Shubha Mudgal explores verse to give voice to women’s desire
Musician Shubha Mudgal explores themes of female desire and sexuality through traditional Indian poetry and music in a collaborative performance. She emphasizes the importance of balancing historical context with a contemporary female perspective.
Why it matters
The performance offers a modern reinterpretation of classical literary traditions, highlighting the intersection of gender, history, and artistic expression.
What does sexuality sound like in Indian music? The question lay at the heart of Women, Sexuality and Song , presented by Royal Opera House, Mumbai, in collaboration with AVID Learning. More than a conventional concert, Shubha Mudgal, joined by Aneesh Pradhan, Sudhir Nayak and Pratibha Singh Baghel, wove together music, poetry and storytelling, tracing how beauty, longing, desire, motherhood, shame and resilience have echoed through centuries of India’s literary and musical traditions.
Few musicians are as well-equipped to undertake such an exploration as Shubha. During a conversation after the concert, she said the challenge lay in balancing the historical context of these poems with a contemporary woman’s perspective.
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