Girija Devi’s daughter: Appa ji never forced me to take up classical
Sudha Datta, daughter of the late doyen of Indian Classical music, Girija Devi, recently collected the Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement conferred on her mother. “Appa ji was Benares personified. Benares ran through her veins,” she notes, and says that it was discipline that made her the queen of thumri.
Recollecting the legendary singer’s childhood memories from Varanasi’s Kabir Chaura, Datta says, “During her teen years, she lived in solitude for almost a year at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, for sur-sadhana (meditation on music). The secret behind her long, active life was her discipline.”
Behind Girija Devi’s innocent smile was a teacher and classical maestro held in high regard by other artists. “Once, Pt Bhimsen Joshi visited Appaji before his concert in Kolkata. He was a heavy drinker, and locked himself up in the bathroom as he didn’t want to do it in front of Appaji,” laughs Datta.
Girija, who would dislike Hindi film songs because they lacked “soulful lyrics”, loved singers Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar. Her favourite films were Umrao Jaan (1981) and Pakeezah (1972).”
Datta further reveals her mother’s love for comedy films, films based on historical subjects, and her aversion to violence, be it cinema or life. “The violence over the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and the nuclear weapon testing by North Korea deeply upset her.”
Datta shares that her mother loved cooking, and “would cook halwa even at midnight. Even on the morning of recording her first album, she prepared poori sabzi for almost 50 people. I use to tease her saying she must be a Devi for caring for everyone like her children. And Appa ji used to joke that she would live for ninety years, and would leave this world singing. She truly lived like a queen and died like one, on her own terms,” she recollects.
Pt Bhimsen Joshi, who was a heavy drinker, locked himself up in a bathroom as he didn’t want to drink in front of Appaj
SUDHA DATTA, DAUGHTER OF GIRIJA DEVI