The passing of an artiste

FEROZA Begum now belongs to the ages. Her death on Tuesday was truly the end of an era in the world of our music. She brought before us, indeed before the world, the beauty encapsulated in Nazrul Geeti. It was her style and her rendition, evocative of the spirit of Nazrul's poetry, that gave a new dimension to Nazrul songs. If Manabendra brought that certain dash of the classical into Nazrul Geeti, Feroza Begum gave it that flavour of romanticism which made the songs part of everyday life in Bangladesh and West Bengal. In that particular sense, she was a pioneer in the dissemination of Nazrul music. In time, again, other artistes followed with their own, distinctive offerings of Nazrul to Bengali lovers of music. The inimitable Nilofar Yasmin, snatched by death eleven years ago, comes to mind.

The greatness of Feroza Begum lies in the many ways in which she popularized Nazrul songs in Bangladesh through unfettered and unending devotion to the genre. There was the sprightly in her voice in much the same way that there was pathos when it came to songs touched by the profundity of sadness. That hers was a background of aesthetics helped. That she came in touch with Kamal Dasgupta and married him enriched the life she lived in music.

Our tributes go to this nightingale who touched us, in the refinement of melody, across generations. She will live on and so will her songs.