Zubaida Khanum's voice will live on forever in our hearts

Zubaida Khanum's death has snapped another thread of the memories of the youthful bygone days. May she rest in peace.

Getting stuck in Karachi’s downtown traffic jam in the month of June is never pleasant and that jam was a brute. After an hour in the searing heat and the never ending snarl of cars, bikes and rickshaws I was on the verge of a breakdown when from the car radio came Zubaida Khanum’s lilting voice. The song was ‘Masti mein jhoom jhoom re’ from Noor Jehan’s classic ‘Koel’ and I was transported from the inferno to an idyll-like place because of the mellifluous song.

The song, much like much of Zubaida Apa’s work, represented so much. It harked back to the golden age of Pakistani movies and great playback singing. It was a time when beautiful voices and vastly talented composers came together in a confluence of magical melody. Singers like her and the legendary Noor Jehan ruled the radio airwaves and many of the elderly I spoke to, recalled being glued to their transistor radio hoping to catch a tune.

The song also reminded me of my youth when Pakistani classics were aired regularly on Pakistani channels and we would stay up till late to watch them. Then bleary eyed, we would go to the market the very next day to buy cassettes that would be played in stereos until they fell apart. We were only following the previous generation who would watch these movies, listen to Zubaida Khanum’s siren-like voice and then make a beeline to the nearest music store to buy an LP disc. The more adventurous ones would head to a fancy establishment offering cabaret or live entertainment where her hit songs would be either sung or performed to.

When the news of her recent demise was reported it seemed another thread to the memories of bygone days, of many people’s youth, snapped and Pakistan had lost one of its greatest singers.

Zubaida Khanum who passed away recently at age 78 in Lahore was not from a family of musicians. Her family left Amritsar and after partition, and fortunately for music lovers, settled in Lahore. Zubaida Apa was passionate about singing and pursued her passion to the fullest. Her first foray in the film world was the 1951 hit ‘Billoo’ and she achieved stardom through her rapturously received songs in ‘Shehri Babu’. Her melodious voice and Rashid Attres’ music composition set the stage for a truly memorable career in playback singing. What followed then was a veritable feast for the senses with her songs coming thick and fast.



‘Kaise kahoun mein alvida’ and ‘Balam tum haar gaye jeeta mera pyar’  from the 1956 smash hit ‘Baghi’ lit up the music world and gave voice to millions of lovelorn voices. The movie featured actors Sudhir and Musarrat Nazir and was directed by Ashfaq Malik. It was also the first movie in Pakistan that had songs by music director Rehman Verma, whose nous combined with Zubaida Khanum’s voice to produce instant classics.

1959 was the year in which director Khurshid Anwar came out with cult classic ‘Koel’ and although most of the songs were by Noor Jehan, Zubaida Khanum was able to hold her own with the two gems ‘Masti mein jhoom jhoom re’ and ‘Ho dil jala na dil wale’. The songs were mostly filmed leading actresses such as Musarrat Nazir and Sabiha, and for millions represented the language of love and courtship.



Many a family elder recall these songs being sung as dedications at various functions in hopes of a returned favour. Some still carry those hopes. Others expressed a fervent desire to arrange a musical evening dedicated to Zubaida Khanum songs, in an attempt to relive her glory days and their own which in many ways were tied to her songs. One such song is ‘Aaye mausam rangeelay suhane’ from the 1957 movie ‘Saath Lakh’ which is the mainstay of every wedding ‘ratjagah’ in my family. The event takes place shortly before the wedding and the entire night is spent in singing classic film songs by Mohammad Rafi, Noor Jehan and many other Pakistani and Indian singers. ‘Aaye Mausam’ was in fact the first Zubaida Khanum song I heard as a child and the ladies of the house take great pride and joy in singing it en masse. In fact, it is usually the grand finale of the night and the last notes end just before the start of the call to morning prayers.



Zubaida Khanum sang with a maestro’s skill and carried the tunes with aplomb whether it is a sprightly ‘Mera nishana dekhe zamana’  or a soulful ‘Kiya hua dil pe sitam’ . Like all great artists her repertoire extended to well beyond one aspect and she lent her voice to Punjabi songs as well as folk tunes. There is the naat or paean ‘Shaahe-e-Madina’  which is sung at the milads and religious events, not just in my family or community but in millions of homes around the world. The naat was first sung by Zubaida Khanum and though has been reprised by many others, it has yet to be sung with the same passion and skill as when Zubaida Apa performed it.

Through her songs, she is an integral part of our joys and precious moments as I imagine she would have wanted to become. The transient world may have lost her charming presence but the interminable world of music is still bright with her songs and always will be.