Akhtari Bai Faizabadi

Born: 7 October 1914

Died: 30 October 1974

She was an Indian film actress-singer of Ghazal, Dadra, and Thumri genres of Hindustani classical music.
She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and later, Padma Bhushan, posthumously by Govt. of India.
She was given the title of Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals).
Her first public performance was at the age of fifteen.
The famous poet Sarojini Naidu appreciated her singing during a concert that was organized in the aid of victims of the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake.
This encouraged her to continue singing ghazals with more enthusiasm.
She cut her first disc for the Megaphone Record Company, at that time.
A number of gramophone records were released carrying her ghazals, dadras, thumris, etc.
She was amongst the early female singers to give a public concert, and break away from singing in mehfils or private gatherings, and in time came to be known as Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazal).
Her voice matured with time, acquiring richness and depth.
She sang ghazals and other light classical pieces, in her inimitable style. She has nearly four hundred songs to her credit.
She was a regular performer on All India Radio.
She usually composed her own ghazals and most of her compositions were Raag based.
She sang the timeless Bengali classical song “Jochona Koreche Aari” (জোছনা করেছে আড়ি).