Centuries ago, in the royal courts and grand mansions of India, women adorned in flowing silks and radiant jewels captivated audiences with their graceful dances, haunting melodies, and poetic recitations. These women, known as tawaifs, were not merely entertainers; they were revered artists who were distinguished in the cultural fabric of the Mughal Empire and beyond.
The term tawaif is derived from the Arabic word tauf, which means ‘to go round and round.’ Initially used to refer to a group of skilled musicians, the term was later ascribed to a unique class of women who were not only gifted dancers and singers but also poets, intellectuals, and cultural icons. These women were celebrated for their talents and mastery of the arts, earning respect and admiration, not ridicule, from the noble classes.
The rise of tawaif culture began during the eighteenth century, particularly under the Mughal Empire. The royal courts, hubs of artistic and intellectual activity, welcomed tawaifs to perform at grand gatherings. They became integral to the cultural life of the period, and their influence extended far beyond mere entertainment.
Writers and scholars of the Mughal court, like Abul Fazl, mentioned them in their memoirs with admiration. In Ain-e-Akbari, Fazl described a group of female performers known as the ‘Kanjari.’ He wrote:
The Kanjarí: The men of this class play the Pakháwaj, the Rabáb, and the Tála while the women sing and dance. His Majesty calls them Kanchanís. Their extraordinary performances are beyond description, and each of them affects a special style of vocal accompaniment.
The profession of tawaif was often hereditary. Girls were trained from a tender age in the art of music, dance, and poetry and taught how to carry themselves with grace and poise. As they matured, they accompanied older courtesans to social gatherings and performances, honing their skills in the process. However, not all tawaifs came from hereditary lines. Many women, drawn to the world of art and culture, entered the profession later in life, lured by the prestige and opportunities it offered.
Among the most celebrated tawaifs was Azeezunbai, a courtesan from Lucknow. Her kotha—or house of entertainment—was not only a centre of cultural gatherings but also a sanctuary for political rebels. She became a patron of the arts, providing shelter to those who challenged British rule. Such acts of defiance painted a different side of tawaif life, showing these women as not just entertainers but as figures of courage and defiance in a turbulent political landscape.
Yet, by the nineteenth century, the respect once accorded to tawaifs began to fade. As colonial rule tightened its grip over India, the British administration and the emerging bourgeois class looked upon the profession with disdain. The term tawaif became synonymous with ‘prostitute,’ and their art was marginalised. The cultural contributions of these women were overshadowed by societal changes that viewed their profession with growing disapproval.
Despite the decline in prestige, the cinematic portrayal of tawaif culture would keep their legacy alive, albeit in a romanticised manner. Films like Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan and Kamal Amrohi’s Devdas have depicted the lives of tawaifs as a blend of beauty, tragedy, and unattainable love, often highlighting their struggles in a world that denied them respect.
A significant shift in the tawaif tradition occurred when women of mixed descent—often called Eurasians—began to enter the profession. These women, who were not native dancers or singers, became some of the most famous tawaifs of their time. They were known as Ganewalis (singers), and their exotic backgrounds combined with their prodigious talents brought them both fame and fortune. Among them was one woman whose name would become synonymous with the golden age of the tawaif—Malka Jan.
Malka Jan, born Victoria Hemmings to a British father and an Indian mother, lived a life that would be both tumultuous and triumphant. Her early life was marked by hardship. After her short-lived marriage to Robert William Yeoward, an Armenian Christian who abandoned her and their daughter, Victoria found herself struggling to make ends meet. With no support, she turned to the arts, learning the basics of music and dance.
Seeking refuge, Victoria found protection under Khurshid, a Muslim noble, and eventually converted to Islam, taking the name Malka Jan. Her daughter, born Angelina Yeoward, was renamed Gauhar Jan. Together, they moved to Varanasi, where Malka Jan revived her career, drawing upon the rich musical traditions of the city. She trained under the guidance of ustads from Varanasi and Calcutta, slowly transforming into one of the most famous tawaifs of her time. Her fame grew so vast that she was referred to as ‘Memsahib Tawaif Benarsi,’ a title denoting both her grace and her wealth.
By the 1880s, Malka Jan’s influence was so great that she became one of the wealthiest and most admired figures in North India. Her home in Calcutta on Chitpore Road became a centre of artistic excellence, and her music, captured in Dewan-i-Malka Jan, made her a household name. Ram Babu Saksena, one of the early historians of Urdu literature, included Malka Jan in his anthology of poets, praising her poetic prowess and command over the Hindi language.
Malka Jan’s daughter, Gauhar Jan, followed in her footsteps. Despite a troubled childhood, she inherited her mother’s musical genius. By 1902, Gauhar Jan became a star in her own right, recording over 600 songs in multiple languages. She quickly earned a reputation as one of the finest vocalists of her era. Her success was marked by her extravagant lifestyle—she insisted on travelling in a four-horse carriage, a symbol of her fame and stature.
However, like many before her, Gauhar Jan’s life was not without its challenges. Her relationships with the wrong men led to a series of expensive lawsuits, which ultimately forced her to leave Calcutta. She sought refuge in the court of the Maharaja of Mysore, but her star had begun to dim. On January 17, 1930, Gauhar Jan passed away in a hospital in obscurity, her once-glorious career now a distant memory.
The stories of Malka Jan and Gauhar Jan remain etched in the annals of history, their names synonymous with the golden age of the tawaif. These women, abandoned by their families, created empires out of their art, only to be relegated to the margins of history. Their contributions to Indian music, dance, and poetry are still remembered today, though their names are often forgotten. The legacy of the tawaif culture, however, lives on in the melodies they created, the poetry they recited, and the roles they played in shaping the cultural history of Hindostan.
-30-
Copyright©Madras Courier, All Rights Reserved. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from madrascourier.com and redistribute by email, post to the web, mobile phone or social media.Please send in your feed back and comments to [email protected]
