![\"Firdos](\"http:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/PAGE-RAS-MUNNI-02.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The evening started off with local talent Karan Sandhu and Jagjit along with Malkiat Singh opening and later joining Munni Begum throughout her performance. And Munni Begum herself took over commandingly proving without a doubt why she is a force in the world of Urdu Ghazal singing. After warming up on a lighter note her \u201cTumhare Shehr Ka Mausam\u201d hit our senses. The tempo increased next with \u201cTeri Soorat\u201d which grabbed the attention of anyone distracted.\u00a0 And that was just to set the audience up for her very popular and slower \u201cEk Baar Muskura Do\u201d (possibly her most well received song here) and then \u201cMareez-e-Mohabbat.\u201d And Begum Sahiba was just getting started!<\/p>\n
\u201cAe Mere Humnashin Chal\u201d was melancholic, \u201cHaath Diya Us Ne Mere Haath Mein\u201d was romantic and \u201cAwaargi Mein Had Se Guzar Jaana Chahiye\u201d was naughty. She did take the time to honor her fellow Ghazal singer, the late Asif Ali with \u201cDeewaron Se Batein Karna\u201d and one of this writer\u2019s favorites \u201cIshq Mein Hum Tumhe Kya Bataayein\u201d which she sang to almost perfection. And one can add that no Munni Begum show is complete without some mention of intoxication, and she did not disappoint by including \u201cJhoom Barabar Jhoom Sharabi.\u201d<\/p>\n The Ghazal Queen\u2019s planned finale \u201cMast Qalandar\u201d came much too early for the audience as they had her perform at least 3 encore songs including a repeat of \u201cEk Baar Muskura Do\u201d and a fine \u201cAaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo.\u201d With this performance it appears that Sacramento, Calif., has broken the Ghazal barrier because this is generally known as a Bhangra town. This event also is proof that after many years of hard work Malkiat Singh has finally succeeded in bringing the Ghazal genre to California\u2019s Capital region.\u00a0 His two decades of effort is finally bearing fruit. And in this particular case it would not have been possible without the support of the Manzar family and the Eden Gardens Event Center facility.<\/p>\n To conclude, Munni Begum is a reflection of many in our Diaspora with multiple geographical beginnings. She belongs to a family originating in Murshidabad, West Bengal in India which settled in Dhaka and then later Karachi, and she is now rumored to have settled in Chicago. If that rumor is correct we hope to see a great deal more of her performances in California.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Malkiat Singh on Tabla (l) and Munni Begum at a \u201cShaam-e-Ghazal\u201d evening in Sacramento, Calif., Nov. 5. (All photos: Ras H. Siddiqui) Her name has lasted much longer than its meaning. \u201cMunni\u201d (Little One) is usually a nickname given to a girl child in our culture, one which she is supposed to outgrow with age….<\/p>\n<\/a>