The performance will include works by poets such as Rasik Pritamji, who wrote in Brij Bhasha; the 17th century poet, Dev, and the dohas (couplets) of Ratnavali, spouse of poet Goswami Tulsidas. “Her works are of interest to me, because I get the opportunity to study it alongside the works of her acclaimed and revered spouse. For example, is Tulsidasji’s description of a woman’s viraha [longing] any different from that of Ratnavaliji’s?” she asks.

In their musical form, the texts also belie a complexity. Mudgal describes them as being multi-layered, with chapters that obliquely or directly refer to social stigmas and biases. “It does seem that, in the past, patrons of the arts seemed supportive of writing that was unabashed and possibly risque. But it is also true that literature by women seems to have been suppressed for several reasons,” she points out.

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The singer admits that times have changed. Seventy-five years ago, she might have had to struggle to pursue a career as a singer. “I was able to do this due to the unstinting support and encouragement I received from my parents and gurus, but also because Indian society was changing and the stigma attached to women performers was easing,” Mudgal says. We are grateful for it.

On: August 5; 6.30 pm
At: Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point. 
Log on to: ncpamumbai.com 
Cost: Rs 375 onwards (members); Rs 500 onwards (non-members)