Maharashtra government assures help to ailing singer Mubarak Begum

Maharashtra Government has assured all necessary help to noted Bollywood playback singer Mubarak Begum who has been hospitalised after complaining of weakness and stomach ache.

Mubarak Begum

"On instructions from Cultural Affairs minister Vinod Tawde, a senior official from the department met Begum at the hospital and spoke to the doctors," an aide of the minister told PTI.

The minister has assured all financial and medical support to the family, he said. Begum, 76, was admitted to a hospital in suburban Andheri on May 3.

Begum, who sang the evergreen song 'Kabhi tanhaiyon mein hamari yaad ayegi,' from the 1961 movie 'Hamari Yaad Aayegi', has not been keeping well for the last few years.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, she worked with the best music directors in the film industry, collaborating with S D Burman, Shankar Jaikishan and Khayyam for movies that starred screen legends like Sunil Dutt, Nargis and Rajendra Kumar.

Now, she lives in a one-bedroom house in the Mumbai suburb of Jogeshwari. Her health deteriorated after the demise of her daughter last year.

Her son -- who used to freelance as a driver -- and his wife also live in the same house. Mubarak Begum was born in Rajasthan. She moved to Mumbai when she was 10-year-old. Among her favourite memories is singing 'Woh na aayenge palat kar' from 'Devdas' which released in 1955 starring Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala.