Her disciple, Rita Ganguly, still feels the presence of ammi; she can still hear those prophetic words: beta ek din woh aayega jab har gawaiya ghazal gungunayega (One day every singer will hum a ghazal). It was ammi who literally led ghazal on to the road to popularity. Better recognised as the foremost exponent of ghazal gayaki, ammi alias Begum Akhtar, was the one who took this style of singing to the common man through her magical mehfils and baithaks. However, on her 25th death anniversary recently, ammi's innumerable admirers were caught in a reflective mood. "Is this the world of ghazal that ammi dreamt of?" wrote Ganguly in an article on the occasion. While its followers complain of low standards and decreasing popularity, the ghazal finds itself marginalised in the expansive world of music.