Aeolian Concert Hall, London, 1935.
Wearing a simple sari, 22-year-old Philomena Thamboo Chetty played Vivaldi, Bach, Debussy and others to an enthralled European audience unaccustomed to the sight of an Indian playing violin.Her delightful performance received rave reviews – “What gifts India is giving to England these days” (Roy’s Weekly), “She has an easy style and a pleasant tone” (Musical Opinion), “She is already a shade ahead of any of the violinists of the East” (Sunday Statesman).
With this act, a musical child prodigy from Mysore bust through the Empire’s glass ceiling, entered into Europe’s most elite concert halls and marking the start of her professional music career.
Her achievements in music are legendary, her contributions are considered to be part of the Indian renaissance and compared to Rabindranath Tagore, Sir C V Raman and Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Yet, little to nothing is written about her today. The only known biography is a sketch of her titled “The Indian Fiddler Queen” – published in 1937 with a foreword written by C.V. Raman.
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