Feroza Begum awarded by West Bengal government

Kolkata, Apr 12 (PTI) Bangladeshi vocalist Firoza Begum was today awarded the Maha Sangeet Samman award of Rs one lakh by West Bengal government at the Bangla Sangeet Mela celebrating the rich musical variety in the state and Bangladesh. A visibly-moved Firoza Begum said "Thank you for remembering me. "In my 65-year-old music career I have got many awards, including six in Bangladesh. But this award is very special for me." Left spellbound after Feroza Begum, in her eighties, sang a stanza of Nazrulgeeti, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who felicitated 18 artistes, said "we need to preserve what we are getting now. People from that side (Bangladesh) should come to this side (West Bengal)". Other musical veterans like Girija Devi, Sandhya Mukherjee, Dwijen Mukherjee and Pandit Ajay Chakraborty were also awarded the Maha Sangeet Samman. Announcing a special pension scheme of Rs 10,000 per month for veteran vocalist Subir Sen, Banerjee said her government would always help needy musicians. Popular singers like Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta, Sreekanta Acharya, Nachiketa Chakraborty, Ustad Rasheed Khan, and Arati Mukherjee were given the Sangeet Samman award of Rs 50,000. 'Baul' singer Purnadas Baul from Birbhum district and folk singer Mansoor Fakir of Nadia district were also awarded along with Darjeeling's Kumar Subba who sings Nepali folk songs. Little-known so far despite being held each year since 1997, the eight-day Bangla Sangeet Mela will feature 660 artists from all over the state. With a budget of Rs 60 lakh, the music festival is meant to represent all existing genres of Bengali songs and provide a platform for fresh talent. Tomorrow music lovers will be treated with a special night of classical music featuring Rashid Khan, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Tejendra Narayan Mazumdar. Spread over six venues - Mohar Kunja, Deshapriya Park, Rabindra Sadan, Girish Mancha, Sisir Mancha and Nandan - the grand finale of the 16th edition of the fair will end on April 21 with a night-long concert.