The Nightingale of Bangladesh to be remembered on birth anniv today
DL Reporter
Today is the 86th birth anniversary of Feroza Begumfondly called The Nightingale of Bangladesh by thousands of fans, who devoted herself to popularising the music of Kazi Nazrul Islam, in dozens of recordings and in performances across South Asia and around the world.
Feroza Begum will be remembered today through various programmes organised by her family members and different cultural organisations. Besides, TV channels will air various programmes on her life and works.
Born in 1930 in Gopalganj to the zamindars of Ratail Ghonaparha, Feroza Begum had the rare experience of securing second position in any classes of her school or college life. She was guided by two true mentors, her father Khan Bahadur Mohammad Ismail, a famous lawyer and her mother Kaokabunnesa Begum, a true promoter of music with a sweet voice.
Firoza Begum was 10 years old when she brought before the poet and composer Kazi Nazrul Islam and asked to perform some songs. Did you know who that man in the topi and with long hair who asked you to sit next to him was? She was asked by her uncle, who had taken her. How could I? Ive not seen him before, she replied.
The young girl was soon to start as a student of the man who would become the national poet of Bangladesh, and two years later she made her first recording for HMV when she sang a collection of Muslim songs. At the time, Nazrul was HMVs in-house voice coach.
Feroza was the luckiest one, who got the opportunity to be the direct student of Kazi Nazrul Islam and received love and affection of the Poet in his lifetime. She was taught by the Poet for two and a half years, which was the greatest achievement in her life that she always admitted when she was alive.
In 1942, the first solo record of Feroza Begum was released under the banner of HMV and the music arrangements of the songs were done by Chittarangan Roy, the chief associate to Kazi Nazrul Islam. Her first record in the format of 78 RPM included Mor Akhi Pate on one side and Morur Back Jibondhara Ke Bohalo on the other side.
Feroza married Kamal Dasgupta in 1956, who had been a composer for at least a third of the Kazi Narul Islams songs. She lived in Kolkata from 1954, until she moved to Dhaka in 1967. After Kamal Dasgupta passed away in 1974, she married musician Mansur Ahmed.
In her long seven-decade of music career, Feroza Begum performed in about 80 solo musical shows at home and abroad. All her life she enthralled the audience with the rendition of Nazrul Sangeet, besides singing other genres of songs like Modern, Geet, Gazhal, Bhajan and Hamd-Naat. Before she died, she released as many as 12 LPs, four EPs, six CDs and more than 20 audio albums.
Feroza Begum, for her outstanding contribution to Nazrul Sangeet, received numerous awards in her lifetime; among others, the list of her prominent awards include Independence Award, Ekushey Award, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Award, Nasiruddin Gold Award, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Gold Award, Nazrul Sangeet Artist Award (several times consecutively), Nazrul Academy Award, Churulia Gold Award, D. Litt from Bardhaman University, Meril-Prothom-alo Lifetime Achievement Award. She also received a Gold Disk from the renowned Japanese audio production company CBS.
Feroza Begum died on September 9 in 2014. Feroza Begum left behind her three sons Tahsin, Hamin and Shafin along with the countless adoring fans and followers.
