Somji Vishram

Somji Vishram

Town of birth

• Bombay

Country of birth

• British India

Place of Death

• Bombay

Family tree

Born in Bombay

The composer is Imam Begum. She was born in 1785 and died in 1866 according to Varteji in Satpanthni Devio not too different from Dr. Moir’s dates [Varteji: 1926; Moir: 1999].

She traveled to Bombay from Karachi and was welcomed in Bombay by the leading Khojas at Somji Vishram Building in Dongri.

She was popular and used to recite the ginan accompanied by Merali Papavani Sindhi on the sarangi. She recounted the ginan at the Jamat Khana – also at the Mahim durgah.

Her presence in Bombay and recitation with the Sarangi were not approved by Imam Hasanali Shah.