Gangubai is from the Marathi name Ganga (the Ganges) and the *bai* honorific. **Gangubai Hangal (1913-2009)** was the **Hindustani classical vocalist of the Kirana gharana** — one of the most distinguished female musicians of 20th-century India. **From a Devadasi family considered "untouchable," she rose to become a Padma Vibhushan recipient** and a national treasure. **Her deep, masculine-toned khayal singing redefined what a female voice could be in Indian classical music**, breaking decades of expectation that women would sing in higher registers.
Featured on a 2014 Indian postage stamp.
Gangubai reduces to one — the number of Hindustani classical legend.