This seminar is an academic initiative to create awareness, preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage of the erstwhile Tawaifs and the role of women performers in the shaping of the process of preservation and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage. The seminar through lectures and discussions will serve as an academic initiative, and will also introduce to the youth an alternative narrative about the brilliant women performers, about whom till now they have only heard derogatory words which are largely Bollywood driven.

The subject of courtesans in Indian history has not been much researched and documented. Critical scholarly work on courtesans emerged as late as the 1980s. The courtesans have been an integral part of the Indian society. Unfortunately, with interchangeable terms used for them from ‘courtesans’ to ‘nautch girls’ to ‘prostitutes’, these women seem to have come a long way, battered down at each stage with their performing art of music and dance greatly damaged.

It is the need of the hour to question and challenge the “disregard” towards these women artists and their traditions. We must think about this as a collective society and a project like this helps to shape up the collective conscience of the society.

The Last song of Awadh – A symposium and performance exploring the music and dance of Awadh in the Royal era of Nawabs featuring Zarina Begum, the Last Living Court Singer of Awadh. The symposium re-lived the courtesan and featured scholars, film makers and intrigued connoisseurs of music and also traditional performers and practitioners associated with music form of Ghazal and thumri gayaki.

It is important to focus on the performing arts of the courtesans with a multipronged approach of lectures, talks, discussions, photo documentations and actual live performances. And in view of the above, interactive platforms such as the three seminars became important as a sustained approach.