Gangubai, 97, was put on life support system on Monday night after her condition turned critical and she breathed her last this morning, Dr Asho Kalamadani, her physician, said.
Legendary singer Gangubai Hangal was laid to rest at Hubli in northern Karnataka on Wednesday. The doyen of Hindustani classical music passed away at a private hospital in Hubli on Tuesday morning.Hangal was given a state funeral in the presence of her family members and thousands of followers who had gathered to pay their last respects.
The life of 97-year-old Gangubai, born in a family of boatmen, was an incredible saga of struggle to reach the pinnacle of a musical career, dotted with poignant incidents of battling financial woes, ridicule by casteist neighbours and a constant battle between staving off hunger and delivering sublime music.
The death of Gangubai Hangal, who had become a legend in her own time, marks the end of an era in the realm of Hindustani classical music. She has been one of few exponents of the Kirana Gharana style of music who stuck to the purity and averse to going in for experimentations, as has been wont with many of the musical celebrities.
'There has never been a problem between Hindu and Muslims in Kairana.' 'We are a people that smoke from the same hookah.' Once the seat of an influential tradition of Indian classical music, Kairana has become a metaphor for the exodus of Hindus.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances