In the tradition of saint-poets of India, there has been a considerable presence of women spiritual seekers, saint poetesses and ascetic-mendicants, who recorded their spiritual experiences and realizations in the form of hymns and songs. Their songs not only bear the distinctive impression of their personal and spiritual journey but also throw significant light on the social and cultural milieu of their era. Some prominent women spiritual seekers include Rishika Vak Ambhrini, daughter of the venerated Vedic sage Ambhrina; Kodai Andal, Akka Mahadevi, Muktabai, Lalla or Lal Ded, Meerabai, Liralbai and many others across India, who made their voices felt through their songs of devotion and deep spiritual realization. They composed and sang in many languages but the heart of expression was one – of devotion, love and oneness with their gods or divinities. Some of these lyrical forms date back to thousands of years, while some are a few centuries old and are sung even today by musicians and laymen alike.

Dr Subhadra Desai’s music is characterized by a graceful voice and meditative timbre. Initiated into music at an early age by Pt. Vinay Chandra Maudgalya and Smt. Padma Devi at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi, Subhadra has been a senior disciple of Padmashri Pt. Madhup Mudgal and continues to receive his guidance to achieve greater rigour and artistic insight into her music. Subhadra has been performing for the past decade and a half in various national music festivals and other fora in Delhi and other cities, notable of which are Pt. Vishnu Digambar Jayanti and HCL Concert Series. She has also performed in Korea and Germany. Subhadra is the first recipient of the coveted Mani Mann Fellowship for young artists in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music, instituted under the aegis of Sanskriti Pratishthan, New Delhi. Subhadra received the Sahitya Kala Parishad Scholarship for young artists in 1990. She is an empanelled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and an accredited ‘A’ grade artist in the devotional music category at All India Radio and Doordarshan. Subhadra’s repertoire includes Khayal, Sagun and Nirgun bhajans and Tappa.