Government provides Tk 5 lakh for Shabnam Mushtari's treatment.
Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam today visited the Dhanmondi residence of ailing eminent Nazrul Sangeet artiste Shabnam Mushtari.
During the visit, the minister and the state minister met the veteran singer's family members and inquired about her health condition and ongoing treatment, according to an official handout.
Following reports of her illness, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs stepped up its support for the celebrated artiste.
On behalf of the Bangladesh Shilpi Kalyan Trust, the two ministers handed over a cheque for Taka 5 lakh to help meet the costs of her emergency treatment.
Ekushey Padak-winning Nazrul Sangeet exponent Shabnam Mushtari has long been suffering from age-related complications and severe dementia and is currently in critical condition under treatment.
The government honoured Mushtari with the Ekushey Padak in 1997 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Nazrul Sangeet. She also received the National Nazrul Award in 2015.
She began her career in Nazrul Sangeet in the early 1960s and released several albums featuring the works of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Mushtari comes from a distinguished literary and cultural family. Her father, Talim Hossain, was a noted Bengali poet, while her mother, Begum Mafruha Chowdhury, was a fiction writer, journalist and editor of the women's section of the daily Dainik Bangla. Her younger sisters, Yasmin Mushtari and Parveen Mushtari, are also well-known Nazrul Sangeet artistes.
