But life goes on and Mubarak’s destiny was marked with multiple tragedies, deserted by her husband and without a career, she had no source of livelihood and was forever dependent on the mercy of her well-wishers. What made it worse was that her only daughter Shafaq Banu, was bedridden with advanced stage of Parkinson. She had contacted me and pleaded me to visit her. When I did, breathed her last, she confessed that survival was difficult.
I had come home extremely depressed that evening and thought how ironical is life. She was the same singer, who in her better days sang ‘Kabhi tanhaiyon mein yun hamari yaad aayegi…’ Today, she waits for somebody, somewhere to remember her!
Showbusiness is full of stories where veteran artistes have withered away, either unable to cope with their failure or out of neglect from families. It makes one wonder what is it about the dream merchants that they often fail to evoke empathy from their loved ones. Is it that they are self-obsessed or does it say something about the family not wanting to support in bad times?
To be continued