Bai Singing of Indian music... 1 / 2
4,276 views · Published 16 August 2011 · 12:15 · Indexed 26 October 2026
Channel: IMIRZA777 · 2011 · Music
I am highly thankful to my friend Mr. Vipan (BharatGul) to write the preface for this collection of Bai singing... "The suffix " bai "in female names originally represented something respectful, like "lady" in English. The best examples are of Akbar's Hindu wife Jodha Bai, and the Rani of Jhansi, Lakshmi Bai. In Rajasthan , Gujarat and Maharashtra, the original respectful usage continues today. In the Punjab, Delhi ,U.P., and Bihar areas, the term Bai at some point came to be applied to, or was appropriated by, courtesans and other female professional singers. Under traditional notions of female " chastity," the word came to acquire an odious connotation as all such women were presumed to be "impure" due to their free association with male patrons." ... BharatGul
