Anuradha Pal

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Anuradha Pal
Anuradha Pal (closeup).jpg
Background information
Origin Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Genres Hindustani classical music, World music
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument Tabla
LabelsSur aaur Saaz
Website www.anuradhapal.com

Anuradha Pal is an Indian tabla player and composer who performs Indian classical music. She is the founder of Stree Shakti, an all-female classical music ensemble established in 1996. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Pal was born in Mumbai on 8 May 1975 to Devinder Pal and Ila Pal. Her father worked in the pharmaceutical industry and her mother was a painter and a writer. She trained on the tablas under Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain, both associated with the Punjab Gharana playing technique. [3]

Career

Pal began accompanying Hindustani and Carnatic classical vocalists, instrumentalists, and dancers at age 13. By age 15 she was performing alongside her teachers. [1]

In 2018, she led a large tabla ensemble in a tribute to Ustad Alla Rakha. [4] That year, she received the First Ladies Award by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. [5]

Pal composed and performed the background score for M. F. Husain’s film Gaja Gamini. [6]

She has given workshops and lecture-demonstrations at institutions including Harvard University, Berklee College of Music, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Vienna Boys' Choir, Palazzo Ducale (Italy), Milap Fest (U.K.), and Monash University (Australia).[ citation needed ] In 2006, she served as an artist-in-residence at the New England Conservatory of Music.[ citation needed ]

She represented India at the Asian Performers’ Summit in Japan in 1999 and has performed at SAARC and CHOGM summits. [7] She organized the Aatmanirbhar Kala Ke Sangh Music Festival in January 2021, [8] and performed at the Dior Fall 2023 show at the Gateway of India in Mumbai. [9]

Compositions and collaborations

In 2023 and 2024, Pal presented narrative tabla concert formats including “Anuradha’s Tablas Sing Stories”. [10] [11] She also performed “Ramayana on Tabla Sings Stories”. [12]

Pal founded Stree Shakti on International Women's Day in 1996 as an all-female HindustaniCarnatic instrumental ensemble. The group has collaborated with female musicians and performed at international music festivals. In 2002, they toured the UK and Ireland with the Pan-African Orchestra from Ghana. [1]

In 2023, she launched the Anuradha Pal Collective, intended to "blend collective ideas and musical philosophies" in an Indian context. [13]

Social work

Contribution to female empowerment

Since 1996, Pal has promoted and supported female musicians through Stree Shakti. [1] She has performed at institutions including Sri Agrasen Kanya PG College (Varanasi), [14] Rebel Girls Interactive (Delhi), [15] and Ruia College (Mumbai).

In March 2018, she wrote the lyrics to “Khud Ko Tu Pehchaan De” and composed the anthem for the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s Nari Shakti campaign. [16] She is described as a UNICEF brand ambassador for female empowerment, education, and inclusion in some profiles, but this requires an independent source. [17] [ citation needed ][ dead link ]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pal organized relief initiatives and fundraising performances in support of communities and artists. [18] [19] She has cited activity across several locations in India. [20] [21]

On the International Day of the Girl Child in 2020, Pal established the Padmashri M. T. Vyas Stree Shakti Award to encourage young girls pursuing Indian music or dance to engage in social service. [22] [23]

Anuradha Pal Cultural Foundation (APCF)

The Anuradha Pal Cultural Foundation (APCF) is a non-profit organization focused on music education and cultural programmes; Pal also advocates musical and rhythmic meditation. [24] [25]

APCF has been associated with local cultural and wellness awards; some announcements are on social media and require independent confirmation. [26] [ citation needed ]

Media recognition

Pal has been mentioned in books and media highlighting women achievers and musicians, including the children’s book The Dot That Went for a Walk (2019), [27] [28] Torchbearers of Indian Classical Music (2017), [29] Women of Pure Wonder (2016), [30] and the PBS film Adventure Divas (2001). [6]

Personal life

Pal is based in Mumbai, where she conducts percussion classes through the Anuradha Pal Cultural Academy (APCA Mumbai), [31] located in Juhu.

Discography

Anuradha Pal has released music albums and instructional DVDs through her independent label, Sur aaur Saaz, encompassing classical, fusion, and educational works.

Albums [32]
TitleRelease yearDetails
Sheer Magic (Live)2000Live collaboration with Shahid Parvez
Passion – Anuradha Pal's Stree Shakti2000Performances by Stree Shakti
Nirvana: Spiritual Bliss2003
A Tabla Solo by Anuradha Pal2005Solo tabla performance album
Kesaria – Romancing Rajasthan2006With Samanda Manganiar
Get Recharged!!!2013Mix of Indian and jazz music
Recharge Plus2014
Sensational (Live)2016Second live collaboration with Shahid Parvez
Taaleem2022Tabla solos
Singles (selection) [32]
TitleRelease yearDetails
Anuradha Pal's Stree Shakti Anthem (For Female Empowerment)2019
Taal Tiranga2022
Tabla Tonic2023

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Meet Stree Shakti, India's first all-women classical band". Hindustan Times. 3 March 2016.
  2. Pal, Anuradha. "ANURADHA PAL". www.anuradhapal.com.[ dead link ]
  3. "Anuradha Pal Remembers Ustad Zakir Hussain". 25 December 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  4. "Tabla exponent Anuradha Pal remembers her Ustad Zakir Hussain". Awaz The Voice. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  5. "Ministry of WCD" (PDF).[ dead link ]
  6. 1 2 "Getting the rhythm right". Financial Express.
  7. "Pandita Anuradha Pal". Prakriti Foundation. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  8. "Tabla maestro Anuradha Pal: It was tough to even get to learn and later, to get equal opportunities". The Times of India. 3 September 2021. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  9. Kumar, Ashwini Arun (1 April 2023). "Loved the Tabla at the Dior Show? Here's the Woman Behind the Music". Femina.
  10. Khurana, Kanika (15 August 2023). "Where Tabla Tells Tales!". Times Now.
  11. Kusnur, Narendra. "Tabla player Anuradha Pal Talks About Narrating Stories Through Her Music". Free Press Journal.
  12. Goswami Sharma, Purnima. "A Musical Treat with Every Beat". Deccan Chronicle.
  13. Vajpayee, Soumya (11 August 2023). "Anuradha's new band is all about 'Blending Musical Philosophies'". Hindustan Times.
  14. "Agrasen Kanya College". Anuradha Pal. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  15. "Rebel Girls" . Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
  16. "Female empowerment initiatives". www.anuradhapal.com. Retrieved 11 June 2025.[ dead link ]
  17. "Anuradha Pal hometown, biography". Last.fm. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  18. "Anuradha Pal – Let us #SpreadLove and #careforthepoor and #disadvantaged on #valentinesday2021". Facebook.
  19. "Stree Shakti – Urja". YouTube. 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  20. "Cover Relief". Anuradha Pal.
  21. "Kala Ke Sangh". YouTube. 10 January 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  22. Women Achievers Against All Odds . Retrieved 4 September 2024 via YouTube.
  23. "Stree Shakti: Anuradha Pal's Tablas Tell Stories". www.royaloperahouse.in. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  24. Warrier, Yash. "Music For The Mind, Body & Soul: Anuradha Pal's Foundation Creates A Symphony Of Wellness". Beatcurry.com.
  25. Vajpayee, Soumya. "Anuradha Pal: I want the youth to know that music is therapeutic". Hindustan Times.
  26. "Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  27. "The Dot that went for a walk".
  28. "Book Launch". YouTube. 16 January 2019. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  29. Torchbearers. ASIN   8184621361 .
  30. "Launch of Women of Pure Wonder". Social Reviewer. 10 March 2016.
  31. "APCAMumbai". www.anuradhapal.com.[ dead link ]
  32. 1 2 "Anuradha Pal". Spotify. Retrieved 11 June 2025.