Legendary playback singer, Shamshad Begum died at her Mumbai residence on the night of April 23, 2013 after a prolonged illness at the age of 94. Shamshad Begum was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry.
She was a versatile artist, singing over 6000 songs in Hindi and the Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and Punjabi languages.
Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said "The film industry has lost one of its most versatile singers. Shamshadji's style of singing set new benchmarks. Her melodious voice with powerful lyrics gave us songs that have remained popular even today."
"Her death is an irreparable loss, a void which will be difficult to fill," he added.
Begum was born in Amritsar, Punjab.
She fell in love with Ganpat Lal Batto, a lawyer, in 1932 and despite family objections married him at the age of 15 in 1934. Begum made her debut on Peshawar Radio in Lahore on December 16, 1947, captivating the hearts of her listeners with her enchanting voice.
Her daughter Usha Ratra said "She kept herself away from glamour of the industry despite being one of the top singers of her era as she did not like limelight. My mother used to say that artistes never die. She wanted to be remembered for her songs."
She sang for almost all the top composers of her time including Ghulam Haider, Naushad and O P Nayyar.
Her famous songs include, Leke pehla pehla pyar, (CID), Kabhi aar kabhi paar lagathi re nazar, (Aar Paar), Reshmi salwar kurta jaali da (Naya Daur) and Kajra mohabbat wala (Kismat).
The singer has been living with her daughter Usha Ratra and son-in-law in Mumbai, ever since her husband Ganpat Lal Batto died in 1955.
She was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2009.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said "She was an artist of extraordinary talent and abilities, and the songs she has left behind in her long career, which she started with AIR in 1947, will continue to enthral music lovers."
She will be greatly missed by all the music lovers throughout the nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment