Google doodle dedicates to 'Queen of Ghazals' Begum Akhtar

If you open google.in today you may come across the doodle containing a lady with sitar. Yes, She is Begum Akhtar or Akhtari Bai Faizabadi, 'popularly known as the 'Queen of Ghazals' (Mallika-e-Ghazal), Hindustan classical singer.

Begum Akhtar born on 7th October 1914 in Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad. This October 7 is her 103rd birth anniversary.

Trained under various Hindustani classical musicians including sarangi exponent Ustad Imdad Khan, Ata Mohammed Khan, Mohammad Khan, Abdul Waheed Khan of Lahore, and Ustad Jhande Khan, she emerged as the early female singers performed in public concert.

At the age of fifteen, she conducted the first public performance.

She acted and sung herself in a number of films including Maadhav Kaale directed Roti (1942) and Jalsaghar of Satyajit Ray.

Begum Akhtar fell in ill during a concert at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. On 30 October 1974, she passed away in Ahmedabad.

She was buried at ‘Pasanda Bagh’ in Thakurganj area of Lucknow.

Akhtar was honoured with a posthumously Padma Bhushan in 1975. She received Padma Shri in 1968 and Sangeet Nataak Akademi Award (1975).