TheronShifflett at 13:18, 8 March 2026

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{{Short description|Musical artist (1883–1974)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Anjanibai Malpekar
| image = File:Ravi Varma-Lady playing the swarbat.jpg
| image_size =
| landscape = 
| spouse = Seth Wasanji Ved
| alt =
| caption = ''Lady Playing the Swarbat'', a painting by [[Raja Ravi Varma]], featuring Malpekar as the muse.
| birth_name =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1883|04|22}}
| birth_place = [[Pernem]], [[Goa]], [[Portuguese India]]
| origin =
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1974|08|07|1883|04|22}}
| death_place = [[Bombay, Maharashtra]], India
| module = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| genre = [[Hindustani classical music]]
| occupation = vocalist, music educator
| instrument =
| years_active = 1899–1923
| label =
| associated_acts =
| website = 
}}
}}

'''Anjanibai Malpekar''' (22 April 1883 – 7 August 1974) was an [[Indian classical music|Indian classical]] singer, belonging to the [[Bhendibazaar gharana]] of [[Hindustani classical music]]. In 1958, she became the first woman to be awarded the [[List of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellows|Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]], the highest honour conferred by the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.<ref name=sna/> Acclaimed for her beauty in her youth, Malpekar was the muse of painters [[Raja Ravi Varma]] and [[M. V. Dhurandhar]].

==Early life==
Anjanibai Malpekar was born on 22 April 1883, in Malpe, [[Pernem]] in [[Portuguese Goa]], in music loving family that belonged to [[Goan]] [[Kalavant]] community.<ref name="Ltd1985"/> Both her grandmother Gujabai and mother Nabubai were respected names in music circles.<ref name="Sá1997">{{cite book|author=Mário Cabral e Sá|title=Wind of fire: the music and musicians of Goa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fmefAAAAMAAJ|pages=163–164|year=1997|publisher=Promilla & Co.|isbn=978-81-85002-19-4}}</ref>Her grandfather Vasudev Malpekar was also a respected classical musician and singer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parrikar.org/vpl/catalogue/hindustani/anjanibai-malpekar/ |title=About Anjanibai Malpekar |publisher=Rajan Parrikar Music Archive}}</ref> At a young age of 8, she started her musical training under the tutelage of [[Ustad]] Nazeer Khan of [[Bhendibazaar gharana]].<ref name="record"/><ref name="Nadkarni1999">{{cite book|author=Mohan Nadkarni|title=The great masters: profiles in Hindustani classical vocal music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_kTAQAAIAAJ|year=1999|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers India|pages=127–129|isbn=9788172232849}}</ref> The [[gharana]] had its origins in the much older Moradabad gharana, and was based in the [[Bhendi Bazaar]] area of [[Bombay]].<ref name="Grimes2008">{{cite book|author=Jeffrey Michael Grimes|title=The Geography of Hindustani Music: The Influence of Region and Regionalism on the North Indian Classical Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8eoNVmfGBLoC&pg=PA160|year=2008|isbn=978-1-109-00342-0|page=160 }}</ref>Anjanibai Malpekar has a [[devadasi]] background.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewire.in/the-arts/a-maddening-sweet-utterance |title=A Maddening Sweet Utterance |publisher=WIRE |access-date=2016-03-05}}</ref>In addition to being proficient in classical music, is also an excellent kathak dancer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.past-india.com/photos-items/bombay-songstress-model-for-ravi-varmas-painting-1900-pc/ |title=Bombay Songstress Model For Ravi Varma's Painting,1900 postcard |publisher=Past-India
|access-date=2025-05-04}}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Raja_Ravi_Varma,_Lady_in_the_Moon_Light_(1889).jpg|thumb|Malpekar became the muse for [[Raja Ravi Varma]]'s "Lady in the Moon Light" (1889)]]
Malpekar gave her debut performance at a concert in [[Bombay]], [[British India]], in 1899, at the age of 16. In those days, women of "respectable families" never sang in public, while Malepakar went on to have a flourishing singing career, with both public and royal patronage. In time, she became the doyenne of the [[gharana]].<ref name="record"/><ref name="Pinto2003">{{cite book|author1=Jerry Pinto|author2=Naresh Fernandes|title=Bombay, Meri Jaan: Writings on Mumbai|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hZjNWaIm_eUC&pg=PA286|year=2003|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-302966-3|page=286}}</ref>

Besides her singing, she also got acclaim for her beauty. When painter [[M. V. Dhurandhar]] did an oil painting of her, another painter [[Raja Ravi Varma]] was inspired, and went to do a series of paintings with her as muse, including "Lady in the Moonlight", "Lady Playing Swarbat", "Mohini" and "The Heartbroken", She modelled for him during his stay in Bombay in 1901 and 1903.<ref name="Dalmia2001">{{cite book|author=Yashodhara Dalmia|title=The making of modern Indian art: the progressives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLWfAAAAMAAJ|page=14|date=15 March 2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-565328-1}}</ref><ref name="VarmaNeumayer2005">{{cite book|author1=C. Raja Raja Varma|author2=Erwin Neumayer|author3=Christine Schelberger|title=Raja Ravi Varma Portrait of an Artist: The Diary of C. Raja Raja Varma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UfbVAAAAMAAJ|page= 255|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press India|isbn=978-0-19-565971-9}}</ref> However this wasn't without its drawback, especially when singing in public concerts meant singing primarily to a male audience, this often led to harassment. Thus in 1904, she even developed fear of singing in public, and lost her voice, though she regained it after a year.<ref name="record"/>

===Marriage and later years===
Meanwhile, she married Seth Wasanji Ved. After a successful career as a singer, after the death of her Guru Ustad Nazeer Khan in 1920, she lost interest in concerts. Finally, after a last performance at [[Asiatic Society of Mumbai#Town Hall|Town Hall, Mumbai]], she gave up her public singing career in 1923.<ref name="record">{{Cite web | title = Anjanibai Malpekar | url = http://www.womenonrecord.com/music-makers/artists/anjanibai-malpekar | publisher =Women on Record | access-date = 13 July 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Kosambi2000">{{cite book|author=Meera Kosambi|title=Intersections: Socio-cultural Trends in Maharashtra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XU8dmAiaZSgC&pg=PA203|year=2000|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-1878-0|page=203}}</ref> Thus at age 40, she decided to devote the rest of her years, to teaching music. In the coming decades, she taught some notable names in Indian classical music, including [[Kumar Gandharva]] who was her first disciple,<ref name="Deśapāṇḍe1989"/> [[Kishori Amonkar]],<ref name="Deśapāṇḍe1989">{{cite book|author=Vāmana Harī Deśapāṇḍe|title=Between Two Tanpuras|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-EkDt0Gboe8C&pg=PA131|year=1989|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-0-86132-226-8|page=131}}</ref><ref name="hindu">{{Cite news | title = Class is permanent | url = http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/class-is-permanent/article4557993.ece | newspaper = The Hindu | date =28 March 201 | access-date = 6 August 2013 | last1 = Kumar | first1 = Kuldeep }}</ref> Pandit T.D. Janorikar (1921–2006),<ref>{{cite web|title=Pandit T.D.Janorikar passes away |url=http://www.itcsra.org/sra_news_views/obituary/td_janorikar.html |publisher=[[ITC Sangeet Research Academy]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503225732/http://www.itcsra.org/sra_news_views/obituary/td_janorikar.html |archive-date=3 May 2014 }}</ref> [[Begum Akhtar]] and [[Naina Devi (singer)|Naina Devi]].<ref name="record"/> By the 1960s, Bhendibazar gharana based in Mumbai, became famous all over India, with number of popular musicians, besides [[Aman Ali Khan]], it had Jhande Khan, Mamman Khan, Shabbir and Amir Khan.<ref name="Pinto2003"/>

==Honours==
In 1958, when for her contribution to music, she was awarded the [[List of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellows|Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]] the highest honour conferred by [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama, she became the first woman to receive the award.<ref name=sna>{{cite web|url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/fellowslist.htm |title=SNA: List of Sangeet Natak Akademi ''Ratna Puraskar''winners (Akademi Fellows) |publisher=SNA Official website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023617/http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/fellowslist.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Cultural Forum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3qofAQAAIAAJ|page = 81}}</ref>

==Death==
She died on 7 August 1974 in [[Bombay]] (now Mumbai), at the age of 91.<ref name="Ltd1985">{{cite book|author=Durga Das Pvt. Ltd|title=Eminent Indians who was who, 1900–1980, also annual diary of events|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bLEZAAAAYAAJ|page =13|year=1985|publisher=Durga Das Pvt. Ltd.}}</ref><ref name="oxford">{{Cite web | title = Oxford Reference: Anjanibāi Mālpekar | url = http://www.oxfordreference.com/search?q=Anjanib%C4%81i%20M%C4%81lpekar | publisher = Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India | access-date = 6 August 2013 }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Raja Ravi Varma, In Contemplation.jpg|''The Heartbroken'' by Raja Ravi Varma
File:Ladies in the moonlight by RRV.jpg|''Ladies in the Moon Light'' by Raja Ravi Varma
File:Mohini on a swing.jpg|[[:File:Mohini on a swing.jpg|''Mohini'']] by Raja Ravi Varma
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite journal|title=Anjanibai Malpekar|publisher=Lipika|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KQzlAAAAMAAJ|year=1974|volume= 3| issue = 3–4|pages=16–20}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Anjanibai Malpekar}}
* [http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=536 Anjanibai Malpekar Biography and Audio] Vijaya Parrikar Library of Indian Classical Music
{{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malpekar, Anjanibai}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:Hindustani singers]]
[[Category:Indian women classical singers]]
[[Category:Musicians from North Goa district]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]]
[[Category:Singers from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian music educators]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:Women educators from Goa]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:Singers from Goa]]
[[Category:Women Hindustani musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Educators from Goa]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Goa]]
[[Category:Indian women music educators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women educators]]
[[Category:Singers from British India]]
[[Category:Indian courtesans]]
[[Category:Kathak dancers]]

Anjanibai Malpekar - Revision history

TheronShifflett at 13:18, 8 March 2026