Zareena Begum, Last Living Court Singer of Awadh, in ICU, Family Runs Out of Money
Zareena Begum, Last Living Court Singer of Awadh, in ICU, Family Runs Out of Money
88-year-old Zarina's and her family's financial condition is not allowing them to pay the bills of ICU of the private hospital, where the cost of treatment for last four days has already crossed Rs 1 lakh.

Lucknow: When it comes to Ghazals, Thumri and Dadri, one name that flashes in everyone mind is Begum Akhtar. Last year on her birthday on 7th October, even Google paid tributes to the legendary singer by dedicating a Doodle.

Today, her last disciple and first recipient of the prestigious ‘Begum Akhtar Award’ initiated by the UP state government in 2015, Zarina Begum, is fighting for her life in the ICU ward of K K Hospital in River Bank colony locality in Lucknow. To make the case worst, her only son is a handicapped and the family has no money left to pay the bills and to continue her treatment.

The financial condition of the family of the 88-year-old Zarina is not allowing them to pay the bills of ICU of the private hospital where the bill for last four days has already crossed 1 lakh.

Speaking to News18, Zarina’s son-in-law, Naved said, “Around three years back we had received an award of five lakh rupees from the state government but all of that was spent in treatment of my mother-in-law (Zarina), as she is been paralytic for almost nine years now.”

“We are facing acute shortage of money for her treatment but we are making all the efforts to manage things somehow. Till now no body from the government has contacted us and tried to help us. There are a few people who have come forward to help but that is not enough,” said Naved who is married to Zarina’s daughter Rubina and along with her handicapped brother Ayub the family lives in a rented house.

Zarina’s condition started deteriorating on the eve of Holi on 1st March year after which she was admitted in Civil Hospital in Lucknow but after seeing no significant improvement, Zarina was shifted to KK Hospital where she has been undergoing treatment for quite some time. “I have written to the government many times regarding some kind of pension or at least to provide us with an E-Rickshaw in order to ensure a basic income. But nothing has been fruitful till now and we has no fixed source of income as of now,” said Naved.

Hailing from Nanpara in Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh, Zarina had interest in singing since childhood. Her father Shanshah Hussain was a local Qawwal of Nanpara and that is from where Zarina developed interest in singing. As a kid, Zarina used to practice singing and also performed many a times at the radio station, but she became a singer only after she met Begum Akhtar. Her last performance was at the Indira Gandhi Hall in Delhi even after being unwell.

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