Begum Akhtar remembered with recital | Lucknow News

Lucknow: Ghazal, thumri and dadra were presented in a programme organised in the memory of Padma Bhushan Begum Akhtar by Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya at Kala Mandapam in the city on Tuesday. The programme was organised on Begum Akhtar’s 111th birth anniversary celebration.Classical singer Sangeeta Nerurkar, visiting from Pune, said, “Begum Akhtar is my inspiration. She used to sing classical songs, but later on she sang dadra, thumri and ghazal too. Her voice, modulations while singing and ghazals were a treat to ears and her velvety voice touched millions of hearts. Even now, anybody who listens to her songs becomes her fan,” she added.Nerurkar won hearts of listeners too with ghazals like ‘Na socha na samjha na jaana na seekha’, ‘Nakami e ishq ya kamyabi, dono ko hasil khanakharaabi’, ‘Hamri atariya pe’ ‘tu ne but e harjaai’. University’s VC Prof Mandavi Singh reminded that Begum Akhtar was also associated with Bhatkhande for some time. A visitor, Meena Tiwari (74), said, “Along with my mother, I used to listen to ghazals of Begum Akhtar since childhood and listening to her ghazals again has made me speechless.”