Noted Kathaprasangam and Mappilappattu performer Ramla Begum, 77, passed away in Kozhikode on Wednesday.
Begum was known to be the first Muslim woman in Kerala to violate the conservative religious restrictions on adopting stage performance as a career.
Born in Alappuzha as the daughter of Hussain Yusuf Yamana and Mariyam Beevi in 1946, Ramla was associated with Azad Music Troupe in Alappuzha as a singer since she was seven years old. She married P. Abdul Salam from the same troupe at the age of 18.