A review of the book 'My Name is Gauhar Jaan: Life and Times of a Musician' written by Vikram Sampath.
Vikram Sampath’s ‘My Name is Gauhar Jaan: Life and Times of a Musician’ is a meticulously researched and engrossing biography that revives the fascinating life of one of India’s earliest recording artists—Gauhar Jaan.
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Coming up: A review of the book 'My Name is Gauhar Jaan: Life and Times of a Musician' written by Vikram Sampath.
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Before I proceed, a full disclosure: This book was bought with my own money and not been provided to me by the author or publisher.
Little bit about the author:
Dr. Vikram Sampath is a historian based in Bangalore. He is the author of ten acclaimed books, including Splendours of Royal Mysore: The Untold Story of the Wodeyars, Voice of the Veena: S. Balachander, Women of the Records, and Indian Classical Music and the Gramophone, 1900─1930. His two-volume biography of V. D. Savarkar, Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past, 1881─1924 and Savarkar: A Contested Legacy, 1924─1966, Bravehearts of Bharat: Vignettes from Indian History and Waiting for Shiva: Unearthing the Truth of Kashi’s Gyan Vapi, have all gone on to become national bestsellers.
In 2021, Vikram was elected a fellow of the prestigious Royal Historical Society. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi’s first Yuva Puraskar in English literature and the ARSC International Award for excellence in historical research in New York for his book My Name Is Gauhar Jaan: Life and Times of a Musician.
Vikram was among four writers and artists selected as writers-in-residence at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2015. He has a doctorate in history and music from the University of Queensland, Australia, and was a senior research fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. He was also a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and Eisenhower Fellowships 2020 and a visiting fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. Currently, he is an adjunct senior fellow at Monash University, Australia.
Vikram is the founder of the Archive of Indian Music (AIM) and the Foundation for Indian Historical and Cultural Research (FIHCR).
Let me read a brief description of the book:
QUOTE
'My name is Gauhar Jaan!'—the earliest recordings of Indian music are characterised by this high-pitched announcement made towards the end of the rendition. This declaration epitomised a milestone in the history of Indian classical music, one that would forever change its content, structure and style.
Born Eileen Angelina Yeoward, an Armenian Christian who later converted to Islam, Gauhar Jaan (1873-1930) was a naturally gifted musician with an outstanding repertoire. One of the earliest women artists who seized the opportunity that came with the advent of recording technology, hers was the first Indian voice to ever be recorded in 1902. In the course of her illustrious career, she cut close to 600 records.
This book traces the story of her life with all its attendant myths, legends and lore—some of which are recorded, some apocryphal—as well as the times during which she lived and made exquisite music. The socio-cultural context serves to put her contributions to Hindustani music and the role of women in it, in perspective. Through her music, an attempt is made to analyze the different genres of Hindustani music that Gauhar and singers like her popularized, namely the Thumri, Dadra and Ghazal. The book also briefly describes the evolution of the recording industry in India and its impact on Indian music, theatre and social life.
UNQUOTE
Vikram Sampath’s ‘My Name is Gauhar Jaan: Life and Times of a Musician’ is a meticulously researched and engrossing biography that revives the fascinating life of one of India’s earliest recording artists—Gauhar Jaan.
Sampath resurrects the life of this iconic figure, whose contributions to Indian classical music, particularly thumri and khayal, remain unparalleled, while shedding light on the vibrant cultural milieu of colonial India.
Sampath skillfully weaves her personal triumphs and struggles—her rise to fame, tumultuous relationships, and eventual decline—against the backdrop of a changing India under British rule. Gauhar’s story is one of resilience, as she navigated societal prejudices, gender constraints, and the shifting dynamics of patronage in a rapidly modernizing world.
Let me quote a paragraph from the book:
QUOTE
The class of neo-literate Indians, armed with modern, English education in schools set up by Christian missionaries, freely embraced Western ideals. They began to look down upon various aspects of their own culture and traditions, especially the performing arts which were now seen to be synonymous with a debased and debauched feudal set-up dominated by tawaifs, prostitutes, nawabs and zamindars. Coincidentally, from this very same class of neo-literate Indians emerged the various social reform movements and the freedom movement. They too held the tawaif in utter contempt.
UNQUOTE
As the eminent reformer Keshab Chandra Sen postulated:
‘Hell is in her eyes. In her breast is a vast ocean of poison. Round her comely waist dwells the furies of hell. Her hands are brandishing unseen daggers ever ready to strike unwary or wilful victims that fall in her way. Her blandishments are India’s ruin. Alas! Her smile is India’s death.’
Sampath’s strength lies in his ability to balance scholarly rigor with engaging storytelling. Drawing from archival records, rare recordings, and oral histories, he paints a vivid portrait of Gauhar’s flamboyant personality—her love for opulence, sharp wit, and fierce independence. The book also delves into her pioneering role in the recording industry, where her voice, preserved on early gramophone discs, helped democratize music and immortalize her legacy. Sampath’s descriptions of the kothas (salons), musical soirees, and Gauhar’s performances are evocative, transporting readers to a bygone era of artistic splendor.
Conclusion:
My Name is Gauhar Jaan is a landmark contribution to India’s cultural history. Sampath rescues Gauhar from historical obscurity and restores her to her rightful place as a pioneering figure in Indian music. It is not just a biography—it is also an ode to a lost world of musical excellence and female agency. Sampath’s passion for his subject and his meticulous research make this a must-read for lovers of music, history, and stories of bold, boundary-breaking women. It’s a celebration of Gauhar’s indomitable spirit and a poignant reminder of the cultural treasures India risks forgetting.
I give this book 4.25/5.
The book is available in Hardcover, Paperback and Kindle formats. It is yet to be made available in Audible format. I have given the respective buy links in the show notes. Please check them out for the latest prices.
Please note that the back cover mentions that there is an enclosed CD with the book but my copy didn’t arrive with one and when I contacted Amazon Customer Service, I was told that this has been stopped for a while now. I wish that the contents of the CD are uploaded on some website so that we can access it.
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