From Bai to Begum

The book is replete with black-and-white photographs of the Begum taken over the years,from her humble beginning in Cheena Bazaar to the decadent kothas of Lucknow. The interesting bit is her journey that began in Faizabad (also home to the mysterious Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s Umrao Jaan). There are other pictures; a glimpse of her kotha in Cheena Bazaar, where the Begum dangles a Capstan cigarette in one hand and her harmonium in the other. It trails her to the streets of Mumbai,where she worked in a few films,most of which were by Mehboob Khan. The book comes with a CD featuring 10 of her most popular tracks,including Deewana banana hai and Aye Mohabbat “This book is more or less the script of the documentary that I made in 1994. It was important for this legend to be in love,to be pained by it and deliver that in her music,” said Kalidas who met Begum for the first time when he was 14,while helping his mother organise one of her charity concerts. “I was too young to understand her,but I remember her live performances and the crowd being mesmerised by them,” says Kalidas. The book also has some rare photographs sourced from Saleem Kidwai,a Delhi University professor whose family knew the Begum. “She achieved a lot. She has nine LPs to her credit with some of the best ghazals,but something always remained unfulfilled. The book is a tribute to her,” says Kidwai who now lives in Lucknow.