Akhtar (اختر) is the Persian word for "star." **Begum Akhtar (1914-1974)** — born Akhtari Bai Faizabadi — was the **"Queen of Ghazal" of Hindustani classical music**, also a master of *dadra* and *thumri* light-classical forms. **Recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri**, awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. **Her soulful voice — recorded across the 1930s-60s — remains the gold standard of ghazal singing.** Born Muslim in Faizabad, she shaped the Hindi film music of the 1940s.
**Honored on a 1994 Indian postage stamp.**
Akhtar reduces to seven — the number of Queen of Ghazal.