Rewind to a century ago, and you’ll notice that in many pockets and regions across India, learning music had developed an opportunity reserved solely for the sons of the house. In those days, largely owing to the social climate, women were hidden away in kitchens and kept busy with domestic chores, with little room to grow and hone their passions. But for legendary sitar and surbahar musician Annapurna Devi, music was a kind of worship, and her devotion to the craft meant taking on the challenges that came with the time and territory. And yet, all along, she never saw herself as different from her male counterparts. 

Her life has remained a topic of interest for years and more recently, a subject of inspiration for city-based children’s author Nandita da Cunha’s new title, Magic In My Fingers (Karadi Tales). “Her life has many facets that I believe can be inspirational to children. I also feel that picture biographies are a wonderful way to introduce children to the kind of lives that might not be so famous in Indian history. Devi is a prime example of that,” explains da Cunha.