When recording technology first arrived in India, it didn’t just change how music was heard but slowly altered who was heard. Among them were many women – the earliest and most influential adopters of this new medium. Her Voice. Her Story, an exhibition curated by Sahana Mohan at the Indian Music Experience Museum, is about those women, as it turns the spotlight on stories that slipped through the cracks of history.
“The exhibition grew out of a simple observation: women adapted to recording technology quickly and played a defining role in the history of recording. Their voices travelled far, but their stories did not,” says Mohan. The exhibition brings voice and story together, inviting visitors to encounter these women first as musicians and cultural leaders, and then to glimpse the social worlds they navigated.
Organised into three clusters, the show traces a layered narrative. The first focuses on pioneers who embraced the recording industry, reshaping how music was consumed; the second highlights mastery, foregrounding the rigour and range behind their art; the final explores authority and reform, examining how these women negotiated power, shaped institutions, and
used music to intervene in public life.
Visitors are introduced to each artiste through their recordings. “We wanted people to listen first and only then confront the social labels and stigma that often overshadow their artistry,” she notes. Many featured musicians came from devadasi and tawaif traditions – histories frequently burdened by moral judgment. Additionally, Mohan notes that the gramophone was a powerful disruptor, stating, “Recording allowed their music to travel across the country. Their voices became familiar influential, even when social norms restricted where they could appear in person.”
Research also unearthed several surprising stories. Teenage theatre performers Soshi Mukhi and Fani Bala were recorded days before the celebrated Gauhar Jaan, complicating long-held ideas of ‘firsts’. Salem Godavari, a devadasi Carnatic singer, negotiated her recording fee threefold and later willed her wealth to educational charities. Husna Bai of Banares used her musical authority to mobilise tawaifs for the freedom struggle.
Sourced from archival catalogues, digital sound collections and scholarly research, the exhibition avoids recycling only familiar names. “I hope visitors leave with new names, deeper respect for the labour behind the music, and a question, ‘Who gets remembered and who gets forgotten’,” Mohan says.
(The exhibition
concludes tomorrow.
Details: indianmusicexperience.org)