Hirabai Barodekar

♫ Raga Ramkali

♫ Marathi Natyageet
[From VIDYAHARAN (1913), based on Patnam Subramanya Iyer’s kriti Varamulosagi in Raga Kirvani]

 

About Hirabai Barodekar

Hirabai Barodekar (1905-1989), the second child of Kirana founder Abdul Karim Khan and Tarabai, was born in Miraj. She was trained by several eminent musicians of the day, such as Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze, Balkrishnabuwa Kapileshwari, Govindrao Tembe, and Abdul Waheed Khan. Hirabai was an outstanding allround performer displaying felicity in Khayal as well as auxillary genres such as Thumri, Bhajan, Bhavgeet and Natyageet. She was also an accomplished Marathi stage actress, highly regarded in Maharshtra and Goa. She was awarded the Padmabhushan in 1970. Two of her siblings – Sureshbabu Mane and Saraswatibai Rane – went on to distinguished careers in music. A mong Hirabai’s well-known disciples is Prabha Atre.