Years after they slipped into the pages of history, their memories too had almost faded away.
But Lucknow has now revived their memory by wiping off the dust that had settled on the pages of time and giving them a re-introduction to generations that were born after their demise.
On Monday night, a play titled Kamaal ki Meena was staged to a packed audience chronicling the life and times of legendary actress Meena Kumari and on Tuesday, the restored grave of Ghazal singer Begum Akhtar was dedicated to the people and the event was rounded off by a recitation of ghazals and Thumri by her disciple Shanti Hiranand.
Begum Akhtar and Meena Kumari — albeit, in a distant way — were intrinsic to the culture of Lucknow, Begum Akhtar with her singing and Meena Kumari with her roles that highlighted the culture of Avadh. The play, Kamaal ki Meena (Kamaal Amrohi, incidentally, was Meena Kumari’s husband), directed by Gopal Misra, reflected the pain that remained hidden behind the glory of Meena Kumari’s life.
“Till I saw the play, I did not know that Meena Kumari was related to Rabindranath Tagore from her mother’s side. More such events should be held to give us an insight into the lives of forgotten celebrities,” said Trishna Kapoor a young collegiate who was among the audience.