Malka Jaan

🪔 About

Malka Jaan, born Adeline Victoria Hemmings in Allahabad in 1855, was a prominent Indian courtesan (tawaif), singer, poet, and Kathak dancer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the daughter of a British soldier and a local Hindu woman. In 1872, she married Robert William Yeoward, and their daughter, Eileen Angelina Yeoward (who later became the pioneering recording artist Gauhar Jaan), was born in 1873. The marriage ended in 1879, leading Malka Jaan and her daughter to face financial hardship. In 1881, they moved to Banaras (Varanasi), where Adeline converted to Islam and adopted the name Malka Jaan, while her daughter was renamed Gauhar Jaan. Malka Jaan received extensive training in music and dance, including Kathak, under masters such as Ali Baksh, Zeenat Bibi, and Kallu Ustad. She quickly established herself as an accomplished singer, poet, and Kathak dancer in Banaras, earning the moniker "Badi" Malka Jaan to distinguish her from other performers with the same name. In 1883, Malka Jaan relocated to Calcutta (Kolkata), where she became a celebrated performer in the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah at Matiaburj. Within three years, she acquired a building at 24 Chitpore Road (later 49 Chitpur Road), which evolved into a significant cultural salon for music and poetry. A noted Urdu poet, she published a collection of her verses titled "Makhzan-e-Ulfat-e-Malka Jan". Malka Jaan was also the primary musical guru for her daughter, Gauhar Jaan, providing her with comprehensive training in Kathak dance and Hindustani classical music. Her own voice was recorded by The Gramophone Company. Malka Jaan passed away in Calcutta in 1907.