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Over a period of time, Madras became home
to a number of Kanchen (courtesan/tawaif) looking for
patronage and a locality sprang up in the heart of
Madras, right next to Amir Mahal at Royapettah. Mir
Bakshi Ali Street, Mohammed Hussain Street and Jani
Jahan Khan Road, where interestingly the Anglo Indians
also lived, became the centre of a thriving Hindustani
music and dance tradition in Madras. Perhaps due to the
predominant number of dancing girls and musicians at
Madras, who originated from Hubli Dharwad, the two
streets and the road came to be known as Kanchenwada, as
wada in Marathi means a locality or a traditional
complex with several mansions for different members of a
family or a community. The Kanchen were held in
such high esteem that ‘the rich used to send their
children to the tawaifs to learn etiquette,’ says Rauf,
a senior photographer, who spent his childhood in the
Kanchenwada. (‘A Hindustani tradition, right in the heart of Madras’ by Kombai S Anwar, The Hindu, January 4, 2018) |
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The anti-Nautch movement that brought a
traumatic end to the Devadasi system, was having its
impact on the tawaifs too. Cases were filed to stop
their practice and Kamala Bai, a Kanchen (tawaif),
engaged M.A. Ghatala, a High Court lawyer, to fight the
case. Around 1958, the Madras High court ruled in the
Kanchens’ favour. “The Kanchen celebrated the win with a
big party for my father, at a house near the Music
Academy and the Tamil film actor and great comedian
Chandrababu was one among the guests,” recollects Javed
Ghatala. (‘A Hindustani tradition, right in the heart of Madras’ by Kombai S Anwar, The Hindu, January 4, 2018) |
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