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Journalism of Courage
Wo jo humme tumme qaraar tha, tumhe yaad ho ke na yaad ho (That contentment between us, I’m not sure if you remember). When 88-year-old Zarina Begum began this Hakim Khan Momin nazm on Friday at the IGNCA auditorium, it was as if a coded complaint was being made to those present on the other side of mehfil’s trademark shama (candelabrum). The response from the audience wasn’t as cryptic. They replied with a chorus of “wahs” and “kya baat hai” at regular intervals, hinting that they remembered and Zarina’s grievance was justified. “Dilli aana achha lagta hai (I like coming to Delhi). Even people in Lucknow don’t remember me anymore,” said a teary-eyed Begum, who performed as a part of “The Last Song of Awadh”, an event conceived by Sufi kathak exponent Manjari Chaturvedi.
Her performance on Friday comprising iconic ghazals of Akhtaribai Faizabadi, fondly called Begum Akhtar, wasn’t just a reminder of Akhtar’s rich repertoire (this is her centenary year) but also of the courtly music culture that had court musicians such as Zarina Begum find success in the durbaars of Awadh. In her heyday, she was a fixture in the soirees of Nawab of Nanpara Raja Saadat Ali Khan, and Raja of Mehmoodabad. She remembers the turn of phrase taught to her by Akhtar herself. “My husband used to play the tabla with Begum sahiba and that’s when she taught me these wonderful ghazals,” says Zarina, who only became a part of the courts when hereditary musical traditions of courtesans had begun to decline. Soon enough, Zarina, too, fell off the cultural map of Lucknow. Since then she’s been living in penury in a crumbling house in Lucknow’s Aminabad. Occasional concerts by Chaturvedi and the likes help her sometimes.
Her fading memory finds a streak of brightness sometimes, just like the zari in her maroon Banarsi silk, specially purchased for the event. “I had to force her to be here and meet people who want to listen to her,” said Chaturvedi, who also performed darbari kathak on three ghazals.
The evening began with the famous Deewana banaana hai toh deewani bana de. The notes were not finding their place and Zarina’s voice was quite strained to deliver a delicate melody like this. But then entered a fascinating aakaar ki taan in the middle, which surprised everyone, including thumri singer Kumud Deewan, who accompanied her on stage. Deewan, however, with a laboured and self-conscious voice and notes going out of sync wasn’t able to execute the ghazals properly. She had the bass voice needed for a concert like this, but we missed Radhika Chopra, a fixture in Chaturvedi’s concerts otherwise. Then came the beautiful Chha rahi kaali ghata, jiya mora lehraaye in raag Desh followed by Shakeel Badayuni’s popular piece Aye mohabbat. Zarina got a standing ovation, a flash of recall of the days when kings and queens did that in
the courts.
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