After some years, Mubarak Begum lived with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren in the Suburb Mumbai in Jogeshwari with a small accommodation. After her daughter’s death in October 2015, who had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease, had deteriorated Begum’s health to a greater extent. A press reported that Mubarak Begum was in hospital and that her family were not able to pay her medical bills. Begum lived a terrible life despite of being a legendary singer of her times. Her only income, it was reported, was a pension which she received from her late husband’s employer. This pension was reported by NDTV news channel to be Rs.800 ($12) per month and by DNA (an Indian newspaper) to be Rs.3000/- ($45) per month, both of which figures are extremely paltry by Indian standards and utterly inadequate for a person’s sustenance. Mubarak Begum was dependent on her son, Hussain Shaikh, who earns an uncertain income by freelancing as a chauffeur, and was cared for by her daughter-in-law.
