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https://www.parrikar.org/vpl/catalogue/hindustani/kesarbai-kerkar/

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multiple volumes of album art

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https://www.madhumitanandi.com/new-page-68

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12 billion miles away from Earth, Kesarbai Kerkar's song Jaat Kahan Ho echoes on a golden record. 38 years of space travel and 12 billion celestial miles later, the haunting raga bhairavi, Hindustani classical rendition 'Jaat Kahan Ho' has been immortalised alongside the greatness of Chuck Berry, Mozart and Bach on the fateful Golden record. It is the only song from India that made it on the record and is now wandering through unexplored terrains of outer space till perhaps, the end of time.

Kesarbai Kerkar might as well be singing the final piece of 'bandish' or composition of her own existence. 'Jaat Kahan Ho akeli gori' or 'Where are you going all alone, fair maiden?' launched into outer space in the very year of her demise.

Upon chasing the fabled spirit of Kesarbai Kekar for almost a month, we at Untold finally arrived at her shadow under the blazing summer sun of Goa's tropical plantations.Among the pictures you see is Shalaka Kerkar in her great grand aunt's house. Shalaka, who might as well be an Interstellar metamorphosis of Kesarbai Kerkar.

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From Goa to Outerspace - An Interstellar Raga from India - Madhumita Nandi

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12 billion miles away from Earth, Kesarbai Kerkar's song Jaat Kahan Ho echoes on a golden record. 38 years of space travel and 12 billion celestial miles later, the haunting raga bhairavi, Hindustani classical rendition 'Jaat Kahan Ho' has been immortalised alongside the greatness of Chuck Berry, Mozart and Bach on the fateful Golden record.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvCsSHEVzaw
performance of a different raga, cover image of her also really nice

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Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar- Raga Jaijaiwanti

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Documentary/Video- More information on The Golden Record 

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Documentary/Video- More information on The Golden Record 

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https://youtu.be/5bOzhebLqp8

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The Golden Record: Human Existence in 90 Minutes

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https://www.thebetterindia.com/88645/interstellar-journey-indian-raga-kesarbai-kerkar-voyager-1/

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In 2012, NASA space probe Voyager 1, travelling at more than 40,000 miles per hour, became the first man-made object to enter interstellar space, leaving the solar system behind and ushering mankind into the interstellar age. Launched on September 5, 1977, as a probe to Saturn and Jupiter, the nuclear-powered spacecraft took advantage of a once-in-176-years planetary alignment to extend its mission and travel beyond the four outer planets of the solar system.

Four decades later, humanity's most distant space outpost has travelled more than 13 billion miles, sending back unprecedented images and data from its pioneering journey.

Voyager 1 is special for one other reason. On board the spacecraft is a 12-inch gold-plated copper disc with music that aims to encapsulate 5,000 years of human culture. Compiled by American astronomer Carl Sagan, the songs of Sounds Of Earth (as the album is named) echo through outer space, billions of miles from Earth.

While most Indians have heard about this, few know that the album also includes a Hindustani classical music composition - 'Jaat Kahan Ho.' A hauntingly beautiful song by Kesarbai Kerkar, the legendary singer of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, it is the only song from India that has been immortalised alongside the music of Beethoven, Bach and Mozart on the record.

Born in a remote hilly village in the heart of Goa, she broke out of the devdasi tradition in early 1900s and emerged as the most celebrated artist of her time; revered by many poets, kings and prime ministers.

In untold.in, Bhavita B writes,

"Born in a remote hilly village in the heart of Goa, she broke out of the devdasi tradition in early 1900s and emerged as the most celebrated artist of her time; revered by many poets, kings and prime ministers."

In 1938, Kesarbai was awarded the title of 'Surshri' (Queen of Music) in 1938 by Rabindranath Tagore on behalf of Sangeet Pravin Sangitanuragi Sajjan Saman Samiti of Calcutta (now Kolkata).

Kesarbai Kerkar

During her childhood years, Kesarbai trained under the tutelage of music maestros like Abdul Karim Khan of Kirana gharana, Ramakrishnabuva Vaze of Gwalior gharana, Barkatulla Khan of Senia gharana and Bhaskarbua Bakhle of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. However, this training periods were short-lived and she thirsted for more.

Kesarbai's hunt for a teacher who would teach her the deepest depths of Hindustani classical music ended when she was accepted as a disciple by the legendary Alladiya Khan in 1920. Also known as "Gauri-Shankar" (Mount Everest of the Indian Classical Music) and "Gaan Samrat," Khan founded the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and is famous for the many rare ragas he created.

Interestingly, as Kesarbai had been initially unable to master his style of gayaki during a trial period of three months, Khan had initially refused to take her on as disciple. It was only when Kesarbai got the ruler of Kolhapur, Shahu Maharaj, to intervene on her behalf that he agreed!

Kesarbai Kerkar receiving Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from Indian President Rajendra Prasad in March 1953

She trained under him for the next 25 years, during which she performed across the country. Her immense success as a khyal singer, along with that of Hirabai Barodekar, Gangubai Hangal and Mogubai Kurdikar (mother of Kishori Amonkar) paved the way for the next generation of female vocalists.

In 1953, Kesarbai was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. In 1969, the government of India honoured her with Padma Bhushan while Maharashta government conferred upon her the title of Rajya Gayika.

Over the years, Kesarbai's magical voice won her countless fans across the world. One of these fans was ethnomusicologist Robert E. Brown, who believed her rendition of r aga Bhairavi to be the finest recorded example of Indian classical music. He was the one who recommended it for inclusion on the Voyager record.

In 1977, the year Kesarbai passed away, the Voyager spacecraft carried her recorded voice to celestial heights. As Bhavita B writes for the untold.in, the poignant piece in raga Bhairavi asks the eternal question, Jaat kahan ho akeli gori (Where are you going alone, girl).

Listen to it below.

A producer of the Voyager record, Timothy Ferris, once wrote about the Indian contribution to the mission in Murmurs of Earth, a 1978 book about the record.

He says: "One of my favourite musical transitions on the Voyager record comes when 'Flowing Stream' ends and we are transported, quick as a curtsy, across the Himalayas to the north of India and from the sound of one musical genius, Kuan Ping-hu to another, Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar. This raga is formally designated for morning performance, but its popularity has led to its use as a closing number, a kind of encore, for concerts day and night."

It has been over five decades since Kesarbai last sang in a concert (she stopped performing in 1965), yet her music lives on. Recently, Voyager 1 has been in the news once again: As the world's fastest spacecraft, it will take 1, 17,000 years to travel to TRAPPIST-1 System.

Named after NASA's Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST), which made the initial discovery, this is a system of seven earth-sized exoplanets revolving around an ultra-cool star.

On Wednesday, NASA held a special press conference announcing the discovery of this star system, which is located 39 light years away in the Aquarius constellation of the Milky Way Galaxy. What has space scientist excited is the fact that three of the seven planets fall within the star's "habitable zone," a range of distances from the star that would create the right temperatures for liquid water and conditions right for extraterrestrial life.

With this discovery, outer space is shaping up to be a more tantalizing target than ever - and this makes the Voyager 1 probe, which is still sending back data and making discoveries from the edge of interstellar space, probably mankind's best chance of reaching it.

Also Read: To Space and Back: Things You Might Not Know About India's Legendary Cosmonaut, Rakesh Sharma

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
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The Interstellar Journey of an Indian Raga That Has Been Playing for 39 Years Aboard the Voyager 1

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In 2012, NASA space probe Voyager 1, travelling at more than 40,000 miles per hour, became the first man-made object to enter interstellar space, leaving the solar system behind and ushering mankind into the interstellar age.

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looking at album art (5)

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Documentary/Video- Story of Voyager’s golden record

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Documentary/Video- Story of Voyager’s golden record

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https://youtu.be/nTWNEj11AFY

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Voyager interstellar golden record - Jaat Kahan ho (with translation)

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Mya

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https://www.indianclassicalmusic.com/what-is-raag

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(museum) pieces of a board game https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70820/reversible-games-board-unknown/

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4. Objects - Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, speech and music(painting)

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4. Objects - Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, speech and music(painting)

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https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O68208/sarasvati-the-goddess-of-learning-painting-unknown/

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Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections

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Not currently on display at the V&A

Sarasvati (shakti of Brahma), the goddess of learning, speech and music, seated holding a rudra vina and palm-leaf manuscript, from a series of 100 drawings of Hindu deities created in South India.

Categories

Materials and techniques

Gouache on watermarked paper

Brief description

Painting; gouache on watermarked paper, Sarasvati (shakti of Brahma), the goddess of learning, speech and music, seated holding a rudra vina and palm-leaf manuscript, Trichinopoly, ca. 1825

Physical description

Sarasvati (shakti of Brahma), the goddess of learning, speech and music, seated holding a rudra vina and palm-leaf manuscript, from a series of 100 drawings of Hindu deities created in South India.

Dimensions

Marks and inscriptions

(Inscribed with titles in Telugu)

(watermarked paper dated 1820)

Object history

Purchased from Mr A. Churchill, 1923.

Bibliographic reference

Archer, Mildred. Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period Victoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992 31 p. ISBN 0944142303

Accession number

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
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Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, speech and music | Unknown | V&A Explore The Collections

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Not currently on display at the V&A Sarasvati (shakti of Brahma), the goddess of learning, speech and music, seated holding a rudra vina and palm-leaf manuscript, from a series of 100 drawings of Hindu deities created in South India.

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https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O82562/a-music-party-painting-tagore-abanindranath/

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Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections

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A group of people sit and listen to a lady playing a sitar. The setting is that of a Mughal court, with Mughal style architecture in the background and the setting sun visible through the arches.

The artist, Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art, which flourished between 1905 and 1920. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style.

Categories

Object type

Materials and techniques

Painted in watercolour on paper

Brief description

Painting, music party, by Abanindranath Tagore, watercolour on paper, Bengal, ca. 1905

Physical description

Painting, watercolour in grey wash with black lined border, A Music Party, by Abanindranath Tagore. A group of people sit and listen to a lady playing a sitar. The setting is that of a Mughal court, with Mughal style architecture in the background and the setting sun visible through the arches.

Dimensions

Height: 12.2cm

Width: 7.7cm

Paper upon which card is mounted height: 17.2cm

Paper upon which card is mounted width: 13.1cm

Content description

A group of people sit and listen to a lady playing a sitar. The setting is that of a Mughal court, with Mughal style architecture in the background and the setting sun visible through the arches.

Marks and inscriptions

(Signature in red paint on left hand side of cardboard upon which watercolour is mounted)

'A music party. A. Tagore.' (pencil note by E. B. Havell on reverse )

Credit line

Given by Lady Sonia Wilson

Object history

Gift. RF 51/3488. From the collection of Sir E. B. Havell. Given by Lady Sonia Wilson, daughter of E.B Havell.

In his book, Art and Nationalism (pg 315) Mitter writes that the better known version of Abanindranath' s 'The Music Party' was published in 1908 in Okakura's Kokka album along with his pupils work in Japan.

Historical context

Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style within India and internationally.

In his work, Abanindranath retrieved themes from the Indian epic past or scenes from romantic tales, such as Arabian Nights or Omar Khaiyam and reworked them in a highly romanticised style. The artist's desire to emancipate Indian art from European influence was also fostered by Japanese artist Okakura Kakuzo, who visited him in 1902. Later, studying Japanese art under Japanese artists, Taikoan and Hilsida, Abanindranath assimilated Far Eastern techniques such as the wash into his work. His Omar Khaiyam series (1906-08) reflects such influences. Abanindranath's use of colour was also highly personalized and found its appropriate language in two major techniques: wash and tempera.

Subjects depicted

Summary

A group of people sit and listen to a lady playing a sitar. The setting is that of a Mughal court, with Mughal style architecture in the background and the setting sun visible through the arches.

The artist, Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art, which flourished between 1905 and 1920. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style.

Bibliographic reference

Dr Ratan Parimoo, The paintings of the three great Tagores: Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore and Rabindranath Tagore. Chronology and comparative studies, 1973

Collection

Accession number

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest Feedback

Shuffle objects

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Music party | Tagore, Abanindranath | V&A Explore The Collections

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A group of people sit and listen to a lady playing a sitar. The setting is that of a Mughal court, with Mughal style architecture in the background and the setting sun visible through the arches. The artist, Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art, which flourished between 1905 and 1920.

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(4) artists from Goa on the Museum of Goa website, to look more into! https://museumofgoa.com/artists/

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Bhisaji Gadekar is an artist based out of Goa. He works primarily in the medium of sculpture often integrating other mediums like site specific installations and performance art. Bhisaji lives and works in Goa and is presently engaged with the contemporary artists group: Goa Artists Collective.

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(museum) a table from Goa https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O120326/table-unknown/

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Scannable Document on 14 Mar 2023 at 10_50_58.PNG

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This piece makes me think of water, night sky, fog, maiden, prayer...gives me a tranquil feeling

jinxia

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Upload the outcome of your research task - label it with your name and the activity you selected. Connect it to either Primary or Secondary!

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Kesarbai Kerkar (केसरबाई केरकर, 1892 -1977) was a classical vocalist, the most prominent disciple of Alladiya Khan (1855-1946), the founder of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. She was one of the most noted Indian classical 'khayal' singers of the 20th century. This thumri of her's in Raga Bhairavi, Taal Deepchandi, is part of the golden disk aboard the Voyager I & II spacecraft that carries a record of humanity's achievements and aspirations into interstellar space.

जा'त कहाँ हो अकेली गोरी, जाने न पैय्यों
केसर रंग के माठ भये होय, होरी खेलत कान्हा रे

Jaat kahan ho, akeli gori, jaane na paiyyon
Where do you go alone, girl, do your feet not know?

Kesar rang ke maath bhaye hoy, Hori khelat Kanha re
The fields are colored saffron, Krishna plays Holi (there I go.)

The sense is that of a companion or elder asking the young lady where she ventures by herself. She answers: Krishna (Kanha) is calling, playing Holi (Hori) in the fields, they are (i.e. my world is) become the color of renunciation.

Quo Vadis? We could ask that of any Voyager.

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Kesarbai Kerkar (केसरबाई केरकर, 1892 -1977) was a classical vocalist, the most prominent disciple of Alladiya Khan (1855-1946), the founder of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. She was one of the most noted Indian classical 'khayal' singers of the 20th century.

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Post you Secondary research below

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Post your primary research below

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Song: Kesarbai Kerkar - ‘Jaat kahan ho akeli, gori’ (Where are you going alone, girl)

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Song: Kesarbai Kerkar - ‘Jaat kahan ho akeli, gori’ (Where are you going alone, girl)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyj8QF5-6Fs&ab_channel=lunathicka

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Voyager's Golden Record: Jaat Kahan Ho by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar

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Please photograph your notes and documentation from the self study task