This post features the Gangubai Hangal stamp. It is a fact that the contributions of women across all fields do not receive recognition on postage stamps. This is particularly true for music theme stamps. It is true across the globe, there are not enough stamps with women musicians from the United States, from Europe, or from most of the world. You can read about a few of them on other posts on this blog including stamps depicting Clara Schumann, Billie Holiday and Patsy Cline, among others. India does have some stamps featuring women, you can read about the singer D. K. Pattammal here. This post features another significant female musician from India: Gangubai Hangal.
Gangubai Hangal
Born in 1913, Gangubai Hangal’s mother and grandmother were both vocalists in the Carnatic (South Indian) tradition. However, at that time, it was not possible for a woman to pursue a career in music. Her mother was her first teacher, instructing her on traditional techniques and style. Gangubai began performing as a teenager.
Her only formal education was elementary school, but at the age of thirteen her family moved so that she could begin serious study of Hindustani (North Indian) music. She had several teachers in her teenage years including Krishnacharya Hulgur, Dattopant Desai, and then the guru Sawai Gandharva.
Due to prejudice against professional women musicians, Hangal struggled to gain attention and build a career. Then, by the 1930s, her reputation as a virtuosic singer was on the rise. She began to make recordings and would travel throughout India to sing wherever possible. Hangal became more widely known after she began singing for the All India Radio broadcasts in 1945. Early in her career, Hangal became known for singing light classical songs. By the late 1940s, though, she concentrated on the more serious khayal classical songs.
Hangal was known for her vocal quality and technical proficiency. Hangal was also famous for her beautifully, and impressively, ornamentations and her ability to improvise. During her lifetime, she received several awards including the Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Acadey Award (1962) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1996). In addition, the Karnataka music university in Mysore is named after Gangubai Hangal. After her death in 2009, the Karnataka state government held two days of official mourning for her.
The Stamp
Michel Number: IN 2841
The Gangubai Hangal stamp was one of eight stamps issued by India in 2014 to celebrate Indian musicians. In addition to Hangal, it also features international superstars like Ali Akhbar Khan and Ravi Shankar. This article describes the public event for their release. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, stated, “that as we pay tribute to eight of the greatest music maestros of contemporary India, we celebrate their life and work and their matchless legacy.” The design of the stamps, which appear singly or in a commemorative mini-sheet, is by Sankha Samanta. The printing was by the SPP company in Hyderabad.
Make sure to take time to listen to some of Gangubai Hangal’s performances.
