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Photo: S. Subramanium

adorable Rita Ganguly enjoying her meal.

Donning a white sari with a broad black Benarasi zari border that pairs so well with her bunchy gajra, her big, dancing kohl-laced eyes that match perfectly with dabs of her brown-red lipstick, Ganguly, complete with her matching trinkets, exudes the energy of a young-at-heart rasika. When she laughs, it becomes even better.

Quickly ordering a chilled beer, the much-loved ‘mausi’ of Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta sets the mood not only for a relaxed lunch ahead but also to talk about her illustrious guru, Begum Akhtar, in whose memory she runs BAAG, Begum Akhtar Academy of Ghazal, a one-of-a-kind institute for ghazal gayaki. From this Thursday onwards, Ganguly is hosting “Jamal-e-Begum Akhtar”, a four-day ghazal festival in New Delhi to commemorate the beginning of her guru’s centenary celebrations.

Taking sips of beer accompanied by grilled prawns, Ganguly says, “Ammi would have been 93 this year. Our idea is to revive the Urdu culture and also to attract youngsters to ghazal.”

Requesting the approaching waiter for a soup, she also lays downs the instructions for the main course before getting back to the conversation. “Give me fish or prawns in Chinese sauce”This talented Bharatanatyam and Kathakali dancer, who renounced dancing in her prime because she “didn’t feel like dancing”, says, “Primarily what dissuades youngsters is the chaste language of ghazals.” And that is where she is trying to bring in a difference.

Over the promptly served hot soup filled with mushroom, cabbage and prawns, the astute ghazal singer talks of a double CD, Aye Mohabbat, to be released during the festival, which will also confer awards on Pakistani poet Ahmad Faraz and sarangi exponent Ustad Sultan Khan, the only surviving musician who played with Begum Akhtar. “Any living thing will change and so does music. Gone are the days when ghazal was sung only with sarangi and tabla. Before Amir Khusrau, there was no tabla in ghazal. We should not be averse to technology in music but take advantage of it,”she says.

Two types of prawn curries, hakka noodles, stir-fired broccoli and a fish dish soon find their way to the table. Over morsels of this lavish spread, Ganguly talks with twinkling eyes about her beloved guru with whom she spent nine years. “Ammi was a great cook too,” she says. Because they both grew up in Uttar Pradesh, they shared a taste for Lucknowi food. Ganguly, like her guru, is a self-confessed good cook. “Cooking is perhaps where I am at my best,” she says, adding, “Food needs patience.” Next in line is her book on Ammi and a film too. “My script is ready, I am looking for a financer,” she says, summing up her meal with a chunky chocolate hazelnut tart.

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