Begum Akhtar, b. circa, 1914- d. 1974, a legend in her own lifetime, is one such person on whom there is no available biography. A pioneer in the field of Indian light classical music, she helped popularize the traditional form of thumari and ghazal gayaki and took it to the concert level all over India and abroad. Unfortunately, despite her talents, an entire generation of Indians has grown up listening to only gossip connected with Begum Akhtar’s life; be it ...
