Nadira Begum (), better known by her pseudonym title, Munni Begum () is a Pakistani vocalist and ghazal singer.

Early life

Munni Begum was born Nadira Begum in

Murshidabad Murshidabad (), is a town in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. This town is the headquarters of Lalbag subdivision of Murshidabad district. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, Bhagirathi Riv ...

(now in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, India) in 1946. The third child of seven children. She first started taking music lessons from the famous singer Ustad Khwaja Ghulam Mustafa Warsi. It was this music teacher who gave her this professional name due to her small size and young age. Subsequently, she studied in the school of music for three years, and thereafter, she launched her career. Her parents migrated from India to

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

in the early 1950s. East Pakistan later became independent

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. She studied in PAF Shaheen School,

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

; however, she moved to

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, West Pakistan due to

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

of 1971.

Career

Munni Begum began her career as a singer in

, Pakistan in the 1970s. She released her first album of ghazals in 1976. Then she sang many more hit ghazals and thus became a renowned ghazal singer of Pakistan. In her news media interviews, she always was quick-witted and bold. Even though

Urdu language Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

was not her mother tongue, she showed a remarkable talent for choosing

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

s with simple language. This was very effective and became one of the reasons of her popularity among common people. The other reasons for her popularity were that she had a voice characterized by its clarity and strength. In the 1980s, Munni Begum's rise coincided with the rapid growth of a then new technology, the cassette tape. Cassette tape prices were cheap compared to the old technology of vinyl records. On top of that, Munni Begum had a rich voice with many shades. She also was a good

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

player.

Personal life

Munni Begum was married in the 1980s which resulted in a divorce in 1998. She has two daughters, Muniba Hasnain and Minara Umer, and one son Syed Mohammad Asad Ali. As of 2016, she lives in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States and does not perform regularly.

Notable ghazals

As for Munni Begum's hit ghazals, the list is very long. Some of these are: * Lazzat-e-Ghum Badhaa Dijeay * Jhoom Barabar Jhoom Sharabi * Har Qadam Zehmatein * Tumhare Sheher Ka Mausam Bada Suhana Lage (lyrics by poet
QAISARUL JAFRI
* Ek Bar Muskura Do * Awaargi Mein Had Se Guzar Jaana Chahiye * Chahat MaeN Kya Dunya Dari, Ishq MaeN Kaisi Majboori * Bewafa Se Bhi Pyar Hota Hai * Bhoolne Wale Se Koi Kehde * Dil Ko Hale Karar Mein Dekha * Kisi kay Gham May Waqar Khona * Idhar Zindagi Ka Janaza Uthey Ga (lyrics by poet:

Tabish Dehlvi Syed Masood-ul-Hasan Tabish Dehlvi, TI, () (born 9 November, 1911 - 23 September, 2004) was an Urdu poet. He was a broadcaster and Urdu news reader on radio in both India and Pakistan. Biography He was born on 9 November, 1911, in Delhi as S ...

) * Bhujhi Hoi Shama Ka Dhuaan Hun * Mareez-e-Mohabbat Unhi Ka Fasana * Laa Pilaade Saaqiya * Yeh Hai Maikadah Yahan Rind Hain * Jo fareb mein ne khaya tujhe razdan samajh kar * Ay ishq hamen itna to bata anjam hamara kia ho ga * Dil ki bat labon par la kar ab tak hum dukh sehtey hein * Hum ne hasraton ke daagh aansuon se dho lie * Merey saqia mujhe bhool ja * Kab mera nasheman ahl-e-chaman * Ay merey hamnashin chal kahin aur chal * Asman se utara gia * Hamee charagh ki lao hein * Pyar ki mun mein jote jagae aik zamana beet gia * Yeh sila mila he mujh ko teri dosti ke peechey * Mein nazar se pee raha hoon yeh sama badal na jae * Tum poocho aur mein na bataoon aisey tu halat nahin * Josh darya mein tha kis qadar alaman * Teri anjuman mein zalim ajab ehtamam dekha * Sharab la sharab la * Dekh kar dar-o-kahba ki ranginian * Teri soorat nigahon mein phirti rahe * Yahan tangi-e-qafas he * Meri dastan-e-hasrat wo suna suna ke roey * Botal khuli hey raqs mein jaam-e-sharab hey

Discography

* Munni Begum Khoobsurat Ghazlein Vol 1 * Awargi Vol. 28 * Meri Pasand Vol. 1 * Meri Pasand Vol. 2 * Masti Mein Surahi Jhoomti Hai Vol. 1 * Masti Mein Surahi Jhoomti Hai Vol. 2 * An Evening With Munni Begum * New Ghazals Vol. 26 * Munni Begum Vol. 21 * Munni Begum Vol. 20 * Sham-E-Ghazal * Meri Pasand * Munni Begum * Munni Begum In Concert Vol. 4 * Munni Begum In Concert Vol. 3 * Munni Begum In Concert Vol. 2 * Munni Begum In Concert Vol. 1 * Intoxicating Munni Begum * Munni Begum - Sentimental Collection

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award (2008) by the

Governor of Sindh The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Chief Secretary ...

on behalf of the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Begum, Munni 1946 births Living people Women ghazal singers Pakistani people of Bengali descent Pakistani ghazal singers People from Murshidabad district Recipients of the Pride of Performance Singers from Karachi Muhajir people Pakistani emigrants to the United States American people of Bengali descent Naturalized citizens of the United States 20th-century Pakistani women singers BAF Shaheen College Dhaka alumni 20th-century Pakistani singers Indian emigrants to Pakistan