Malka Jaan

Malka Jaan (born: Adeline Victoria Hemmings; 1855 – 1907) was an Indian courtesan (tawaif), singer, poet and Kathak dancer who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was known as Malka Jaan of Calcutta and Malka Jaan of Benaras. She was a prominent figure in the cultural life of Banaras and later Calcutta, and is best known as the mother and early musical guru of Gauhar Jaan, a pioneering recording artist of India.

Early life Malka Jaan was born Adeline Victoria Hemmings, the daughter of a British soldier and a local Hindu woman named Rukmini. and Hemmings adopted the name Malka Jaan. Within three years, she had purchased a building at 24 Chitpore Road (now Rabindra Sarani), which became a cultural hub for music and poetry.

Personal life At the age of 15, she met Robert William Yeoward, an engineer of Armenian descent, whom she married in 1872. The couple had a daughter, Eileen Angelina Yeoward, born in Azamgarh in 1873; the marriage ended in 1879.

Death Malka Jaan died around 1907. Her death was a significant turning point in her daughter's life.

Contemporaries There were four singing contemporaries of Malka Jaan with first names pronounced the same way as hers and sometimes spelled in English in different ways. The name Malka Jaan was common among courtesans (tawaif) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and there were several prominent singers with this name. The title "Badi" (elder) was prefixed to her name to distinguish her from other contemporary performers who shared the name Malka Jaan. The most famous Malka Jaans of that era were:

Malka Jaan of Agra a contemporary of Gauhar Jaan, she was renowned for her powerful, full-throated style of thumri singing. She recorded for the Gramophone Company and was a court musician for Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Malka Jaan of Mulk Pukhraj another famous courtesan and singer of the time Malka Jaan of Chulbuli a nautch girl who also left recorded discs. Malka Jaan of Gaya a performer who also made recordings.

Inspiration and honours Begum Akhtar in her early days wanted to pursue a career in Hindi films, but after listening to the singing of Malka Jaan and her daughter Gauhar Jaan, she gave up the idea completely and devoted herself to learning Hindustani classical music, in fact, her first teacher was Ustad Imdad Khan, who accompanied the mother-daughter duo, Malka Jaan and Gauhar Jaan, on sarangi.

Legacy She is remembered for her contributions to Urdu poetry and as an accomplished performer in her own right. She mentored her daughter, Gauhar Jaan, who would go on to become a national icon and India's first recording superstar. In 2024, Heeramandi an Indian Hindi-language period drama television series created and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Manisha Koirala essayed a role of her namesake called Mallika Jaan.