In Memoriam

Legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin called her the greatest artiste ever.

Legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin called her the greatest artiste ever. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru appointed her Indias cultural ambassador while Pt Omkarnath Thakur christened her Sarod Rani. Delhi-based sarod maestro Sharan Rani,hailed among the greats of Indian classical music in the mid-20th century,died in 2007. Now,a new documentary traces her journey as the first woman sarod player at a time when music was a vocation only of courtesans and men from illustrious gharanas.

The documentary was made by her daughter Radhika Backliwal Narain,36,when Rani was ailing from cancer in 2007. I was attempting to talk to her and capture an illustrious journey by having her reminisce about her glory days. I made this film without knowing anything about filmmaking.

Preserving these last interviews was a daughters tribute to her mother. I shot this film in some really traumatic times; everytime I spoke to her,I wondered if it was the last time we were talking, says Narain,who will screen the 26-minute film,Sharan RaniThe Divine Sarod Player in Delhi soon. The maestro passed away at her Babar Road residence on April 8,a day before her 80th birthday.

As a series of archival photos pass through the screen,Rani recalls her early days when she stumbled upon her brothers sarod. She speaks about the instant love with the masculine instrument,and about her days in Maihar in Madhya Pradesh where she later learned music from Ustad Allauddin Khan. This film includes never-before seen interviews,rare music clippings and clips of doyens of classical music talking about her.

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