In the guru-shishya tradition, the guru ties a sacred thread around his disciple's wrist, initiating him into the formal relationship. However, this was predominantly a male tradition. Legend goes that Begum Akhtar was the first music guru to introduce this tradition with her female students.


Danish Husain and Vidya Shah 

This, and many such rare anecdotes from her life will be showcased on stage as part of Akhtari, a tribute to the doyen of ghazal, dadra and thumri genres of Indian classical music. Conceptualised by Vidya Shah, a singer, and student of Shanti Hiranand — Akhtar's seniormost disciple — and Urdu story teller Danish Husain, the show attempts to bring alive the life and times of the ghazal queen, who passed away in 1974.