Akhtari: The missing notes
The Hindu
The recently published Akhtari fails to address the complexity of the the inimitable Begum Akhtar’s rich life and oeuvre
One of the most infuriating things about reading a new book is the gradual realisation that its editors are convinced of the imbecility of their readership. This is especially true of a book that promises insights into the life and work of as important a historical figure as Begum Akhtar. Akhtari, compiled by Yatindra Mishra, does begin well. Its first essay by Salim Kidwai, historian and close associate of Begum Akhtar, is an excellent example of what most of this book is not — rigorous but accessible scholarship, written with clarity and insight, by a scholar who knows how to use language well. The second piece by Sheila Dhar keeps one hopeful. Dhar’s unassuming writing is sure to put readers unfamiliar with Akhtar’s world at ease. But the book is mostly downhill from there. One is forced to read repeated accounts of Akhtar’s relationship with her husband, Barrister Abbasi, who is said to have caused her to give up her music after their marriage, only to have ‘allowed’ her to start singing again later. Dhar and Kidwai both dispel this simplistic portrayal of Akhtar as victim and Abbasi as perpetrator; yet in the rest of the book, essay after insipid essay includes voyeuristic gossip about this relationship that undoes Dhar and Kidwai’s work.More Related News