Classical Vocalist Vidushi Malabika Kanan

Vidushi Malabika Kanan (27 December 1930 - 17 February 2009) was a noted Hindustani Classical Vocalist. Her musical rendering of khyals was exceptional among the singers of that genre and her exposition of Bairagi and Desh in a rich voice was of special tonal quality.

Malabika Kanan was born in Lucknow on 27 December 1930 to Rabindralal Roy, a musicologist. Right from an young age of four, she started learning music under her father's guidance. Her father was a disciple of Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. In her early years, she trained in musical genre of dhrupad, dhamar and khayal for a number of years under her father. She also got training in Rabindrasangeet; Santidev Ghosh and Suchitra Mitra were her teachers. She traveled with her father on musical concerts in many places within the country.

Her first music rendering was in raga Ramkali on the All India Radio when she was 15 years old. Her first performance on stage followed in the next year at theTansen Sangeet Samaroh.

Kanan married A. Kanan, another singer, on 28 February 1958, and developed a new style of singing adopting his Kirana style. She was also trained by him in thumri. She was very proficient in singing bhajans. She was a fan of famous Hindustani Classical Vocalist Pt. D. V. Paluskar. She actively performed at several concerts at the national level and in many Radio Sangeet Sammelans. At the ITC Academy, where her husband was a guru, she also became a teacher or guru in July 1979, and was a Member of the Expert Committee of the academy. She died in Calcutta on 17 February 2009.

• Awards : Kanan received the ITC Sangeet Research Academy Award in 1995 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1999-2000.

On her Birth Anniversary, Hindustani Classical Music And Everything pays rich tributes to the legend and are very grateful for her contributions to the Indian Classical Music.