Percussionist Anuradha Pal tells Chahak Mittal that when music is universal, its creators cannot be specific to one gender. She further discusses her struggle to become the biggest female tabla player of all time 

Recently a daily quoted: ‘If there’s a female equivalent of Ustad Zakir Hussain, it’s Anuradha Pal.’ While the percussionist feels that the two can never be compared as he is “my guru”, she is much more — an inspiration, a fighter, a writer as well as a trend-setter.

Even though her journey of more than 40 years in the industry has been rewarding, she says, it has been challenging as well. Coming from a non-musical and male-dominated background, Pal struggled to find her way through the restrictions and challenges the society imposes on a woman, to become the first professional female tabla virtuoso in the world. “I had to be really at the top of the game to prove my niche and have a unique set of offerings that would make an impact. I had to train myself very hard and practice for eight to 10 hours each day to reach the level of the best musicians. I had to make sure that my work does the talking since I didn’t have any Godfather. Neither did I take any external help,” she says.

She explains why she has never chosen to stop. From being featured in the Limca Book of Records, to receiving a number of national and international accolades like the Excellence Award from the government of Canada, First Ladies award from the President of India, Women Achiever’s Award and many more. She says, “I started receiving awards when I was 10-years-old. With every award that I brought home, my parents told me ‘Very good, but you have to work harder.’ Honestly, their attitude helped me reach out for more. I needed to do more for excellence in the field.”

The legend, who has performed in the biggest international music festivals as both the youngest and the most senior musician, had begun the Anuradha Pal in Tabla Jugalbandi with Herself, a series of live events across the country, where she played solo and narrated interactive stories through innovative rhythmic dialogues.

The world of classical instruments, especially that of tabla, has been dominated by men from the beginning. This was one thing she has aimed at changing ever since she began playing the percussion instrument. She formed the all-woman ensemble Stree Shakti, the first-of-its-kind in an era when there were hardly any women’s music groups. What also made it unique was that it combined both Hindustani and Carnatic styles. “When music is universal, its creators cannot be specific to one gender. When I started performing at the age of 10, I started encountering a lot of opposition, most of which was on account of my gender. I don’t give up easily. I was studying science and until then I hadn’t decided that I will dedicate myself to music and tabla,” she says and adds that this was the time when she felt that there would be many other women who must have felt the same way.

Creating a platform for them was important. She says, “I formed Stree Shakti to give strength to women and change the society’s perception that they can’t do things other than what they are supposed to. I wanted the band to be different and develop as a community. It’s also special since there is not even a band of men that has attempted to combine so many different styles of music — Hindustani, Carnatic, vocal and percussion — together. It is a meeting of many different souls and streams.”

Pal says that she was determined to make it something different, rather than just women-centric. “It had to be something beyond a singular aspect. It had to be powerful and make a statement that inspires other women too. Even though many all-woman bands have come up today, this band created a revolution 23 years ago as it was a concept, completely unheard of. It was important to make people understand that women have a lot of potential that we don’t realise,” says the trend blazer.

The ambassador of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana recently launched and composed the Anthem for Naari Shakti campaign in India. “The idea of the lyrics for the anthem birthed when we (Stree Shakti team) were on our concept tour across Europe celebrating our 21st anniversary. I wanted to document this journey of resilience and power that women have become over time. I also wanted to give a voice to those who needed one,” she says.

Pal has been exposed to writing as well since her mother was a writer. And it was one of her Hindi poems or prose that inspired the lyrics, which go like... “Khud ko tu pehchaan de khuddari ko choom ke/ Padh kar apni pehchaan bana, stree shakti ki misaal de.” (Give yourself an identity by becoming self reliant/ Educate yourself and become a symbol for woman power.)

The anthem, she says, calls out the evils in the society against women, be it dowry, sati, or female foeticide and numerous other acts of monstrosity. “It’s a fight against all the acts of injustice against women, and an initiative to show solidarity towards making India a superpower of women,” she adds.