(Bookshelf) Separating the myth from reality of the lives of courtesans

This meticulously researched work goes back two-and-a half millennia and details the lives of ten select courtesans.

With his recital, Madhur shed light on the evolved and intricate culture of the ‘devadasi’, which is the base of the elite but maligned courtesan community, which suffered because the British eroded the tradition to a great extent.

Courtesans were not merely entertainers through dance, music, and poetry, but also repositories of refined manners and a finer lifestyle that young princes were sent to learn. They wielded tremendous power in their circles, and although they did not directly have a say in political matters, their influence amounted to being decisive in crucial matters.

One such personality was Begum Hazrat Mahal, whom Madhur calls ‘The Rebel Courtesan’ in his book. This Begum of Awadh led the rebellion against the East India Company in 1857, after her husband, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, fell to the British.

Madhur highlighted that it is an unfortunate misconception that the life a courtesan is understood as one of promiscuity — “there were courtesans who had just one partner throughout,” he said.

Delving deeper into his subject, Madhur made the point that the traditional ‘gharanas’ of Indian classical music were headed by male artistes, and women performers were reduced to the status of “naachne gaane wali”.