Firoza Begum (Bengali: ফিরোজা বেগম; 28 July 1930 – 9 September 2014) was a Bangladeshi Nazrul Geeti singer.[3] She was awarded the Independence Day Award in 1979 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Firoza Begum | |
|---|---|
ফিরোজা বেগম | |
 Begum in 1955 | |
| Born | 28 July 1930[1] |
| Died | 9 September 2014 (aged 84) |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1940–2014 |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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| Awards | Independence Day Award (1979) |
Early life and career edit
Firoza Begum was born in Gopalganj District on 28 July 1930 to the zamindar family of Ratail Ghonaparha.[4] Her parents were Mohammad Ismail and Begum Kowkabunnesa.[3] She became drawn to music in her childhood.[3] She started her career in 1940s.[5]
Firoza Begum first sang in All India Radio while studying in sixth grade. She met the national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam at the age of 10. She became a student of him. In 1942, she recorded her first Islamic song by the gramophone record company HMV in 78 rpm disk format. Since then, 12 LP, 4 EP, 6 CD and more than 20 audio cassette records have been released.[6] She lived in Kolkata from 1954 until she moved to Dhaka in 1967.[3]
Personal life edit
In 1956, Firoza Begum was married to Kamal Dasgupta (who converted to Islam before the marriage and took the name Kamal Uddin Ahmed), a singer, composer, and lyricist. Kamal died on 20 July 1974. Two of their three sons, Hamin Ahmed and Shafin Ahmed are musicians. They are currently members of the rock band Miles.[3]
Death edit
Firoza Begum died on 9 September 2014 in Apollo Hospital, Dhaka due to heart and kidney problems.[3]
Awards and honours edit
Awards edit
- Independence Day Award (1979)
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Award
- Satyajit Ray Award
- Nasiruddin Gold Medal
- Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Gold Medal
- Best Nazrul Sangeet Singer Award
- Nazrul Academy Award
- Churulia Gold Medal
- Gold Disk from CBS, Japan
- Meril-Prothom Alo Lifetime honorary award (2011)
- Sheltech Award (2000)[7][8]
Honours edit
- D Lit from University of Burdwan
- Bongo Shomman from Mamata Banerjee (2012)
Legacy edit
The 'Feroza Begum Memorial Gold Medal' was introduced from 2016 by Dhaka University. The recipient is selected by a jury board each year from nationally recognised music artists.[9]
On 28 July 2018, Google celebrated Firoza Begum's 88th Birthday with a Google Doodle.[10]
References edit
- ^ "Feroza Begum Archive".
- ^ "Special programme on the legendary Feroza Begum". The Daily Star. 6 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Legendary Nazrul singer Feroza Begum passes away". The Daily Star. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ^ Hossain, Ashik (9 September 2014). "Firoza Begum passes away". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ^ Kamol, Ershad. "Interview". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ Daily Prothom Alo. 10 September 2014, Special Feature, pg. 7
- ^ "Runa, Sabina nominated for Sheltech Award". The Financial Express. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ ফিরোজা বেগম: জীবনকথা [Feroza Begum: Life Story]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ^ "'Feroza Begum Memorial Gold Medal 2018' awarded to Runa Laila". The Daily Star. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ "Feroza Begum's 88th Birthday". Google. 28 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
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