Momtaz Begum
মমতাজ বেগম
Begum in 2017
Member of Parliament
for Manikganj-2
In office
5 January 2008 – 7 January 2024
Preceded byS. M. Abdul Mannan
Succeeded byDewan Zahid Ahmed Tulu
Personal details
Born (1974-05-05) 5 May 1974
Singair, Manikganj District, Bangladesh
Political partyBangladesh Awami League
OccupationSinger, politician

Momtaz Begum (born 5 May 1974)[1] is a Bangladeshi folk singer. She was Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Manikganj-2 constituency since 2014 and Reserved Women's Seat-21 during 2009–2013.[2][3] Referred to as "The Music Queen,"[4][5][6] she has recorded around 700 albums.[7] Some of her notable albums include Return Ticket, Ashol Boithoki, Murshider Talim, and Ronger Bazar.[8]

Begum won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer three times for the films Nekabborer Mohaproyan (2014), Swatta (2017) and Maya: The Lost Mother (2019).[9][10][11] In 2021, she earned a controversial[12][13] honorary doctorate degree from Global Human Peace University in Tamil Nadu, India.[14]

Early life

Begum was born on 5 May 1974 in the village of Joymontop in Singair, in Manikganj to Uzala Begum and Modhu Boyati, a baul singer.[15] She spent most of her childhood learning music from her father.[16] She also took lessons from Razzak Dewan and Abdur Rashid Sorkar.[7]

Begum's initiation into music occurred early. She was a child when she accompanied her father, first as an audience member, and soon after a co-performer. The kind of music she performed like, Marfati, Boithoki, and Murshidi can roughly be categorized in the mystic songs genre.[17]

Career

Initially Begum's released albums entirely financed by herself. After these became popular she was hired by producers to make further recordings, though her payment was usually a very low flat fee and the contract stipulated that this would have to be paid back if these did not sell well. However, her musical works are tended to sell out almost immediately and within a very short period, she found herself quite busy; often recording two songs per day. In an interview with the Bangladeshi daily Daily Star she stated: "I used to be handed down the lyrics and the music tracks minutes before and there used to be hardly any time for rehearsal and I had to record it at all in one go".

Begum was elected as a member of parliament from Manikganj-2 in 2008, 2014 and 2018.[18] But she lost national assembly election in 2024 from the same constituency.[19]

Charity work

Begum established a 50-bed "Momtaz Eye Hospital" with support from Orbis International, in her native village Joymontop. The hospital was established in memory of her father, Modhu Boyati, who lost his eyesight as he could not afford a cataract operation due to poverty.[20]

Personal life

Begum resides in Mohakhali DOHS, Dhaka.[21]

Controversies

Breach of contract and cheating allegation

In India, four arrest warrants have been issued against Begum in different times regarding contract breach and cheating allegations. In December 2008, she received Rs. 1.4 million to appear at an event in Murshidabad but did not attend. This led to a case filed against her in the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of Murshidabad, later reaching the Calcutta High Court. The latest arrest warrant against her was issued on 9 August 2023.[22][23][24]

Fake university degree allegation

In 2021, Begum received an honorary doctorate degree from Global Human Peace University which is said to be located in Tamil Nadu, India. But as per reports,[13] the university did not have accreditation from India's University Grants Commission. According to The UGC Act-1956, unaccredited universities can not confer or grant any degree.[25] Indian law enforcement authorities have raided similar unaccredited universities several times while distributing fake honorary doctorate degrees for money.[26] Momtaz Begum's degree achievement sparked criticism in the country.[12] However, she denied the allegation and said the university did not seem 'fake' to her.[27]

References

  1. ↑ "Constituency 169". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  2. ↑ "List of 10th Parliament Members Bangla". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  3. ↑ "List of 9th Parliament Members". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  4. ↑ "Dhaka International Folk Fest 2018". The Independent. Dhaka. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  5. ↑ "Dhaka International Folk Fest 2016". Dhaka Tribune. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  6. ↑ "Momtaz Begum, aka The Music Queen, from Bangladesh". BBC. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  7. 1 2 "Why We Love Momtaz". The Daily Star. 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  8. ↑ "Momtaz The Music Queen". The Daily Star. 2004-12-31. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  9. ↑ "29 artistes get Nat'l Film Award 2014". The Daily Star. 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  10. ↑ "National Film Awards for 2017 and 2018 announced". The Daily Star. 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  11. ↑ "Award 2019" (PDF). Ministry of Information Bangladesh. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  12. 1 2 "ভুয়া বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে ডক্টরেট ডিগ্রি পেয়েছেন মমতাজ!". দেশ রূপান্তর (in Bengali). Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  13. 1 2 Pratidin, Bangladesh (2021-04-13). "প্রশ্নবিদ্ধ মমতাজের ডক্টরেট ডিগ্রি!". বাংলাদেশ প্রতিদিন (in Bengali). Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  14. ↑ "Singer Momtaz receives honorary doctorate from India". Dhaka Tribune. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  15. ↑ জন্মদিনে মমতাজের চাওয়া. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  16. ↑ "Cultural fairs held in Manikganj". The Daily Star. 2020-01-04. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  17. ↑ Shamim Ahsan (2004-12-05). "The Music Queen". Star Weekend Magazine. The Daily Star. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  18. ↑ "Fifth grader girl's body recovered from house of MP Momotaz's brother". Dhaka Tribune. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  19. ↑ প্রতিনিধি (2024-01-08). "স্বতন্ত্র প্রার্থীর কাছে হেরে গেলেন মমতাজ বেগম". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  20. ↑ "A Singer's Love Of Her Country Is Music To The Eyes" (PDF). Orbis International. 2010-11-28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  21. ↑ প্রতিবেদক, বিনোদন. "মমতাজের জীবনের সেরা সময়". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  22. ↑ প্রতিনিধি (2023-08-13). "সংগীতশিল্পী মমতাজের বিরুদ্ধে ভারতের আদালতে গ্রেপ্তারি পরোয়ানা". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  23. ↑ "মমতাজের বিরুদ্ধে পশ্চিমবঙ্গের আদালতে আবার ওয়ারেন্ট". দৈনিক ইত্তেফাক (in Bengali). Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  24. ↑ "মমতাজের বিরুদ্ধে পশ্চিমবঙ্গের আদালতে গ্রেপ্তারি পরোয়ানা জারি". SAMAKAL (in Bengali). Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  25. ↑ "UGC Act-1956" (PDF). mhrd.gov.in. Secretary, University Grants Commission. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  26. ↑ Kandya, DHNS, Ranjith. "Cops stop fake doctorate ceremony". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  27. ↑ "'ভুয়া ডক্টরেট ডিগ্রি' নিয়ে যা বললেন মমতাজ". Jugantor (in Bengali). Retrieved 2023-08-14.
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