Today (October 30) is the 50th death anniversary of Mallika-e-Ghazal Begum Akhtar. German poet Rilke had said, “Cut these sentences and they bleed.” One can say the same about Akhtar’s music.

Talat Aziz renders 13 of Begum Akhtar’s classic ghazals and thumris. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Padmini opened up about the responsibility of playing a real-life character on stage.

to honour iconic figures of the city such as publisher Munshi Nawal Kishore and ghazal queen Begum Akhtar. Organised by social awareness group Aadaab Arz Lucknow, the event celebrated the enduring ...