2014 - Centenary of Begum Akhtar - Proof Set

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Release Function Held on 7-Oct-2014

The 4th Release ceremony of the year saw the commemorative coins on Centenary of Begum Akhtar. The famous Ghazal signer being commemorated. This would be probably the first instance where an Artist is being commemorated a welcome break from traditional themes

Release Function:
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik releasing a set of commemorative coins of Rs.100 and Rs.5, at the inaugural function of Centenary Commemoration of Begum Akhtar, in New Delhi on October 07, 2014. The Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Shri Ravindra Singh is also seen.

Akhtari Bai Faizabadi, also known as Begum Akhtar (7 October 1914 – 30 October 1974), was a well known Indian singer of Ghazal, and Dadra, and Thumri genres of Hindustani classical music.

She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan (posthumously). She was given the title of Mallika-e-Ghazal.

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 age of fifteen. 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 amongst the early female singers to give public concert, and break away from singing in mehfils or private gatherings, and in time came to be known as Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazal).

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 like Gauhar Jaan and Malak Jan, however, she decided to forsake the glamour of the film world for a career in Indian 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 of raags, ranging from simple to complex. After the advent of talkie era in India, Beghum Akhtar acted in a few Hindi movies in the 1930s.

Proof Set
Coins of Rs 100 and Rs 5

UNC Set
Refer to the Next Post