Shubha Mudgal | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Shubha Mudgal Performing atBharat Bhavan inBhopal in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Shubha Gupta (1959-06-23)23 June 1959 (age 66) |
| Genres | Hindustani Classical Music, Pop,folk,playback singing |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1986-2025 |
| Website | www |
Shubha Mudgal (born June 23, 1959) is an Indian singer, and composer, known for her work inHindustani classical music,Indian pop, andTamil cinema.[1][2][3] Her repertoire includes the genres ofkhayal,thumri, anddadra.[4] She was awarded thePadma Shri in 2000.[5]
Shubha was born on June 23, 1959 inPrayagraj into an academic family.[6][7][8][9] Her parents, Skand Gupta and Jaya Gupta, were both professors ofEnglish literature atAllahabad University, and both of them had a deep interest inHindustani classical music and the arts.[10][11] Shubha's paternal grandfather, P. C. Gupta, was also a professor atAllahabad University.[12]
Shubha grew up inPrayagraj and after finishing school, attendedSt. Mary's Convent Inter College. As children, music and dance lessons were organized for her and her sister by their parents.[8] As a child, she once replied to a dance examiner's routine query of "Aap kis gharaane ka Kathak naachti hain? (what is the style/school of Kathak to which you belong?)" with the retort, "Hum apne gharaane ki Kathak naachte hain (I dance my own style of Kathak)".[8] She later switched toHindustani classical music as her vocation of choice while maintaining the same individualistic attitude.[8] Her first traditional teacher (guru) wasPt. Ramashreya Jha inPrayagraj.[8]
After completing her schooling, Shubha continued to undergraduate and post graduate studies from Allahabad University. In 1982, when she moved to Delhi, she continued her musical education underPt. Vinay Chandra Maudgalya, who was the founder ofGandharva Mahavidyalaya, a school of fine arts.[13] Apart from being an outstanding classical musician, Pt. Vinay Chandra Maudgalya was also an accomplished lyricist and composer who wrote the song "Hind Desh ke Niwasi", used in the animation filmEk Anek Aur Ekta byVijaya Mulay.[14]
In Delhi, Shubha continued her training under Pt. Vasant Thakar and other established singers such asPt. Jitendra Abhisheki,Naina Devi andPt. Kumar Gandharva.[15]
On August 20, 2025, Shubha was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by Techno India University, West Bengal, in acknowledgement of her outstanding contribution as a musician.
Shubha Mudgal started performing as a Hindustani classical singer in the 1980s, and gained reputation as a talented singer. In the 1990s, she started experimenting with other forms of music, including pop and fusion. She says, "I believe in music. Khayal and Thumri are my favourites, but that does not mean that I should not experiment with other forms. Why should I curtail my musical urges? ..... I want to allow the artist in me to come through. If you are a musician, how can you say, 'this one is from devotional poetry, so I am not going to sing it."[5]' In addition to her recordings and concerts, she briefly ran a website called raagsangeet.com aimed at lovers of Indian classical.[citation needed]
Mudgal sang the title track ofStar Plus's serialDiya Aur Baati Hum along withKailash Kher. She also sang on the soundtrack of the filmMystic India.[citation needed]
In 2019, she wrote her debut book titled 'Looking for Miss Sargam: Stories of Music and Misadventure'.[16]
In 1982, she marriedMukul Mudgal, son of her guruPt. Vinay Chandra Maudgalya. Mukul Mudgal is a lawyer and jurist. The marriage did not last. Shubha and Mukul Mudgal have one son, Dhaval Mudgal, who was the lead singer in the Delhi-based band Half Step Down.[13][17]
Shubha Mudgal later married tabla maestro, Aneesh Pradhan.[18]
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