KARACHI: Eminent singer Shahnaz Rahmatullah — known to most Pakistanis as Shahnaz Begum, who was loved for her flawless rendition of “Jeevay, Jeevay Pakistan” — died of cardiac arrest early on Sunday morning at the age of 67.
According to Bangladeshi media, she was laid to rest at Dhaka’s Banani graveyard after Zuhr prayers.
Her funeral prayers were offered at Park Mosque in the Bangladeshi capital, her husband retired Major Abul Bashar Rahmatullah was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.
Lyricist Kabir Bokul told the newspaper the well-known singer suffered a “major cardiac arrest” and passed away at her residence in the city.
She is survived by her husband, a son and a daughter. Shahnaz Begum emerged as a notable singer in Dhaka during the mid-1960s, according to The Independent. She was born on Jan 2, 1952, in that city.
In the late 1960s and early 70s, she sang the memorable national song, Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhey, in addition to Jeevay Pakistan.
After the creation of Bangladesh, she sang Ek Nodi Rokto Periye, which was considered to be one of the finest patriotic songs written in the Bengali language. In recognition of her immortal songs, she was awarded Ekushey Padak award in 1992, National Film Award for best female playback singer for a movie, Chhutir Phande, in 1990, Bangladesh Shilpakala Award and many more.
Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2019
