Raj Begum

Raj Begum (27 March 1927 – 26 October 2016) was a Kashmiri playback and folk singer often called the "Nightingale" or "Melody Queen" of Kashmir, whose emotive, high-register voice helped normalize women’s public performance in the Valley and popularized Kashmiri poetic traditions for mass audiences. She received the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2013.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Raj Begum
راج بیگم
Born	Raj Begum (1927-03-27)March 27, 1927 Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
Died	October 26, 2016(2016-10-26) (aged 89) Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1950s–1986
Known for	Kashmiri folk and light classical singing; "Nightingale of Kashmir"
Spouse	Qadir Ganderbali (d.)
Children	3
Awards	Padma Shri (2002) Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2013)

Early life

Raj Begum was born in Srinagar on 27 March 1927 and raised in a modest household where her father encouraged her musical talent from an early age. She began singing at weddings across communities, absorbing Kashmiri folk idioms and performance practice that later informed her broadcasting career.^[2][5][6]

Career

She was introduced to Radio Kashmir Srinagar in the early 1950s and formally joined in 1954, soon becoming one of the station’s defining live voices in an era with limited archival recording. She retired in 1986. Her strong, soaring delivery reshaped expectations for women vocalists in Kashmir, broadening space for female public performance.^[2][7][5]

Musical style and repertoire

Her repertoire spanned folk, light classical, ghazal, devotional, and romantic songs, often drawing on Kashmiri poetic traditions. Because early radio was largely live, a complete discography is difficult to establish, though selections survive in radio memories and later compilations.^[7][2][8]

Selected songs

• Wesye Gulan Aavay Bahar (also cited as “Vyasiye gulan aavuy bahar”)^[2][3]

• Mashraev Thas (Janane Tse Kar Yaad)^[3]

• Rum Gaem Sheshas Begur Gov Ban Myun^[3]

• Dil Tsooran Hai, Dil Nivum Shaman^[3]

• Walo Wawo Woney Soz^[8]

• Kya Kya Wony A Dost, Kam Kam Sitam^[9]

• Tse Patte Rawwrawem^[8]

• Husnas Tse Folwun Roozny^[8]

Awards and honours

• Padma Shri (Arts), Government of India, 2002.^[1][4]

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Music), 2013, recognising lifetime contributions to Kashmiri vocal music.^[1][2][3]

Impact and legacy

Along with contemporary Naseem Akhtar, Raj Begum helped dismantle social taboos around women singing publicly in Kashmir, opening doors for later generations of women artists on stage and radio. Commentators have likened her cultural stature to emblematic Kashmiri symbols, underscoring how her voice carried classical Kashmiri poetry into popular consciousness.^[7][3]

Personal life

Raj Begum married Qadir Ganderbali, a senior Jammu and Kashmir Police official (DIG), who predeceased her. She lived in the Chanapora area of Srinagar in later years and was survived by two sons and a daughter.^[7][2][5]

Death

She died on 26 October 2016 in Srinagar at the age of 89, reportedly at her daughter’s residence in Chanapora, after a period of illness. Tributes from artists and officials hailed her as a cultural icon who gave voice to Kashmiri heritage across seven decades.^[1][2][3]

Film and playback

Beyond radio and concert work, she has been associated with playback for the Kashmiri feature film Mehjoor, aligning her voice with cinematic interpretations of Kashmiri poetry; formal catalogs of her film songs remain limited in public sources.^[10]

The 2025 film Songs of Paradise will be released follows the journey of a Kashmiri woman who dreams of becoming a singer, inspired by the song of Raj Begum.

See also

Radio Kashmir Srinagar