STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Legendary Kashmiri singer and Padma Shri awardee Raj Begum died here on Wednesday. She was 89.
Raj Begum breathed her last at her daughter’s residence in Chanapora area of the city, officials said.
She is survived by two sons and a daughter.
Raj Begaum was awarded Padma Shri in 2002 and Sangeet Akademi award in 2013. She was also bestowed with State award by Jammu and Kashmir government in 2009. Raj Begum’s captivating voice has ruled generations of Kashmiri music lovers. Starting off as wedding singer, she gradually rose to become one of the most powerful female voices of Kashmir.
Governor N.N Vohra, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti have expressed grief over the sad demise of Raj Begum, a legendary Kashmiri singer.
Recalling her contributions to the Kashmiri music, the Governor has paid rich tributes to the melody queen whom he had met on several occasions in the past years.
In a condolence message the Governor has conveyed his sympathies to the members of the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.
In her condolence message, the Chief Minister while expressing grief over the loss of Kashmir’s treasured female voice, termed Raj Begum’s demise as an end of a great era in Kashmir’s musical history and a huge loss for the State.
Extending her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, the Chief Minister has prayed for the eternal peace to the departed soul.
Mehbooba Mufti also condoled the demise of the wife of former Minister Pyare Lal Handoo and Sadhya Arora, son of senior BJP leader and MLC Ramesh Arora.
Conveying her condolences to the bereaved families, the Chief Minister prayed for the peace to the departed souls.
In the condolence message, Dr. Nirmal Singh prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and courage to the bereaved family to bear the loss.
Minister of Finance, Culture and Labour and Employment, Dr Haseeb A Drabu and Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar also expressed condolence on the demise of Raj Begum.
He prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and courage to her family members to bear the loss.
National Conference President, Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Working President Omar Abdullah expressed profound grief and sorrow over the demise of Raj Begum.
Praying for peace to the departed soul, Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah expressed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Abdullah said Raj Begum’s demise has created a vacuum in the world of art and music and her contribution as an ambassador of our language and culture is exemplary and unparalleled.
“Raj Begum’s captivating voice will continue to fill our hearts with pride and joy for centuries to come. In her demise we have lost a brilliant artist, an extraordinary singer and a symbol of pride in our identity and culture”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said in his message.
On learning about the sad demise of the octogenarian singer of Kashmir, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed his grief.
“Raj Begum was an institution and ruled the hearts of Millions of Kashmiri listeners for more than six decades.
I was a great fan of Raj ji. Her death has caused a vacuum in the arena of Kashmiri Music. I pray for the departed soul’s peace and also express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family” said Azad.
Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts and family condoled sad demise of Raj Begum.
Music legend Pt. Bhajan Sopori said that it is not only a loss to Jammu and Kashmir but also to the entire music world.
Pt Sopori said that Raj Begum, with her unique style of singing, sung numerous songs in different styles like Ghazal, Geet, Chakri and Rouf, which will be remembered by the listeners forever.
She reigned supreme in the field of Kashmiri folk music for more than four decades. He said that Sopori family and all the members of SaMaPa are with the family of Raj Begum at this moment of grief and pray to Almighty that her soul may rest in peace.
SaMaPa had conferred upon her the prestigious SaMaPa Award in the year 2009 for her lifetime contribution to the Kashmiri folk music.
