Yes, today let us talk of Begum Akhtar. Her birth anniversary, on October 7, happens to be just a week old. Why then talk of a singer (yes, she did act in Bombay Films. Hardly is famous as an actress though. She is etched in to the ears of classical music listeners as the thumi, dadra, ghazal maestro), the mallika-e-ghazal, who passed away in 1974, and is now a relic of the past, born as she was in 1914?
I would say her appeal lies precisely in the fact that in the early twentieth century when India was shackled both by rigid patriarchal traditions and the colonial British masters, this daughter of a 'tawaif' gave the 'kotha' tradition of thumri and ghazal the acceptability and, greater still, the respectability of the AIR, later the broadcasting mode of the newly independent nation.
Indeed single-handedly is this 'mistress' ( in both the senses of the term) of ghazal responsible for making the music of the 'badnam galli/mohalla' a major part of the repertoire of the classical music baithak . All her four hundred plus songs are a treat to the ear, even when you may not understand each and every Urdu word therein.
The most loved, however, are "woh jo hum me tum me" and "eh, mohabbat, tere naam pe". Her honeyed voice, with its slight husk, brings out beautifully the deep emotion the two songs elucidate. No wonder, given her contribution, the ghazal is now a much loved sub-genre of the tradition. Due to her path breaking artistry, the ghazal gayaki, continues to be loved ad infinitum by both, the congnoscenti and the uninitiated avid listener. Long live the tradition of ghazal!
Pratima@ There forked two roads, the dual paths. The one less travelled she chose. And that has made all the difference!
No comments:
Post a Comment