Doyenne of theatre Begum Razia Baig, chairperson of Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation and wife of Hyderabad’s theatre legend Qadir Ali Baig passed away Sunday afternoon at her ancestral haveli in Hyderabad. She was 73. Recipient of several international honours including Woman of the Decade, she co-founded Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation and heralded the city’s theatre revival movement alongwith her actor-director son Padmasri Mohammad Ali Baig. Following her husband’s demise in 1984, she raised her three sons into reputed theatre personalities and then in 2004, joined hands with the Ministry of I&PR to help bolster theatre in Hyderabad. Her devotion to her large extended theatre family of the country and her love for the city remained constant throughout her life.
She was known for producing heritage oriented historical spectacles at Palaces and forts around the world with plays like Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada, Savaan-e-Hayat, Spaces, Under an Oak Tree and others, which in addition to being staged at prestigious global theatre festival had the distinction of being invited to the revered University of Oxford and Edinburgh Fest. In the 1970s and 80s, her adaptations of plays Udhar ka Pati, Sakharam Binder, Aadhey Adhure and several others for her legendary husband’s New Theatre Hyderabad are remembered even today. She was also known for her authentic Hyderabadi cuisine columns in leading dailies.
On Sunday afternoon when she passed away, she was surrounded by her family, theatre personalities Moin Ali Baig, Mohammad Ali Baig, Afzal Ali Baig and daughter-in-law author Noor Baig.
Son Padmasri Mohammad Ali Baig who was groomed by her, said, “How do you grieve the loss of a person, an entity around whom my entire universe revolved. She meant the world to me and the family. It’s a loss of not just an outstanding mother but of a guide, mentor, critique and friend not just to me but for the entire theatre fraternity of the country. An extremely noble and magnanimous person, she devoted her entire life to an invaluable cause.”
With her passing away, an era seems to have come to an end.
