Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: February 16, 2022 | 
Roshan Ara Begum and Malika Pukhraj during their visit to India in 1977
Roshan Ara Begum, the nightingale of Kirana Gharana, a school of classical music of the subcontinent concerned foremost with perfect intonation of notes, became the most important woman in the history of classical music of this region. She is known as the Malika-e-Mauseeqi, or ‘The Queen of Music’ in Pakistan.
Khwaja sahib recalls going to listen to her sing at the All Pakistan Music Conference held in the Open Air Theatre of the Lawrence Gardens. Roshan Ara Begum being the star of the Conference would come in towards the end of the night, and her voice would soar to the heavens as the birds began to chirp and dawn broke, while the audience sat there spellbound and riveted. Hayat Ahmad Khan had been the force behind the launch of the annual All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC), the first edition of which was held from the 19-23 of February 1960. The news that Roshan Ara Begum was going to give up singing had acted as a catalyst and trigger for the creation of the APMC. He and a friend had rushed to Lala Musa, from where her husband hailed, and where she had settled after coming to Pakistan in 1948. They asked her to reconsider her decision, and decided to launch the APMC, realizing that unless they created a platform for the proponents of classical music, many a talent like hers would be lost.
Roshan Ara Begum
Khawaja Najamul Hassan, Pakistan Television’s (PTV) pioneering and legendry music producer, who worked with some of the most prominent singers of the country during his association with Pakistan Television, remembers Roshan Ara Begum whose original name was Waheed-un-Nisa, as one of the most skillful and gifted maestros of classical music.
‘Roshan Ara Begum was born in Calcutta in 1917. Her father was Abdul Haq Khan who was a cousin of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan of Kirana Gharana. Roshan Ara was the most outstanding disciple of this school,’ Khawaja sahib said. The intricate and ornate use of Sargam Taan (weaving patterns with the notations) practiced by exponents of this style of singing, was heavily influenced by the Carnatic classical style. Roshan Ara’s mother, Chanda Begum, herself a singer, arranged for Roshan Ara’s tutelage under Ustad Abdul Karim, and it took 10 years of rigorous practice before she was ready to perform. She made her debut in Bombay, when All India Radio began to broadcast her songs in 1936. She found an opening as a playback singer for the famous director, Sohrab Modi, for his historical film ‘Pukar’. She also sang for the leading music composer Anil Biswas’ film ‘Pehli Nazar’ in 1945. Khawaja Najam sahib recalls how Roshan Ara Begum’s career began.
Roshan Ara Begum with her set of musicians
‘Roshan Ara had a rich, mature, mellifluous and full-throated voice that could easily lend itself to a wide range of intricate classical music pieces. Short and delicate passages of sur, swift taans, and laykari made her singing very suitable for classical formats such as khayal, dadra, and thumri. Roshan Ara Begum migrated to Pakistan in 1948 and settled in Lala Musa, her husband’s hometown. Although far away from Lahore, she frequently travelled back and forth to participate in music and radio programs. She performed with computer like precision. Those who had the privilege of seeing Roshan Ara Begum at a live performance, count themselves amongst the highly fortunate, and I am one of the privileged,’ Najam sahib declares.
(L) Director General Radio Pakistan Lahore and Roshan Ara Begum on the extreme right
Roshan Ara Begum was a shy and a private person and bit of a recluse. ‘When invited for a performance, she would quietly settle herself on the stage. Dressed in a bright parrot green or ochre sari, with a diamond pin shinning in her nose, the moment she would sing the first notes, she would transform into a diva. Despite her greatness as a singer, she was humility personified. I still recall how I had to convince her to record 3 minutes 20 seconds dadras and geets for a television program, to which she reluctantly agreed. She made me promise that I would bring four pairs of ghungroos (anklet bells) for her cats to return the favor. She specifically asked that the great tabla player Ustad Shaukat Hussain, who had never performed with any female singer except Roshan Ara, tune the bells. I went to Taxali Gate in inner city Lahore to buy high quality ghungroos, and then had them tuned by Ustad Shaukat Hussain, before making my way to Lala Musa to personally escort Roshan Ara for the recording at the PTV Lahore Centre. The moment I entered her house, I saw two Persian cats relaxing in her lap. She asked, ‘Ghungroo laey?’ (Did you bring anklet bells?). I nodded in the affirmative. She immediately tied the bells on her cats, and as they jumped up and down making a lovely tinkling sound, she sighed, ‘Kitnay dinon key baad ghungroo ki awaz suni’, (Alas! I got to hear the sound of anklet bells after such a long time),’ Najam recalls with a smile.
HMV’s record of Roshan Ara Begum’s rendition of Raag Shankra
‘Once in Lahore, I chose a very popular dadra, ‘Dolay ray mann holay holay’, a composition she first recorded in 1930 for HMV Recording Company's 78 RPM record. Next day, she rehearsed with veteran composer Khalil Ahmed and recorded four more songs with Ustad Shaukat Hussain on tabla and Nazim Ali on sarangi for my music show ‘Andaz Apna Apna’, Najam sahib relates.
‘In 1977 Roshan Ara Begum and Malika Pukhraj, another great singer from Pakistan, were invited for the All India Radio Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Delhi. She was so well respected across the border that the moment they entered the radio station, they were showered with rose petals. Later while I was recording another music show ‘Andaz-e-Bayan Aur’ with her, we recorded a beautiful ghazal by the famous poet Iftikhar Arif, who was posted as Senior Script Editor at Pakistan Television, Karachi at the time. Roshan Ara Begum booked a phone call to talk to Iftikhar Arif from Lala Musa. The telephone operator informed Arif that he had a call from Lala Musa but Iftikhar did not take the call, as he didn’t know anyone from that city. She called again and mentioned her name, Iftikhar Arif apologized profusely,’ Najam sahib ruminates about her humility.
(L to R) Roshan Ara Begum, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Nur Jehan and Farida Khanum
‘Roshan Ara Begum also recorded some songs for films such as Jugnu (1947), Qismat (1956), Teray Baghair (1959), Roopmati Bazbahadur (1960) and Neela Parbat (1969). Her last recording was at the EMI Studio, Lahore for Khwaja Khurshid Anwar's compilation of classical ragas of the subcontinent. Connoisseurs of the Indian subcontinent’s classical music hugely appreciated ‘Raag Mala’. She had superb vocal dexterity and control over a wealth of ragas. Her renditions of Raag Shankara, Shudh Kalyan, Maru Bihag and Kidara are superb and awe-inspiring. She was honored with President's Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz’, Najam sahib says.
‘She always had a desire to teach music to young girls, but this dream could not be fulfilled. Nayyara Noor, a prominent singer, once told me that in 1969, the Lahore station of Radio Pakistan held auditions for new singers. The judges were Roshan Ara Begum and Ustad Salamat Ali. Nayyara Noor was a student of textile designing at National College of Arts, auditioned on this occasion and sang a famous Lata Mangeshkar song. Roshan Ara Begum immediately selected her.’ Najam sahib recalls that Roshan Ara Begum said that after Mehnaz, a worthy singer has emerged. She innocently asked me what these singers were charging for a concert. On my response that singers at that time were charging something like PKR 80,000, she was astounded. She recalled how she visited Dhaka with her husband in 1960 for a concert and wanted to buy a pair of shoes for 5 rupees, but he did not let her as he thought they were way too expensive. She was happy that the times had changed and female artists were able to be more independent’.
Roshan Ara Begum during a live performance
With a humble disposition, Roshan Ara Begum remained oblivious of her status. ‘Imagine a woman of her caliber who could earn millions, but gave up everything for her husband. Unfortunately, in return she gained nothing but loneliness. Her last few years were spent confined to her room. My last meeting with her was in 1981 when I went to Lala Musa to invite her for a program ‘Chehray’. I was shocked to see her doing her riyaz (vocal training) in a big mutka (pitcher). When I asked her why she was doing that, she disclosed that her stepsons objected to her singing: ‘Malika-e-Mauseeqi ki awaz Kashan-e-Roshan say bahar na jaey.’ (The voice of the queen of music must not be heard beyond the walls of the Roshan Villa). She almost stopped singing after that.’ Najam sahib concludes his experience with this great classical singer on a somber note.
A rare video of Roshan Ara Begum singing 'Jao jao jao' with the famous composer Khalil Ahmed.
On 12 December, 1982, Roshan Ara Begum quietly passed away, and her demise left the world of subcontinent’s classical music much poorer.
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