Love in India: Readings from Indian Literature and History (2000).

From the Back of the Book:

This must be one of the most gripping memories ever translated from an Indian language.

India Today

Song Sung True is one of those memoirs that make for compulsive reading. It is at one a rare and rich document of a woman singer caught in changing times and a remarkable commentary on the social landscape of South Asia in the first half of the 20th century.

The Telegraph

CONTENTS
Translator's Note VI
1. My Birth 1
2. Childhood 6
3. My Father 12
4. My Education 18
5. My First Singing Teacher 25
6. My Love For Music 29
7. My Aunt 31
8. A Second Meeting with Baba Roti Ram 35
9. Baba Charas Sahib 37
10. Delhi 40
11. Ustad Mamman Khan 49
12. The Addition of Another Ustad 55
13. Our Return from Delhi 60
14. Guests at the Coronation 70
15. The Eve of the Coronation 73
16. The Coronation Procession 79
17. Maharaja Pratap Singh 86
18. Maharaja Hari Singh 89
19. The People of Jammu 97
20. My First Visit to Kashmir 105
21. Nishat Bagh 109
22. Maharani Dharamkot 113
23. The Birthday and Basant Durbars 115
24. His Highness' Visit to England 118
25. His Highness Cooks 122
26. Lachchigam 125
27. Main Maula Baksh Talwandiwale 131
28. Maulana Sahib 133
29. Holi 136
30. The Maharani of Cooch Behar 139
31. The Royal Shikars 141
32. The Exhibition 146
33. The Houseboat Owners 149
34. Dussehra 153
35. Labhu Ram's Theatre 156
36. The Maharaja of Alwar 160
37. Kashmiri Food 168
38. Polo in Lahore 172
39. Mehr Nigar 176
40. My Desire to Speak English 182
41. Maharajas and Their Affairs 184
42. Rani Billauran 191
43. Hindu Muslims Roits 200
44. The Lady From Amritsar 209
45. How the Maharajas Acquired the Kingdom 215
46. After My Employment 221
47. Futile Dreams of Love 236
48. My Visit to Patiala 245
49. Rai Sahib 256
50. Lodhran and After 263
Select Glossary 377
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