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Ghazals of Feroza Begum and Ferdousi Rahman in Delhi

Kavita C haram NEW Delhi
The timeless works of two Bangladeshi nightingales --Ferdousi Begum (now Rahman) and Feroza Begum -- were presented at “A Feast of Ghazals.’ an evening dedicated to the singers of yesteryears in New Delhi.
Rendering songs of the two great artistes was Dr. Radhika Chopra, a well-known singer in her own right. Among the works that Radhika presented
were Ferdousi's “Rang parahan ka khushboo zulf lehrane ka" (written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz), “Dil dhadkane ka sabab yaad aya” (from the Urdu film “Talash ) and “Akhian tori rah taken." The perennial Feroza Begum ghazal favourites rendered by Radhika were "Turn bhulaye na gave," " Ab ke hum bichhde tho shayad kahbi khwabon mein miley” and “Raz-e-ulfat chhupa ke dekh liya."
An appreciative audience, comprising many of an older
Feroza Begum
generation, clapped along after every ghazal. There was a smattering of people, however, who had a word of con-structive criticism on Radhika's performance. Said Mehdi, a close friend of the artiste, "While Radhika is a beautiful and competent singer, at times she needs guidance about the verses of some famous poets.”
The credit for the concert must of> course go to Fran Nevile, a well-known author, scholar and founderconvenor of the KL Saigal Memorial Circle. To quote him, 'Tn my own small way I try to keep alive the memory of all those great singers of yesteryears and ghazals have
a constant appeal in the subcontinent. Ghazals are evergreen and a predominant part of Urdu poetry and literature. My objective was to highlight two great Bangladeshi singers -- Feroza Begum and Ferdousi Begum.”
Nevile has many interesting tales to recount about these two ghazal greats and his association with Bangla-4^h Amo.ngJx^.qlp^ faw4*. is Shamsur Rahman, at that time the Bangladesh High Commissioner in Delhi (1975-76). He recalls meeting Rahman, the first Bangladesh Ambassador in Moscow, while Nevile was posted there as an Indian Foreign Service
official. Says Nevile about Rahman, “He is a very knowledgeable person and is well up on the nuances of music. Plus, of course, he knew Sanskrit and could quote 'shloka' from poet Jaidev's 'Geet Govinda.'”
About Feroza Begum, Ferdousi Rahman and Kamal Dasgupta (a great composer and music director of that era), Nevile says, "Feroza Begum trained under Kamal Dasgupta, who was then based in Calcutta. In 1960, he went over to Dhaka and married Feroza, who was 20 years younger than him. He embraced Islam and became Kamal Hussain. Unfortunately people who contribute immensely to the arts are often quickly forgotten. This was the story of Dasgupta, who did so much for cinema in the subcontinent as a playback singer and composer."
Nevile is not a novice to the world of music. He has presented evenings dedicated to singers, such, as. Malik^ Pukhraj. Now on the cards is a concert featuring Khemchand Prakash, who lent his voice to "Aayega aanewala" (from the film "Mahal") as well as "Tansen," some of the greatest musical hits of the 1940s.