One of India’s leading and most innovative percussionist and composers, Anuradha Pal is a President awardee of the ‘FIRST LADIES’ award for being the only female musician to perform with her three bands- Stree Shakti, Recharge and SuFoRe in Woodstock and Womad Festival. Internationally acclaimed as the first Female Professional Tabla maestro in the world, she beautifully accompanies Masters, performs Tabla Jugalbandis and collaborates with world musicians. Anuradha Pal created the Musical Fundraiser event ‘Kala Ke Sangh' and raised 18 lakhs to provide money and food rations in Covid times to over 350 marginalized musicians across India.

Anuradha shares her inspiration and challenges in an interview with Susan Coelho.

Could you please share what inspired you to raise funds for India's marginalized music fraternity?

Empathy, compassion and understanding of their plight is what propelled me to organise the ‘Kala Ke Sangh' Fundraiser in July 2020. Along with my organisation Sur aaur Saaz events, I got 27 leading musicians together like Bhajan Samrat Anup Jalota, Santoor maestro Pt. Satish Vyas etc and the support of 15 valuable Partners like Ministry of Culture, ICCR, Wockhardt Foundation etc to present a 4 day online Music festival, which was shared live on @SASevents page on Facebook and YouTube to raise donations from over 1 million followers.

What do you feel is the reason that marginalized musicians are not doing well?

Many folk musicians regularly perform in hotels and marriage events and with tourism on a standstill due to the lockdown across the country, I knew that these poor musicians would be suffering, as they are like daily wage earners who don't have any PPF or gratuity. Hence I decided to form a fundraiser called Kala Ke Sangh, meaning Caring for the Musical Fraternity.

What were the biggest challenges you faced while executing 'Kala Ke Sangh'? 

Our biggest challenge was and still is, raising money to help these needy musicians. After slogging for 4 months, we finally managed to get a grant of a sizable amount to help over 350 musicians, from a foreign corporate. Unfortunately, the FCRA rules were recently changed and our money is now stuck up, till the legal teams can solve the imbroglio. But we continue to send money and food, as per our commitment.

So far how many individuals have been benefitted by 'Kala Ke Sangh'? 

We have sent monetary support of over 150 tribal, folk and classical musicians as well as provided food ration to over 40 marginalised fraternity in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, M.P, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, U.P, West Bengal to name a few. For those musicians affected by Covid or having medical emergencies, we sent monetary help in an hour. 

Has being a musician yourself, connected you to the importance of folk music and art? 

I have a Sufi- Folk band, recharged with Classical music called SuFoRe and have worked closely with folk and tribal musicians for several years. Hence it was only natural that I would want to help them, because I respect their traditions and appreciate the tremendous sacrifice, a musician has to go through, obviously taking from my own life too.

What has been your greatest achievement in the social field so far? 

Going beyond vested interests and caring for society have been the values of my parents Ila and Devinder Pal and my husband Shyam Sharma. I started India’s first all female Hindustani- Carnatic Music combination band called Stree Shakti in 1996 to create a unified platform to other girls, suffering from discrimination like me. I filed a petition against the airlines and DGCA for charging a Musician Tax on our checked-in instruments in 2013 and got the law changed, with support from across the world. We have organised Music for Wellness workshops to reduce stress in children. Kala Ke Sangh fundraiseralong with team Sur aaur Saaz - (with husband Shyam and student Tushar Raturi) has been my biggest social achievement as we have managed to help the really deserving, when most required. My biggest satisfaction is when I hear from a needy musician thanking me that they got food to eat… that’s when all this sacrifice is worth it!

What are your plans for the future?

To encourage the girl child towards music and social service, I instituted an award in memory of my grandfather Padmashri M.T Vyas who was the first Indian to be awarded the Padmashri in 1958 for his immense contribution to education and setting up 40 ‘New Era’ schools all over India. On November 7^th, this book written by my grandfather M.T Vyas called ‘The Teacher and the Taught’ and edited by my mother Ila Pal will be released by the Honourable Education Minister Nishankj and other eminent personalities, in an online event. The anthem on female empowerment ‘Khud Kotu Pehchaan de’, which I composed for the WCD ministry, will be sung by Aastha Saxena, the winner from Rajasthan.

Interviewed by Susan Coelho