Raj Begum

Raj Begum was born in Srinagar on 27 March 1927 and raised in a modest household where her father encouraged her musical talent from an early age. She began singing at weddings across communities, absorbing Kashmiri folk idioms and performance practice that later informed her broadcasting career.^[2][5][6]

She was introduced to Radio Kashmir Srinagar in the early 1950s and formally joined in 1954, soon becoming one of the station’s defining live voices in an era with limited archival recording. She retired in 1986. Her strong, soaring delivery reshaped expectations for women vocalists in Kashmir, broadening space for female public performance.^[2][7][5]

Her repertoire spanned folk, light classical, ghazal, devotional, and romantic songs, often drawing on Kashmiri poetic traditions. Because early radio was largely live, a complete discography is difficult to establish, though selections survive in radio memories and later compilations.^[7][2][8]

• Wesye Gulan Aavay Bahar (also cited as “Vyasiye gulan aavuy bahar”)^[2][3]

• Mashraev Thas (Janane Tse Kar Yaad)^[3]

• Rum Gaem Sheshas Begur Gov Ban Myun^[3]

• Dil Tsooran Hai, Dil Nivum Shaman^[3]

• Walo Wawo Woney Soz^[8]

• Kya Kya Wony A Dost, Kam Kam Sitam^[9]

• Tse Patte Rawwrawem^[8]

• Husnas Tse Folwun Roozny^[8]

• Padma Shri (Arts), Government of India, 2002.^[1][4]

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Music), 2013, recognising lifetime contributions to Kashmiri vocal music.^[1][2][3]

Along with contemporary Naseem Akhtar, Raj Begum helped dismantle social taboos around women singing publicly in Kashmir, opening doors for later generations of women artists on stage and radio. Commentators have likened her cultural stature to emblematic Kashmiri symbols, underscoring how her voice carried classical Kashmiri poetry into popular consciousness.^[7][3]

Raj Begum married Qadir Ganderbali, a senior Jammu and Kashmir Police official (DIG), who predeceased her. She lived in the Chanapora area of Srinagar in later years and was survived by a daughter.^[7][2][5] Qadir Ganderbali was married prior to his marriage to Raj Begum. His first wife reportedly developed severe depression following his second marriage, and she ultimately died in Ganderbal.

She died on 26 October 2016 in Srinagar at the age of 89, reportedly at her daughter’s residence in Chanapora, after a period of illness. Tributes from artists and officials hailed her as a cultural icon who gave voice to Kashmiri heritage across seven decades.^[1][2][3]

Beyond radio and concert work, she has been associated with playback for the Kashmiri feature film Mehjoor, aligning her voice with cinematic interpretations of Kashmiri poetry; formal catalogs of her film songs remain limited in public sources.^[10]

The 2025 film Songs of Paradise follows the journey of a Kashmiri woman who dreams of becoming a singer, inspired by the songs of Raj Begum.

Radio Kashmir Srinagar