Shamshad Begum

• Padma Bhushan Award (2009) • O. P. Nayyar Award (2009) ==Personal life==

Shamshad Begum was born in Lahore, British India (present-day Pakistan) on 14 April 1919. She was one of eight children, five sons and three daughters, born to a conservative Punjabi Muslim family of limited means. Her father, Mian Hussain Baksh, worked as a mechanic and her mother, Ghulam Fatima, was a pious lady of conservative disposition, a devoted wife and mother who raised her children with traditional family values. Despite family objections, Shamshad Begum started singing at weddings and social events at the age of 12. During her initial recordings, her father insisted that she wear a burqa and not be photographed. She gradually became a recluse and devoted herself entirely to her grandchildren, to the point that the general public was unaware of whether she was alive or dead. In 2004, a controversy erupted in the media, when several publications wrongly reported that Shamshad Begum had died a few years previously. Shamshad's family clarified in a press release that this was not so. Her self-imposed seclusion is remarkable, because during all those decades away from the public eye, her old songs remained popular with the public and were often played on Vividh Bharati and All India Radio. ==Career==

1924–40 Begum's talent was first spotted by her principal when she was in primary school in 1924. Impressed by the quality of her voice, she was made head singer of classroom prayer. At 10, she started singing folk-based songs at religious functions and family marriages. She received no formal musical training. Her singing ambitions, which she held from 1929, met with opposition from her family. In 1931, when she was twelve, her uncle, who enjoyed qawwalis and ghazals, secretly took her to Jenophone (or Xenophone) Music Company for an audition with Lahore-based musician and composer, Ghulam Haider. Begum said in an interview, "I sang Bahadur Shah Zafar's (the poet-ruler) ghazal Mera yaar mujhe mile agar." An impressed Haider gave her a contract for twelve songs, with the same facilities provided to top singers. It was Begum's paternal uncle Aamir Khan who convinced her father, Miyan Hussain Baksh, to allow her to sing. When she won a contract with a recording company, her father agreed to let her sing on the condition that she would record in a burka and not allow herself to be photographed. She earned 15 rupees per song and was awarded 5,000 on the completion of the contract on Xenophone. Xenophone was a renowned music recording company, patronised by the rich, and her popularity grew in elite circles in the early 1930s. Though she had won the Xenophone audition without having any formal music training, Hussain Bakshwale Sahab and later Ghulam Haider improved her singing skills between 1937 and 1939. The then AIR Lahore helped her to enter the world of movies as they frequently broadcast her songs, which induced music directors to use her voice for their films. Begum also recorded naats and other devotional music for a couple of gramophone recording companies. Her crystal-clear voice caught the attention of sarangi maestro Hussain Bakshwale Saheb, who took her as his disciple. Her father was not convinced at first but later gave in as Shamshad wanted to come to Mumbai. Haider used her voice skilfully in some of his earlier films such as Khazanchi (1941) and Khandan (1942). By 1940, Begum was already well established on the radio. The songs "Cheechi Wich Pa ke Chhalla", "Mera Haal Vekh Ke" and "Kankaan Diyaan Faslaan" from Yamla Jatt of 1940 became a huge hit and popularised Pran, singer Begum and composer Haider. Haider continued to compose hit songs which Begum sang for films including Zamindar, Poonji and Shama. Khan used Begum's voice in Taqdeer (1943), where he introduced Nargis as the heroine. Begum was soon singing for other composers including Rafiq Ghaznavi, Ameer Ali, Pt. Gobindram, Pt. Amarnath, Bulo C. Rani, Rashid Atre and M. A. Mukhtar, in the pre-independence era. When Haider moved to Bombay in 1944, Begum went with him as a member of his team, leaving behind her family and staying with her Chacha (paternal uncle) Aamir Khan who used to encourage her in her singing career. Begum is credited with singing one of the first Westernised songs, "Meri jaan...Sunday ke Sunday" by C. Ramchandra. She kept getting more offers to sing songs and was the highest paid female singer from 1940 to 1955 and again post Mother India in 1957 to 1964. In 1949, music directors S. Rajeswara Rao, M. D. Parthasarathy and Balakrishna Kalla asked her to sing "Jaiyo Jaiyo Shipayon Bazar" for P. Bhanumathi in the film Nishan, produced by Gemini Films of Madras, which became highly popular. Although Burman started composing Bengali music in 1937, he achieved national fame with tracks sung by Begum in Hindi films. Burman was not well established as a music director in Hindi films until 1946; he then asked Begum to sing in his debut Hindi film as music director, Shikari (1946), with the song, "Kuch Rang Badal Rahi". In 1949, came Shabnam, in which Burman asked her to sing duets named "Pyar Main Tumne" and "Kismat Bhi Bhichadna" with Mukesh, which became popular. Shabnam was Burman's biggest hit to that date with Filmistan, and was especially noticeable for its multilingual song "Yeh Duniya Roop ki Chor", sung by Begum and acted by Kamini Kaushal, which became another hit. Burman subsequently asked her to sing tracks in Bazar, Mashaal, Bahar, Shahenshah, Miss India, and other films. The song "Jaam Tham Le" from Shahenshah was a trendsetter for Burman compositions. It was between 1958 and 1963 that the career of Lata got a major boost as music directors started gradually preferring her soft voice. Until then, Geeta Dutt and Begum were the most preferred singers, but Shamshad Begum continued to be at the top from 1940 until 1963. From 1965, her songs started to be mimed by actresses other than the lead. Beginning in 1965, songs for her in films started getting reduced but the songs she sang instantly became hits through 1968. She then declared a self-imposed retirement in 1965. But she kept having certain composers asking her to sing songs in few films and among them her songs from films like in Daku Mangal Singh, Upkar, Kismat, Heer Ranjha, Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong, Teri Meri Ik Jindri and Main Papi Tum Bakhshanhaar. Her song "Kajra Mohabbat Wala" from the 1968 film Kismat and "Nathaniya Hale To Bada Maza" from the 1971 film Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong remains popular. ==Retirement and death==

From the late 1980s, Begum started giving occasional interviews. In one of her interviews with Filmfare magazine in 2012, Begum disclosed, "The more hits I gave, the less work I got. When I helped new composers I never told them to give me all their songs to sing. I believed only God could give, not them." Her final interview was in 2012. In 2009, she was conferred with the prestigious O. P. Nayyar Award for her contribution to Hindi film music. She was also conferred the Padma Bhushan (India's third highest civilian award) in 2009. Begum died at her Mumbai residence on the night of 23 April 2013 after a prolonged illness. She was 94. Her funeral was held the following morning in Andheri East; it was a private ceremony attended by close family members and a few friends, reflecting her lifelong preference for a low-key personal life. Despite her Muslim heritage, she had requested that her last rites be performed according to Hindu customs, following her marriage to Ganpat Lal Batto, and she was subsequently cremated. She was cremated in a small, dignified ceremony. 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." 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 1937, will continue to enthral music lovers." Her death was also mourned by the highest echelons of the Indian film industry. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan paid tribute via social media, stating, "The golden voice of Shamshad Begum, playback singer of great eminence in some of the most historic film songs... now silent. RIP." Lata Mangeshkar, who began her career when Begum was the industry's leading voice and later recorded numerous duets with her, expressed deep personal sadness. Mangeshkar tweeted, "I was very sad to hear the news of her demise. I had worked with her in several films; she was a very nice, cheerful, and simple human being." Film historian Raju Bharatan noted that despite the industry gossip of rivalry during the 1950s, the two shared a "melodious partnership," most notably in their final collaboration, "Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat Azmakar" from Mughal-e-Azam (1960). ==Legacy==

In 2016, India Post honored Begum's foundational contributions to Indian music by issuing a commemorative postage stamp featuring her portrait. She was included in the "Legendary Singers of India" series, which also recognized artists such as Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, and Geeta Dutt. Begum's death coincided with the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema in 2013, leading to her inclusion in nationwide tributes that underscored her status as one of the industry's earliest playback icons. In addition to radio specials and musical concerts replaying her hits, her 100th birth centenary in 2019 was marked by numerous retrospectives celebrating her repertoire of over 1,600 songs. Her duet with Lata Mangeshkar, "Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat Azmakar" from K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam (1960), has seen a resurgence in popularity through social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram from late 2023. This digital trend has introduced her vocal style to younger generations, often through remixes and viral short-form videos. Her career milestones were further documented in the 2024 Doordarshan Urdu series Parwaz-e-Niswan, which profiled her as a foundational figure in South Asian music. While her voice remains widely recognized in popular culture, contemporary audiences often engage with her music without being familiar with her biographical identity. 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 the limelight. My mother used to say that artistes never die. She wanted to be remembered for her songs." ==Selected songs==

• Paigham Saba Lai Hai Gulzar-e-Nabi Se, Aaya Hai Bulawa Mujhay Darbar-e-Nabi Se – Shamshad Begum's debut as a playback singer from Radio Lahore, British India by her mentor, music director Ghulam Haider with this Na'at song in 1937 • "Kajra Mohabbatwala Ankhiyon Mein Aisa Dala" (Duet with Asha Bhosle) – Kismat (1968); (Music: O.P. Nayyar) ==References==