Mubarak Begum (left) with her daughter, Shafaque Bano
For about two decades Mubarak Begum was the voice for music directors who looked for singers with depth and range in rendition. The singer, who breathed life into eternal songs such as 'Kabhi tanhaiyon mein hamari yaad aayegi' and 'Mujhko apne gale lag lo ae mere humrahi', is today living a hand-to-mouth existence in the cramped bylanes of Jogeshwari.
Her small house with paint peeling off its walls in Sultanabad Society in Jogeshwari tells the tale of a journey that has been more painful than glorious. Saddled with a daughter suffering from Parkinson's disease and her own daily need of medicines owing to old age, Begum lives on the paltry earnings of her son who drives two taxis and Rs 700 a month pension from the government. "Sometimes my fans send money, which provides some relief," says a dejected Begum.
Begum was one of the most sought after singers in Bollywood during the '50s and '60s. Artistes of her time believed that Begum was a far better singer than Suraiya, who she idolised. In 1956 when she recorded 'Kabhi Tanhaiyon mein hamari yaad aayegi' for Kidar Sharma's Hamari Yaad Aayegi, Sharma listened to the entire song with closed eyes. He then rewarded her with 25 paise. "It was a great honour. I still have the coin. I was first hesitant to take it, but as people said it was a sign of luck, I took it," remembers Begum fondly.
Sharma's lucky coin, however, did not help Begum for too long. In the early '70s, Begum's work load nose-dived and ultimately stopped. Begum blames the death of her career to internal politics in the film industry. "I was a victim of politics. There were a couple of singers who appropriated all singing contracts for themselves and ruined not only my career but of several others like Vani Jairam and Suman Kalyanpur. I refused to bootlick as I had a lot of self-respect. That's what cost me my career," says an angry Begum.
A career in the dumps was not the only problem for Begum. Her husband Jagannath Sharma too had left her after dabbling in film production. From '70s till late '90s, Begum was supported by her younger sister Mumtaz after which her son took care of her. "I used to feel bad that my sister had to support me, but I had no choice. I once went to a record company asking for work. They asked me to come with 5,000 blank cassettes and then they would release my music. That was so humiliating. Industry people and former colleagues would sometimes send humiliating cheques of Rs 500 out of pity. I didn't need all that. I wanted work," adds Begum.
Today, Begum can barely make ends meet. "My son earns little and has his own family to care of. I can't keep asking him for money. My expenses are ever increasing because I have to take care of my health as well as my daughter's. I need over Rs 5,000 every month for our medicines alone," says Begum.
Reminiscing a sad incident she says, "Once I didn't have money and I desperately needed medicines. I called up a yesteryear star for help, who promised to help only when I furnished a doctor's prescription."
Although Begum has turned bitter after struggling for years, she still smiles with the zeal of a child when appreciated for her singing talents. She doesn't think twice when asked to sing. "It is because of my fans that I am surviving. Some of them organise shows for me once in a while and I get to earn Rs 1000-1500."
The house that she lives in presently was also due to the benevolence of people like late Sunil Dutt and lyricist Javed Akhtar who helped her get a flat allotted in her name from the government after family squabbles left her almost homeless when she had to sell her Grant Road house four years ago.
Her youthful melody is still intact in her voice but notes of happiness are still evading Mubarak Begum as she sums up her life in these words- 'Kya kahen sham-e-gham ka haal shaiji / Waqt guzara nahi guzaara hai.'
(from -- Mumbai Mirror --- Link )
