Momtaz Begum

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For other people with the same name, see Mumtaz Begum (disambiguation).
Momtaz Begum
মমতাজ বেগম
Momtaz Begum (cropped).jpg
Begum in 2017
Member of Parliament
for Manikganj-2
Assumed office
5 January 2014
Preceded byS. M. Abdul Mannan
Personal details
Born (1974-05-05) 5 May 1974 (age 47)
Singair, Manikganj District, Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyBangladesh Awami League
OccupationSinger, politician

Momtaz Begum (born 5 May 1974)[1] is a Bangladeshi folk singer and the incumbent Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Manikganj-2 constituency since 2014 and Reserved Women's Seat-21 during 2009–2013.[2][3] Referred to as "The Music Queen,"[4][5][6] she has recorded around 700 albums.[7] Some of her notable albums include Return Ticket, Ashol Boithoki, Murshider Talim, and Ronger Bazar.[8]

Begum won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer three times for the films Nekabborer Mohaproyan (2014), Swatta (2017) and Maya: The Lost Mother (2019).[9][10][11] In 2021, she earned an honorary doctorate degree from Global Human Peace University in Tamil Nadu, India.[12]

Early life[]

Begum was born on 5 May 1974 in the village Joymontop in Singair, in Manikganj to Uzala Begum and Modhu Boyati, a baul singer.[13] She spent most of her childhood learning music from her father.[14] She also took lessons from Razzak Dewan and Abdur Rashid Sorkar.[7]

Begum's initiation into music occurred early. She was a child when she accompanied her father, first as an audience member, and soon after a co-performer. The kind of music she performed like, Marfati, Boithoki, and Murshidi can roughly be categorized in the mystic songs genre.[15]

Career[]

Initially Begum's released albums entirely financed by herself. After these became popular she was hired by producers to make further recordings, though her payment was usually a very low flat fee and the contract stipulated that this would have to be paid back if these did not sell well. However, her musical works are tended to sell out almost immediately and within a very short period, she found herself quite busy; often recording two songs per day. In an interview with the Bangladeshi daily Daily Star she stated: "I used to be handed down the lyrics and the music tracks minutes before and there used to be hardly any time for rehearsal and I had to record it at all in one go".

Begum was elected to parliament from Manikganj-2 in 2014.[16]

Charity work[]

Begum established a 50-bed Momtaz Eye Hospital with support from Orbis International, in her native village Joymontop. The hospital was established in memory of her father, Modhu Boyati, who lost his eyesight as he could not afford a cataract operation due to poverty.[17]

References[]

  1. ^ "Constituency 169". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  2. ^ "List of 10th Parliament Members Bangla". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  3. ^ "List of 9th Parliament Members". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  4. ^ "Dhaka International Folk Fest 2018". The Independent. Dhaka. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  5. ^ "Dhaka International Folk Fest 2016". Dhaka Tribune. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  6. ^ "Momtaz Begum, aka The Music Queen, from Bangladesh". BBC. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Why We Love Momtaz". The Daily Star. 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  8. ^ "Momtaz The Music Queen". The Daily Star. 2004-12-31. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  9. ^ "29 artistes get Nat'l Film Award 2014". The Daily Star. 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  10. ^ "National Film Awards for 2017 and 2018 announced". The Daily Star. 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  11. ^ "Award 2019" (PDF). Ministry of Information Bangladesh. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  12. ^ "Singer Momtaz receives honorary doctorate from India". Dhaka Tribune. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  13. ^ জন্মদিনে মমতাজের চাওয়া. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  14. ^ "Cultural fairs held in Manikganj". The Daily Star. 2020-01-04. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  15. ^ Shamim Ahsan (2004-12-05). "The Music Queen". Star Weekend Magazine. The Daily Star. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  16. ^ "Fifth grader girl's body recovered from house of MP Momotaz's brother". Dhaka Tribune. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  17. ^ "A Singer's Love Of Her Country Is Music To The Eyes" (PDF). Orbis International. 2010-11-28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2021-04-21.

External links[]

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