|
Mumbai: Shamshad
Begum, renowned playback singer of yesteryears who gave voice to
classics like "Mere piya gaye Rangoon" and "Kabhi aar kabhi paar",
has passed away here, family sources said Wednesday. She was 94.
Shamshad Begum, who had been ailing for the past few months, died
Tuesday evening. A widow since 1955, she lived with her daughter
Usha Ratra.
"She had no regrets. She lived her life like a tigress. I am proud
to be her daughter," Usha told IANS.
The funeral ceremonies were conducted Tuesday night in Andheri
east at a small, private affair with a few friends and admirers
attending.
"She was not keeping well for a while now. She was in ICU six
months back. The last rituals were done Tuesday evening," said
Usha, 74, who's married to Yograj Ratra, an armymen.
Among the first woman playback singers in the Hindi film industry,
which has turned 100 this year, Shamshad Begum was born in April
14, 1919, in Amritsar, Punjab.
Interested in singing from a young age, she got her first break
with Peshawar Radio, Lahore, in December 1947.
Later, her voice with a nasal tinge became a hit and she sang for
top heroines of the era, leaving behind a rich legacy of her
soulful tunes.
Some of her famous songs include "Kajra mohabbat wala", "Leke
pehla pehla pyar", "Kahinpe nigahen, kahinpe nishaana", "Chhod
babul ka ghar", "Saiyan dilme aana re" and "Teri mehfil me kismat
ajmaa kar hum bhi dekhenge".
She was a favourite of music directors like Naushad Ali and O.P.
Nayyar.
Besides Hindi, Shamshad Begum also sang in Punjabi, Bengali and
other Indian languages.
Usha said that till her last breath, her mother "survived on her
own money".
"She was a very independent woman. In fact, many a time she used
to gift me something from her money," she said remembering her
mother.
Her mother was fond of eating, said Usha and added that "she
didn't have to spend her money anywhere else. No make-up, no
shopping, nothing."
"She has even left some money, which she wanted to give to
charity. I would not like to reveal how much, but will follow her
wish. Even when she was alive, she used to donate a lot of money
to different charity organisations," added the grieving daughter.
Shamshad Begum turned off her microphone somewhere in 1970s, and
recalling her mother's retirement decision, Usha said: "One fine
day she packed her bags and came to my house and said she has left
the film industry. She never looked back."
"Because of the politics in the industry, she didn't want to work
anymore. This is one of the reasons why she didn't let me be a
singer. I told her, let me sing for my self-satisfaction, but she
said if you will learn to sing, you will directly enter the
industry. So, she didn't let me do so."
"She felt earlier artists used to come on merit basis, but later
there were too much of politics in the industry," added Usha.
|
Comments
India
China Border Row
|
Quick links