Anuradha Pal, a world renowned tabla player, has found mention in ‘Encyclopedia Britannica’, ‘Who’s Who Journal of the World’ and ‘Limca Book of Records’ for being the first female professional to play tabla. Her passion for the instrument was
visible when she was just 10. She went on to become the only Indian female
musician to perform at the famous Woodstock Festival in 2008. Monalisa Patsani of
Orissa POST spoke with Pal on her recent visit to the capital city. Excerpts:
You have received training from two legendary tabla players. What would you like to say about that?
I was playing tabla since an early age of ten and was already a sensation. I had performed all over the world. Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain surprised when they came to know about me. They appreciated me a lot and took me as their disciple.
What inspired you to form your band Stree Shakti?
I met many female artists who said that they do not get an equal opportunity to perform in comparison to their male counterparts. So, I decided to form the group with six best female artistes and together we have travelled across India and also performed at international music festivals.
What difficulties did you face after you decided to be a professional tabla player?
I faced lots of opposition and discrimination during the initial phase for choosing a male dominated profession. But I didn’t give up. I completely dedicated myself to tabla and made it clear that I would give my best so that people would be compelled to listen to my music. I believe that people should judge a person by their work and not by gender. Let their work speak.
Do you think that people’s mentality towards tabla players has changed over time?
It has changed to some extent, but still there is a lot of room for improvement. There are some people who still ask me why a female should play tabla.
People still judge an artist on the basis of their gender. One should always be judged on the basis of their talent and performance.
What needs to be done to bring a change?
Government should come up with plans to encourage female artists at various music festivals all over India. Roughly, out of 1,000 artistes performing at such fests, only 100 are female artistes. So encouragement is essential.
Which other legendary artistes have you performed with?
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain gave me an opportunity to perform with them. I learned a lot from them and always cherish such moments.
What message would you like to give to young girls who want to be musicians?
They should never think themselves as girls, but as an individual. They should believe in themselves. I often suggest my students to consider themselves as an artist. If they are suspicious about themselves, then they are never going to make it. Faith is what they should have and good training.