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Shubha Mudgal

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Shubha Mudgal
Shubha Mudgal Performing at Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal in 2015
Shubha Mudgal Performing at Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal in 2015
Background information
Born
Shubha Gupta

(1959-06-23) 23 June 1959 (age 66)
Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
GenresHindustani Classical Music, Pop, folk, playback singing
OccupationSinger
Years active1986-2025
Websitewww.shubhamudgal.com

Shubha Mudgal (born June 23, 1959) is an Indian singer, and composer, known for her work in Hindustani classical music, Indian pop, and Tamil cinema.[1][2][3] Her repertoire includes the genres of khayal, thumri, and dadra.[4] She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2000.[5]

Early life

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Shubha was born on June 23, 1959 in Prayagraj into an academic family.[6][7][8][9] Her parents, Skand Gupta and Jaya Gupta, were both professors of English literature at Allahabad University, and both of them had a deep interest in Hindustani classical music and the arts.[10][11] Shubha's paternal grandfather, P. C. Gupta, was also a professor at Allahabad University.[12]

Education and musical training

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Shubha grew up in Prayagraj and after finishing school, attended St. 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 to Hindustani classical music as her vocation of choice while maintaining the same individualistic attitude.[8] Her first traditional teacher (guru) was Pt. Ramashreya Jha in Prayagraj.[8]

Shubha Mudgal performing at Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal in July 2015

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 under Pt. Vinay Chandra Maudgalya, who was the founder of Gandharva 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 film Ek Anek Aur Ekta by Vijaya Mulay.[14]

In Delhi, Shubha continued her training under Pt. Vasant Thakar and other established singers such as Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki, Naina Devi and Pt. 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.

Performing career

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Shubha Mudgal performing in 2007

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 of Star Plus's serial Diya Aur Baati Hum along with Kailash Kher. She also sang on the soundtrack of the film Mystic India.[citation needed]

In 2019, she wrote her debut book titled 'Looking for Miss Sargam: Stories of Music and Misadventure'.[16]

Personal life

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In 1982, she married Mukul Mudgal, son of her guru Pt. 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]


Awards

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43rd National Film Awards
Civilian honors
Other honors

Discography

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Albums
  • Ali More Angana (1996)
  • Classically Yours (1999) ISBN D4HV2718
  • Ab Ke Sawan
  • Pyar Ke Geet (1999)
  • Mann Ki Manjeree
  • Kisson Ki Chadar (2003)[23]
  • Shubh Deepavali (2005)
  • Anand Mangal
  • The Awakening (2006)[24]
  • Jahan-E-Khusrau (2007)
  • No Stranger Here (2012)[25]
Tamil songs

References

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  1. ^ "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum - Article".
  2. ^ "Shubha charmed by Sufi music- Hindustan Times". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Account Suspended". mythicalindia.com.
  4. ^ "Dance of the Wind - on a vulnerable, but strong tradition videos - Trailers, Hot Actresses, Music, Indian Stars, - Bollywood Movie Videos.com". Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b SHUBHA MUDGAL’S TALES FROM LIFE Archived 12 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine south-asian.com, 2003.
  6. ^ Jain, Rupam (31 December 2023). "When Shubha Mudgal speaks…". Indulgexpress. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  7. ^ "On a Personal Note: Shubha Mudgal". Governance Now. 16–31 December 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e An Interview with Shubha Mudgal monsoonmag.com, 2000. Archived 4 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Interview with Shubha Mudgal, singer". Moneylife.in. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  10. ^ Bhargava, Anjuli (27 March 2020). "Tea with BS: Shubha Mudgal on how she found herself in the world of music". Business Standard India. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Tribuneindia... This above all".
  12. ^ thsgp. "The Hindu : Metro Plus Pondicherry / Interview : Call of the heart". Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  13. ^ a b Telegraph, The (30 October 2017). "We did not state things we couldn't corroborate'". Telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  14. ^ "National Award For Best Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film". Awardsandshows.com. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  15. ^ Indian Heroes Shubha Mudgal at iloveindia.com.
  16. ^ Bhatt, Neha (20 July 2019). "Shubha Mudgal shines in her debut book 'Looking for Miss Sargam'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  17. ^ Dasgupta, Amrita (22 July 2010). "Life notes". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  18. ^ "Music Maestros Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan Engage with Students of GIM". The Times of India. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  19. ^ a b Milestones[permanent dead link] Shubha Mudgal Official website.
  20. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  21. ^ "Singer Shubha Mudgal gets Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award". Archived from the original on 9 July 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Shubha Mudgal to get Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award". Uniindia.com. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  23. ^ The pop diva goes classic Archived 12 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine the-south-asian.com, September 2003.
  24. ^ Shubha Mudgal straddles a range of musical worlds.. The Hindu, 14 July 2006.
  25. ^ Music Review: No Stranger Here Music Aloud, 1 March 2012.
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