From the setting dusk of the fading royalties of Awadh, where Akhtari was born in 1914, to the glamour and clamour of theatre in Calcutta and films in Bombay! From the eloquent exuberance and die-hard faith underlying the tormented childhood of Akhtari Bai Faizabadi to the rhythms of silence required of the doting Begum of a Kakori Nawab! And her final transformation to an icon of music! Begum Akhtar remains an enigma! But no one could answer all those curious posers raised over several decades with as much authority as Akhtar?s cherished disciple Prof Rita Ganguly, as she lends a unique perspective on the much-fabled and colourful life of this professional singing woman, who immortalised the verses of classic and contemporary Urdu poets. With a passion so varied, given the consistent evolution of Akhtar?s technique, nothing short of lifetime research could have authenticated and done justice to unravel the mystique and myth of this singing sensation in the Indian subcontinent, feted by the cognoscenti and the commoner alike.The book delves into the subtle nuances of transition in time, educing the flavour, language and music of a period that witnessed the end of a predominantly feudal society; weaving the cultural tapestry of courts and twaifs and the turbulent times that led to Independence. How the enthusiasm, dreams, and frustration of the post-Independence phase coincide with emergence of the modern era, and how these historic changes connect with the sensibilities of a highly reflective artiste and mould her music! This interaction between an introvert mind of a scintillating singer and the world without, between the changing generations and an inquisitive yet introspective Mallika-e-Ghazal, spins the narrative. Begum Akhtar surfaces in her multiple roles as a performer, a lover, wife and mother, a teacher and friend, juxtaposing stupendous success and dismal failure. Music was the ultimate ? the eventual destination of her creative soul.