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Overview
When Namita is ten years old, her mother takes her to Kennedy Bridge, a seamy neighborhood in Bombay, home to hookers and dance girls. There, in a cramped one-room apartment lives Dhondutai, the last living disciple of two of the finest Indian classical singers of the twentieth century: the legendary Alladiya Khan and the great songbird Kesarbai Kerkar. Namita begins to learn singing from Dhondutai, at first reluctantly and then, as the years pass, with growing passion. Dhondutai sees in her a second Kesarbai, but does Namita have the dedication to give herself up completely to the discipline like her teacher? Or will there always be too many late nights and cigarettes? And where do love and marriage fit into all of this?
A bestseller in India, where it was a literary sensation, The Music Room is a deeply moving meditation on how traditions and life lessons are passed along generations, on the sacrifices made by women through the ages, and on a largely unknown, but vital aspect of Indian life and culture that will utterly fascinate American readers.
Synopsis
When Namita is ten years old, her mother takes her to Kennedy Bridge, a seamy neighborhood in Bombay, home to hookers and dance girls. There, in a cramped one-room apartment lives Dhondutai, the last living disciple of two of the finest Indian classical singers of the twentieth century: the legendary Alladiya Khan and the great songbird Kesarbai Kerkar. Namita begins to learn singing from Dhondutai, at first reluctantly and then, as the years pass, with growing passion. Dhondutai sees in her a second Kesarbai, but does Namita have the dedication to give herself up completely to the discipline like her teacher? Or will there always be too many late nights and cigarettes? And where do love and marriage fit into all of this?
A bestseller in India, where it was a literary sensation, The Music Room is a deeply moving meditation on how traditions and life lessons are passed along generations, on the sacrifices made by women through the ages, and on a largely unknown, but vital aspect of Indian life and culture that will utterly fascinate American readers.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Devidayal is a "reluctant ten-year-old" when she shows up for her first lesson in classical Indian singing, but the occasion marks the beginning of her musical lifetime, as chronicled in her new memoir. As a student at an Anglican school in Bombay, Devidayal is more at home speaking English and playing badminton than practicing the tanpura, an Indian stringed instrument. But as she progresses from one-note lessons to real ragas, she begins to realize that her mentor, the much-revered but never-quite-famous Dhondutai Kulkarni, offers life lessons as well as music lessons. Through the many stories Dhondutai relays to Devidayal (which range from factual to mythic), the reader is treated to a detailed history of Hindustani classical music and many intimate anecdotes regarding Dhondutai's own gurus, the legendary Bhurji Khan and Kesarbai Kerkar. Devidayal, who graduated from Princeton and now works as a journalist with the Times of India, was a gifted young singer, but lacked the passion to pursue the art professionally. This graceful memoir is a provocative illustration of music's unifying force in a religiously and socially stratified country. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Library Journal
Part coming-of-age story, part meditation on the classical music traditions of India, this book tells of the relationship between Devidayal, a young musical prodigy and daughter of privilege, and Dhondutai, her dignified, gifted teacher. From Dhondutai, the author learns an oral tradition that has been handed down through the ages, and she gains a lifelong friend and mentor. Promising Namita chooses life as a journalist, wife, and mother over a music career but never gives up her lessons. Through flashbacks inspired by Dhondutai's tales, the latter's life as a premodern woman and an important figure in India's musical history is laid out in rich prose. Winner of the 2008 Crossword Popular Book Award, India's most prestigious book prize; for readers interested in women's issues or the history of music.
—EB
School Library Journal
Adult/High School
This highly accessible memoir describes the journey of a 10-year-old girl into the higher reaches of classical Indian music. It also tells the history of this ancient art form and the story of some of its greatest performers. Devidayal has now studied with the same teacher, Dhondutai, for more than 20 years. She succeeds in making her extraordinary story interesting even if the music and her country are unfamiliar to readers. Teens can see from the author's journey as a teenage protégé the rewards of rigorous devotion to something they love. They can also see that they have the right to follow their own dreams even if their parents have laid out a different future for them. As the book concludes in the present day, Devidayal continues to study with Dhondutai, but she is also a Princeton-educated professional journalist. This narrative serves to pass on some of the musical and cultural heritage of India even though the author has chosen to devote her life to writing and not to singing itself.-Will Marston, Berkeley Public Library, CA