The challenge of keeping alive thumri, labelled as a light musical form
The HinduLiving in the digital age has it own perks, especially for women, who have found their voice on social media, which has now become a platform for advocacy and change. In 2011, Vinod Kapur, a businessman with a deep passion for music, launched the Purab Ang Gayaki Utsav, a series of concerts to promote thumri, dadra, chaiti and more in different Indian cities. Instead of referring to them as light forms, he came up with the term ‘Purab Ang Gayaki’ since these forms evolved in the Ganga-Jamuni region and are reflective of an inclusive way of life. Most of the performers and winners were from Bengal.” After Girija Devi’s passing, Vinod Kapur was distressed over the lack of gurus who could familiarise the learners of the rustic yet complex Purab Ang Gayaki with the dialects, literature, culture of the Ganga-Jamuni region. While they highlighted ‘kahan’ as the most important aspect of thumri, or spirituality within the seemingly plain lyrics, Punjab Ang, actually Purab Ang with Patiala nuances, had tappa of Purab Ang that differed from the original tappa of the camel riders of Punjab and Sindh.
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