Family members, peers and well-wishers remembered recently demised legendary Nazrul singer Feroza Begum at a programme, held at the National Museum Auditorium on Tuesday. Gaan Bangla Television organised the memorial programme where cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor was present as the chief guest. Feroza Begum’s brothers M Asafuddowla and Mosihuddowla, cultural personality Kamal Lohani, noted singers Khairul Anam Shakil and Sujit Mustafa, noted barrister Rafiqul Haque, Shamsuzzaman Khan, director general of Bangla Academy; and sons of Feroza Begum — Hamin Ahmed and Shafin Ahmed, spoke on the artiste’s life and works.
In his speech, Lohani emphasised that Feroza Begum was not only a great singer but also a brave one. ‘In the Pakistan period, Feroza Begum was invited at a programme in Rawalpindi, where General Ayub Khan was present. She was asked to sing Urdu songs but the valiant artiste insisted on singing Bengali songs and didn’t budge,’ said Lohani.
M Asafuddowla, who is also a noted singer, remembered his memories of Feroza Begum. He pointed out that the determination Feroza Begum maintained to pursue music was extraordinary. He also talked about the hurdles Begum overcame to carry the flag of Nazrul songs forward. ‘She came from a wealthy family, but in the 1950s, she was in Kolkata in a very poor condition with her three sons and ailing husband, Kamol Dasgupta. But she was never to give up and continued her struggle. The way she managed her music career and family was really remarkable,’ said M Asafuddowla.
‘Even though she lived as a legendary artiste, Feroza Begum has no land, apartment or asset of her own because all she believed in was to achieve artistic excellence in singing,’ said Mosihuddowla, who also added that as a person, the late singer was really kind hearted. ‘She was a generous woman and she used to donate money to many organisations in the country or abroad; for example, she donated a huge sum of money to a school for Bangladeshi children in Riad, Saudi Arabia,’ added Mosihuddowla.
Famous musician and Begum’s son Shafin Ahmed recalled the pleasant childhood moments he passed with his mother. ‘My mother was always positive and she never wanted to impose anything on anybody. We never had to want anything from her whenever she went abroad for singing. But, despite her busy schedule, she would never fail to bring us our favorite toys,’ said Shafin.
Hamin Ahmed, on the other hand, talked about Feroza Begum’s dream to take Nazrul songs to the position that it deserves. ‘From now on, I and my brother (Shafin) will work to popularise Nazrul songs to the utmost level, no matter how much time and effort it takes,’ said Hamin.
Sujit Mustafa said that the greatest thing about Feroza Begum’s singing was that music was natural to her. ‘It was not training or practice that made her the singer she was, all things melodious came naturally to her,’ said Mustafa.
The programme also included audio visual of images and interviews of late Feroza Begum.
-With New Age input
