I have wanted to edit Akhtari ever since I grew old enough to understand the stories I heard about Akhtari Bai Faizabadi’s relationship with our family. Listening to the legends about her personality, the way she spoke, her conduct and dressing, her way of life, her obsession with courtesy and respect, and her unsurpassable talent kindled in me an inexplicable idolizing passion for her. I have been so crazy about music that apart from classical music and semiclassical music, I have always looked for hidden gems in folk and cinema music too. My paternal grandmother, the late Rajkumari Vimla Devi, was equivalent to a music society all by herself, having been not only a singer but also accomplished in playing many uncommon instruments. Growing up in such an environment, I have always tried to gain a deeper understanding of who Begum Akhtar was, from the perspective that she was a unique personality from Awadh whose music made its mark in its own special way.
Born to Mushtaribai, a famous singer of yore, Begum Akhtar’s (1914–1974) maiden name was Akhtari Bai Faizabadi. After her marriage to Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, from the family of the Nawab of Kakori, she came to be known as Begum Akhtar. It is of historical importance that Begum Akhtar was accomplished in all forms of semiclassical music, be it thumri, chaiti, dadra, kajri, baramasa, or hori. She learnt music through and with various gharanas, the prominent amongst them being Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan (Kirana), Ustad Ramzan Khan (Lucknow), and Ustad Barkat Ali Khan (Patiala). Begum Akhtar attained unparalleled success with her lilting voice, and the unique way of singing in a fast tempo. Her voice was so imbued with pathos and rhythm that at one time the pain in her voice echoed the pain of every listener. Anyone who had suffered heartbreak and betrayal in life found refuge in Begum’s voice. Until then the ‘ghazal’ was something that was only read – Begum Akhtar gave ghazal an identity and respectability by adding the dimension of singing to it. There came a time when every poet, expert or novice, yearned for Begum Akhtar to sing his creation. And she did. It remains an example as well as a milestone in the history of music. Be it the ghazals of Shakeel Badayuni and Jigar Moradabadi or those of novice poets like Sudarshan Faakir, Begum Akhtar added value to their words with her voice. In fact, Kaifi Azmi had even confessed that he went back to reading and writing ghazals in order to get closer to Begum Akhtar.
This is all thanks to Begum Akhtar’s talent. All of this is only an effort to seek shelter under the umbrella of the style and art of a singer of intense calibre who graced the garden of semi-classical Hindustani music, a singer we had the fortune of being blessed with.
This book is woven with the myriad threads of the scattered stories of the music and persona of Begum Akhtar, which bring to light that heretofore obscure era. It is an effort to learn about the coupling of music and literature in the days when a large section of society was showering Begum Akhtar with love … This book does not claim to analyse or understand Begum Akhtar in entirety. Her personality was so vast that even after covering this much there remains regret that much has yet been left out. The effect of her music is so immense and her music so full of new thought that to understand her signature style there is an enormous need for more research, study, and serious conversation on her music.
Our small effort to put together this work on the life and music of Begum Akhtar has been possible thanks to the help of thousands of her fans. This book is now in your hands, dear readers, and I hope that we are able to present her journey with the same simplicity that she presented her music with to her audience … The story of the empress of pain – of her grief and hurt, her joys and dreams, music and love, everything has come together here …
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