Janki Bai of Allahabad was born in Benares in 1875. At some point after becoming a courtesan, an attacker slashed her face with fifty-six wounds – earning her the nickname “chappan chhuri” which means fifty-six daggers. She was trained in Indian classical music by Ustad Hassu Khan.
This disc was from her very first recording session. The selection, a ghazal, is a love poem set to music. It is also labeled as a kawali, a devotional singing style of the Sufi Islamic tradition. The title loosely translates to: “My heart has been drawn towards an infidel”.
“As far as is known at present, Janki Bai made her first recordings for The Gramophone and Typewriter, Ltd., at Delhi in March, 1907 during the sessions conducted by William Conrad Gaisberg, assisted by George Walter Dillnutt. Janki Bai gave 22 recordings in this recording session, although she was paid Rs 250 for 20 titles… Delhi recording sessions were reissued as double sided discs and these double sided Gramophone Concert Record labelled releases had achieved sales of 12,825 pieces by February 1911, the sales of the 1907 titles accounting for 3,746 discs.”
– Michael Kinnear, Discography of Janki Bai of Allahabad
At the end of the recording, you can hear her clearly say: ‘Mera naam Janki bai Allahabad.’
Recorded in Delhi in March, 1907.
Released as Gramophone Concert Record G.C.-3-13642 (E 5383e) in January 1909.
Later reissued as HMV P.234 (Jan 1916) and Twin FT.531 (Jun 1931).
Credits:
Janki Bai – vocals
Unknown accompanists – harmonium (?), tabla
Sources:
The Record News: Journal of the Society of Indian Record Collectors, Vol 14, April 1994. https://archive.org/details/trn_14
“Janki Bai, singer disfigured by 56 stab wounds sold more records than her contemporaries”, Vikram Sampath, June 2, 2019, The Print. https://theprint.in/opinion/treasured-tunes/janki-bai-singer-disfigured-by-56-stab-wounds-sold-more-records-than-her-contemporaries/243124/
The Untold Story of Janki Bai “CHHAPPAN CHHURI”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yaLbiAKfoQ
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