Subcontinent has been a home to immensely talented artists who have made their nations proud at international level. The history, the culture, the heritage of this region is embellished with the names of such individuals who have been a symbol of pride for the people of this soil. But among these artists, there have only been a few jewels who have gathered love and respect from nations all over the world. Such was Shahnaz Begum’s aura that even artists across the border mourn over her sad demise.
23rd March 2019 brought a bit of sorrow in the waves of patriotism as Shahnaz Begum breathed her last in the arms of her loved ones. Shahnaz Rahmatullah or more famously known as the ‘Voice of Nation’ was born on January 2nd, 1952.in Dhaka. Trained by the maestro Mehdi Hassan himself, Shahnaz began her musical career with radio at the age of 11. She marked ground in the field of playback singing with several hits under her belt belonging to Bangladeshi and Pakistani films. In her five-decade old career, the Bengali queen of melody gathered several accolades to her name including the prestigious ‘Ekushey Padak’ in 1992.
In 2006, Begum became one of the very few artists to have four songs in the all-time list of BBCs’ ‘top 20 greatest Bengali songs.’ Her fame was not limited to playback success though. Shahnaz created magic with her patriotic anthems that will live forever in the hearts of many along with her legacy. Two such elusive tunes that will last to remain engraved in the memory of everyone include ‘Jeevay Pakistan’ and ‘Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhe’ crafted by Jamiluddin Aali and Masroor Anwar respectively.
Shahnaz Begum not only had a gifted voice but had the power to trigger the emotion of patriotism and nationalism that is extremely hard to create. Even though she is no more with us, she has given the world a lot to cherish and celebrate such as legends do until the world remain, jab tak hai yeh dunya baaqi.
All Image Sources: www.images.dawn.com, www.ravimagazine.com & www.tidal.com
