Mumbai: The echoes of ghazals, thumris, and dadras filled the grand Royal Opera House last evening as Dastaan-e-Akhtari paid a stirring tribute to Begum Akhtar ‘Mallika-e-Ghazal – the voice that defined an era and continues to haunt generations of listeners.
Conceptualized as a unique confluence of katha and sangeet, the evening unfolded through the words of Yatindra Mishra, Award-winning poet and author of Akhtari: Soz aur Saaz ka Afsana, and the voice of Padma Shri Malini Awasthi, one of India’s foremost classical and folk vocalists. Together, they brought to life the many hues of Begum Akhtar — the artist, the woman, the rebel, and the romantic.
“Few artists dared to live as truthfully as Begum Akhtar. Her life was her art — fearless, fragile, and incandescent,” shared Yatindra Mishra during the performance.
Through musical interludes and poetic narration, the audience was taken on a journey through her tumultuous yet luminous life — from her humble beginnings in Faizabad to her coronation as Malika-e-Ghazal.
Among the evening’s most poignant moments were the anecdotes that revealed the tenderness behind her fire. It is said that when the great composer Madan Mohan first heard Begum Akhtar sing, he confessed that every note he ever composed carried a trace of her raag. Kaifi Azmi, her dear friend and admirer, often remarked that “Begum sahiba ne Urdu ko awaaz di hai” — Begum Akhtar had given Urdu its voice.
Equally moving was the retelling of an episode that spoke of her grace and integrity: when the King of Ayodhya gifted her a large piece of land in appreciation of her art, Begum Akhtar later returned it, saying that the true gift for an artist was love, not property. It was a gesture that reflected her self-respect and detachment from worldly rewards — a symbol of the dignity with which she lived and sang.
> “Dastaan-e-Akhtari is not just a performance — it is a pilgrimage,” said Malini Awasthi. “Each note we sing is a salutation to a woman who sang her truth, even when the world was not ready to listen.”
The Founder and MD of Excurators Events and the curator of the evening Minhal Hasan says “Dastaan-e-Akhtari is deeply personal to me — it’s a celebration of one of India’s earliest and most iconic women performers, Begum Akhtar, whose courage, determination, and lifelong devotion to music continues to inspire generations. Curating this evening at the Royal Opera House is my way of connecting the past and present, and paying tribute to her timeless legacy through stories and melodies that still resonate with the same magic today.”
In collaboration with the Cultural Outreach Partner – Aalekh Foundation, the evening reaffirmed the power of storytelling to preserve and celebrate women who shaped India’s artistic and social consciousness.
As the last strains of “Ae Mohabbat Tere Anjaam Pe Rona Aaya” lingered in the Opera House, the audience rose in applause — not just for the artists on stage, but for the woman whose spirit continues to inspire across decades: Begum Akhtar.
