Begum Akhtar

Begum Akhtar was a vocalist from Lucknow, in India. She was born on 7 October, 1914. At the tender age of 15, she made her first public performance. She had a good look and a sensitive voice. She acted in a few Hindi movies in thirties. In the year 1933, the East India Film Company of Calcutta approached her to act in 'King for a Day' and 'Nal Damanti'.

She was a regular performer on All India Radio. She usually composed her own ghazals and most of her compositions were raag based. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award for vocal music and was also conferred with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan. She died on October 7, 1974 in Ahmedabad, after her final performance.