Begum Akhtar | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Screen shot as "Akhtari Fyzabadi" from filmRoti (1942) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Akhtaribai Faizabadi |
| Born | (1914-10-07)7 October 1914 Faizabad,United Provinces,British India (present-dayUttar Pradesh,India) |
| Origin | Faizabad,Awadh |
| Died | 30 October 1974(1974-10-30) (aged 60)[1] Ahmedabad,Gujarat,India |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1929 – 1974 |
Akhtari Bai Faizabadi (7 October 1914 – 30 October 1974), also known asBegum Akhtar, was an Indian singer and actress. Dubbed "Mallika-e-Ghazal" (Queen of Ghazals), she is regarded as one of the greatest singers ofghazal,dadra, andthumri genres ofHindustani classical music.[3][1][4]
Begum Akhtar received theSangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music in 1972, was awardedPadma Shri, and later aPadma Bhushan Award posthumously by thegovernment of India.[5]
Akhtari Bai Faizabadi was born on 7 October 1914 to Asghar Hussain, a lawyer and his second wife Mushtari.[4] Asghar Hussain subsequently disowned Mushtari and his twin daughters Zohra and Bibbi (later known as Begum Akhtar).[6][7]
Akhtar was barely seven when she was captivated by the music of Chandra Bai, an artist attached to a touring theatre group. However at her uncle's insistence she was sent to train under UstadImdad Khan, the great sarangi exponent fromPatna, and later under Ata Mohammed Khan ofPatiala. Later, she travelled toCalcutta with her mother and learnt music from classical stalwarts like Mohammad Khan,Abdul Waheed Khan ofKirana Gharana, and finally she became the disciple of Ustad Jhande Khan.[1]
Her first public performance was at the age of fifteen. The famous poetSarojini Naidu appreciated her singing during a concert which was organised in the aid of victims of the1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake. This encouraged her to continue singing ghazals with more enthusiasm. She cut her first disc for the Megaphone Record Company, at that time. A number of gramophone records were released carrying herghazals,dadras,thumris, etc. She was amongst the early female singers to give public concert, and break away from singing inmehfils or private gatherings, and in time came to be known asMallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazal).[8][5]
Begum Akhtar's good looks and sensitive voice made her an ideal candidate for a film career in her early years. When she heard great musicians likeGauhar Jaan and Malak Jan, however, she decided to forsake the glamour of the film world for a career inIndian classical music. Her supreme artistry in light classical music had its moorings in the tradition of pure classicism. She chose her repertoire in primarily classical modes: a variety ofraags, ranging from simple to complex. After the advent of talkie era in India, Begum Akhtar acted in a few Hindi movies in the 1930s.East India Film Company of Calcutta approached her to act in "King for a Day" (aliasEk Din Ka Badshah) andNal Damayanti in 1933.[1]
Like others of that era, she sang her songs herself in all her films. She continued acting in the following years. Subsequently, Begum Akhtar moved back to Lucknow where she was approached by the famous producer-directorMehboob Khan, to act inRoti which was released in 1942 and whose music was composed by the maestroAnil Biswas. "Roti" contained six of her ghazals but unfortunately due to some trouble with the producer,Mehboob Khan subsequently deleted three or four ghazals from the film. All the ghazals are available on Megaphone gramophone records. Begum Akhtar, meanwhile, left Bombay and returned to Lucknow. Her name appears differently in many film credits as Akhtaribai Fyzabadi, Akhtaribai Faizabadi, Akhtari and Begum Akhtar.[3]
In 1945, Akhtari Bai married a Lucknow-based barrister, Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, and became known as Begum Akhtar.[1] However, after marriage, due to restrictions by her husband, she could not sing for almost five years and subsequently, fell ill and emotionally depressed. That is when her return to music was prescribed as a befitting remedy, and in 1949 she returned to the recording studios.[1] She sang three ghazals and a dadra at LucknowAll India Radio station. She started crying afterwards and returned to singing in concerts, which she continued to do unto death. She sang publicly inLucknow, in a women's only concert in aid of the war with China, which was held in 1962.[8]
Her voice matured with time, acquiring richness and depth. She sang ghazals and other light classical pieces, in her inimitable style. She has nearly four hundred songs to her credit. She was a regular performer onAll India Radio. She usually composed her own ghazals and most of her compositions wereraag based. She also sang the timeless Bengali classical song "Jochona Koreche Aari" (জোছনা করেছে আড়ি).[3]
On 7 October 2017,Google dedicated aDoodle profile to her commemorating the 103rd birthday of Begum Akthar.[3]
During her last concert inBalaramapuram nearThiruvananthapuram in 1974, she raised the pitch of her voice as she felt that her singing had not been as good as she had wanted it to be and felt unwell. The stress she put herself under resulted in her falling ill and she was rushed to the hospital.[1]
She died on 30 October 1974 in the arms of Nilam Gamadia, her friend, who invited her toAhmedabad, which became her final performance.[3][1]
Her tomb was a mango orchard within her home, 'Pasand Bagh' inThakurganj area, ofLucknow. She was buried alongside her mother, Mushtari Sahiba. However, over the years, much of the garden has been lost to the growing city, and the tomb has fallen into disrepair. The marble graves enclosed in a red brick enclosure, were restored in 2012, along with theirpietra dura style marble inlay.[9] Attempts are on to convert her home built in 1936 in China bazaar, Lucknow into a museum.[8]
Her disciples includeShanti Hiranand, who later received Padma Shri and wrote a biographyBegum Akhtar: The Story of My Ammi (2005).[8] Art critic S. Kalidas directed a documentary on her titledHai Akhtari.
| Year | Movie Name |
|---|---|
| 1933 | King for a Day (Director: Raaj Hans)[1] |
| 1934 | Mumtaz Beghum[1] |
| 1934 | Ameena[1] |
| 1934 | Roop Kumari (Director: Madan) |
| 1935 | Jawani Ka Nasha |
| 1936 | Naseeb Ka Chakkar (Director: Pesi Karani) |
| 1940 | AnaarBala (Director: A. M. Khan) |
| 1942 | Roti (Director:Mehboob Khan) [credited as Akhtaribai Fyzabadi][1] |
| 1958 | Jalsaghar (Director:Satyajit Ray)[credited as Begum Akhtar] |
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| Other | |
