Remembering The Begum

For someone who had the nawabs and the fakirs revere her music,malika-e-ghazal Begum Akhtar had an alluring journey across the last century. In her 100th year,the celebrations and tributes to the musician have already begun. We get three of her senior disciples,the only ones remaining now,to talk about ammi,her enigmatic personality,her musical prowess,her whims,and even her love for Capston cigarettes

Written by Suanshu Khurana

July 22, 2013 12:48 AM IST

4 min read

Deewana banana hai toh deewana bana de,varna kahin taqdeer tamasha na bana de

The times when Akhtaribai Faizabadi of Cheena Bazaar kotha in Lucknow crooned this Behzad Lakhnawi ghazal,which was almost every time she sang in her high-pitched voice,those present at her mehfil would have the beguiling melody lead them to a different world a place where all that mattered was the glitter of that diamond nose pin,and that voice. Others cocked their ears to the 78 rpms as if the poetry was a coded request from the singer herself; and listened attentively until the record whirred in agony. Born as Bibbi in 1914 in Gulaab Baari in Faizabad to a courtesan named Mushtari Bai,a time when the royalties were beginning to lose all their lusture,Begum Akhtar saw the best of both worlds. Music-wise,the singer put genres such as thumri and ghazal on a classical platform,something reserved for the Pandits and Ustads,mostly men,of those times.

Shanti Hiranand: She knew too many people and there was always a crowd of people of every kind in the house,which included poets,singers,the Charatrams and the Parekhs. Thats one reason why everyone said different things and created so many stories around her. But she led a simple life and was a dignified woman. I still remember the first time I went to her house to learn. She was dressed in a crumpled sari and talked with a lot of command. I was almost 20 and knew the grammar of music,but her persona was so enchanting that I wanted to go to her house every day to enter that delightful world of riyaaz. The day she would decide to cook,she would have everyone running around the house. She would order new pots and pans,would want vegetables cut a certain way and bark orders at everyone. All this while she smoked a pack of Capstan cigarettes every day and drank ice cold water. Surprisingly it never affected her voice. She would say,Awaaz ko jaisa train karoge vo vaise hi ban jayegi.

Rita Ganguly: I was learning from Siddeshwari Devi before Begum Akhtar heard me and formally decided to make me her disciple. Siddheshwariji taught me the grammar of music,but the knowledge of how music could stir an audience is what I received from ammi. She had this brilliant voice and the bond I shared with her is something that will not leave me till I die. I still remember an incident where I was accompanying her and was fresh out of Siddeshwariji s tutelage. So when I sang a taan,trying to follow the musical battle format,she would notice that style. She abused me and said,Wo Siddheshwari toh mere peeche baith nahi sakti,tum uski shagird gaogi? I felt really bad and told her after the concert that though I wasnt learning from Siddheshwariji anymore,she wasnt doing the right thing by demeaning my guru and spoke in a very angry tone. She said,How lucky is Siddeshwari. Just to save the honour and name of your teacher with whom you are not learning anymore,you dared to compete with Begum Akhtar. What will you do if you become my shagird? I was dumfounded. The level of that emotive singing always has been matchless. She changed my life.

Anjali Banerjee: An outstanding personality,a great human being and guru,she was so gifted. With a talent that could not be surpassed,she deserved all the attention she received. This is a completely different era I am talking about when we had nawabs and maharajas as patrons. I met her when I was 12. Since I was from a Bengali family,it was important to learn the ropes besides getting educated. Begum Akhtar made me see that beautiful world,of performances,of applause and wonderful melodies. I left music to teach literature but what remains with me are those beautiful memories of learning from a woman,who was a loving guru at times,but mostly an independent wonderful woman,a musical genius,who courted fame and controversy alike.

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