Remembering NIghtingale of Kashmir

Radio Kashmir Srinagar organised a musical tribute to legendary Kashmiri singer ,Padam Shri,Raj Begum on 22 Nov 2016 in Studio 6 in front of select audience.The show went ''live''on air for 90 mts on FM2-103.6MHz of Radio Kashmir to overwhelming response from listeners. Station Head S H Qaisar welcomed the guests/listeners and described the event as first of its kind in memory of an artist of Radio Kashmir ,also because it was going ''live'' on air at the same time. Noted Broadcaster Rasheed Nizami conducted the proceedings.

Sangeet Natak Academy Award winner Raj Begum,“Nightingale of Kashmir” the voice that mesmerized millions for over seven decades died recently. She was 89. She was one of the most recognized female singers in the Kashmir Valley, having rendered hundreds of songs from Radio Kashmir in Srinagar and in live concerts at other places in India and abroad. She started at a time when women were not even allowed to move out of their homes. Singing that time was out of question. Her contribution only allowed female singers to come out and make their mark.Undeterred by criticism from family and relatives, Begum continued to pursue her career shifting from festive marriage singing to melodies and classical singing after she joined Radio Kashmir in the 1950s.

Legendary Bollywood star, Dilip Kumar,the acting legend, who heard her at a hotel in Srinagar in the 1970s, famously eulogised her saying, “As long as Kashmir has Raj Begum its mesmerizing voices shall never die.”