Baag Trust to organized Concert in memory of Late Begam Akhtar
IMP News Wire
Dated 2nd February 2010

Baag Trust a group of admirers of the mesmerizing voice of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri Mallika-e-Ghazal late Begum Akhtar will have a concert to pay tribute to the fabulous singer on this Friday, 5t February, 2010 in Mumbai at ISKCON.

Singers like Sudha Malhotra, Ashok Khosla and Pt Dayal Thakur ( Guruji ) will perform at the concert being held in the memory of the immensely talented singer who at her very firat performance at the age of fifteen captured the heart of the music lovers and continues to so even today.

Begum Akhtar also acted in several Bollywood films, including Mumtaz Beghum (1934), Jawaani Ka Nasha(1935), King for a Day (1933, director : Raaj Hans). She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan (posthumously) by Govt. of India Today her name is almost synonymous with the concept of ghazal gayaki, and her imitable style of singing which immortalized her, and gave her the title of Mallika-e-Ghazal.

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 Ustad Imdad Khan, the great sarangi exponent from Patna, and later under Ata Mohammed Khan of Patiala. Later, she travelled to Calcutta with her mother and learnt music from classical stalwarts like Mohammad Khan, Abdul Waheed Khan of Lahore, and finally she became the disciple of Ustad Jhande Khan.

Her first public performance was at the tender age of fifteen. She took the music world by storm. The famous poetess, Sarojini Naidu, appreciated her singing during a concert which was organised in the aid of victims of a Bihar earthquake of 1934. 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 her ghazals, dadras,thumris, etc.

She was raped by one of her patrons and gave birth to a daughter. In her later life as a respectable married woman she had to pretend the daughter was her cousin. [4]

Like others of that era, she sang her songs herself in all her films. She continued acting in the following years. Subsequently Beghum Akhtar moved back to Lucknow where she was approached by the famous producer-director Mehboob Khan, as a result of which she acted in "Roti" which was released in 1942 and whose music was composed by maestro Anil Biswas [5]. "Roti" contained six of her ghazals but unfortunately due to some trouble between producer and director, Mehboob Khan subsequently deleted 3-4 ghazals from the film. All the ghazals are available on Megaphone gramophone records. Beghum Akhtar, meanwhile, left Bombay and returned to Lucknow.

Her voice matured with time, adding richness and depth. She sang ghazals and other light classical pieces, singing them in her inimitable style. She has nearly four hundred songs to her credit. She was a regular performer on All India Radio. She usually composed her own ghazals and most of her compositions were raag based.

Her filmography includes songs like

   1. Wo Hans Rahe Hain Aah Kiye Jaa...
   2. Ulajh Gaye Nayanwa Chhute Nahin...
   3. Char Dino Ki Jawani Matwale...
   4. Ai Prem Teri Balihari Ho...
   5. Phir Fasle Bahaar Aayi Hai...
   6. Rehne Laga Hai Dil Me Andhera...

    Hamen Yaad Teri Sataane Lagi...
    Main Raja Ko Apne Rijha Ke Rahungi...

   Ishq Mujhe Aur Kuchh To Yaad Nahi...

Aiming to organized concert every year in her memory, the initiative kick starts this Friday evening at Iskon.