Bangladesh’s famed Nazrul Sangeet singer Feroza Begum died on Tuesday night at a hospital in Dhaka, and her body has been taken to her
Indira Road residence. She was 84.
Feroza Begum, an Independence Day Award recipient, breathed her last at Dhaka’s Apollo Hospital at around 8.30pm on Tuesday. She was admitted to the hospital on Friday with various complications, including heart and kidney problems.
Feroza Begum was drawn to music in her childhood. She recorded her first Islamic song by Gramophone record company in 1942. She lived in Kolkata from 1954 till 1967, when she moved to Dhaka.
Nazrul Geeti or Nazrul Sangeet literally translated means the “music of Nazrul”, and refers to the songs written and composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam, a revolutionary, Bengali poet and the national poet of Bangladesh during the Indian Independence Movement.
Nazrul Sangeet/Geeti incorporates revolutionary notions as well as more spiritual, philosophical and romantic themes. Poet Kazi Nazrul wrote and composed nearly 4,000 songs, which are widely popular in India and Bangladesh.
At a time when Nazrul Sangeet was in a state of decline in this part of the world, it was Feroza Begum who revived its glory.
In recognition of her contribution, she was honoured with the ‘Independence Day Award’ in 1979 and the ‘Sheltech Award’ in 2000.
