The Music Room  (English, Paperback, Devidayal Namita)

The Music Room depicts the author’s musical journey, speaking of her experiences with her guru Dhondutai. Devidayal also shares her doubts concerning her own commitment to music, and looks into Dhondutai’s musical background in this memoir.

Summary of the Book

The Music Room weaves together music, history, learning, and teaching. The author, at the age of ten, is taken to a Bombay neighbourhood filled with dance girls and prostitutes. Unwillingly, the young girl enters an overcrowded one-room apartment and meets Dhondutai, one of the city’s most reputed music teachers from the great Jaipur Gharana. Namita begins her first lesson in classical Indian singing, accompanied by an Indian stringed musical instrument called the Tanpura. A student of an Anglican school, she finds it difficult to adjust to a lifestyle that is fundamentally different from her badminton playing and English speaking ways. As years pass by, Namita’s passion for music grows. However, she has doubts about dedicating her whole life to music. With late night outings and cigarettes for company, will music be more important in her life than love and marriage? The Music Room also focuses of the life and history of her guru Dhondutai. Dhondutai was the last living disciple of the legendary Alladiya Khan, and the famous singer Kesarbai Kerkar. The book showcases the life of Dhondutai as well. Filled with history, anecdotes, facts, and gossip, The Music Room brings together the stories of three generations of musical maestros and students.The title won the Outlook Book of 2007, and the Crossword Popular Book Award.

About Namita Devidayal

Namita Devidayal is an Indian author and journalist. She is a Princeton University graduate, and is presently associated with The Times of India as a journalist. At one point of time, she had aspired to become a professional singer and be the inheritor of the Jaipur Gharana. Namita has authored Aftertaste, and co-authored, La Stanza Della Musica. She currently resides in Mumbai, and is an ardent fan of the cartoon series, Tom and Jerry.