Roshanara Begum
Roshanara Begum
Vocalist
17 Renditions • 4 h 3 m
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GHARANA
Kirana
GURUS
Mumtaz Hussein
Laddan Khan
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan
AWARD
Sitara-e-Imtiaz1960
Roshan Ara Begum was a Hindustani classical vocalist, born in 1917 in Calcutta to Ustad Abdul Haqq Khan. Her real name was Wahidunnissa. Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the doyen of the Kirana gharana, was her cousin. Her mother, Chanda Begum, a well-known singer, recognised her daughter's talent and sent her to train first with Mumtaz Hussein and then with Laddan Khan. After ten years of rigorous training, while still very young, she began performing at small house concerts held by affluent residents of Lahore. In Calcutta, then a cultural hub, her talent soon drew notice; after a few public performances she began touring the country, frequently visiting Bengal and Bihar, and performed at all the major radio stations. Her voice was delicate yet full-throated, moving gracefully across the octaves. In the early 1930s, when she was at the peak of her career, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan heard her rendition of Raga Multani and took her as his disciple. After the partition of India and Pakistan, she moved to Lalamusa, her husband's native town, a small place with little musical activity, and often travelled to Lahore to perform. In 1960 she became the first female vocalist to be awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) by the President of Pakistan. She passed away in 1982.