ABSTRACT
A genre that was traditionally performed by songstress-courtesans and is, especially in
the case of bol banāv characterised by emotional expression, is readily connected with femininity; this labelling is particularly appealing to those who wish to
contrast the ‘femininity’ of with the perceived masculinity of genres such as dhrupad.4 For example, the noted musicologist Premlata Sharma asserts that
thumri is characterised by a striking note of tenderness and the theme of its songs is invariably related to some or the other phase of human love in a stage of separation or union. The thumri lacks that virility of musical expression associated with the dhrupad and khyal styles.
