Noor Jehan remembered on her birth anniversary

'Melody Queen' enjoyed celebrated career packed with prestigious accolades

ISLAMABAD:

Renowned singer and actress Noor Jehan was remembered on her birth anniversary on Monday. Popularly known as the "Melody Queen," Noor Jehan was born on September 21, 1926 in Kasur and also established herself as an actress in the film industry. Her notable films included Chan Wey, Dopatta, Mirza Ghalib, Qaidi, Baaji and Khandaan. Besides being a celebrated playback singer, she was also a gifted ghazal vocalist and sang in several languages, including Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi. She recorded over 10,000 songs during her illustrious career. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award twice and was also honoured with Pakistan's highest civilian awards, including Pride of Performance, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz and Sitara-e-Imtiaz. Regarded as one of the most prominent singers of her time in South Asia, she was bestowed with the title of Malika-e-Tarannum. Noor Jehan died of heart failure on December 23, 2000, and was laid to rest in Karachi.

Noor Jehan's six-decade career spanned both British Indian and Pakistani cinema. She had proficiency in Hindustani classical music, as well as in other genres including ghazals. She made her directorial debut with the film Chann Wey in 1951, becoming the first female film director in Pakistan. She is recognized for her contributions to music in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan.

Along with Ahmed Rushdi, she holds the record for having given voice to the largest number of film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema. She recorded about 10,000 songs in various languages, including Urdu, Punjabi, and Sindhi. She sang a total of 2,422 songs in 1,148 Pakistani films during a career that lasted more than half a century.

Noor Jehan began to sing at the age of five and showed a keen interest in a range of styles, including traditional folk and popular theatre. Realising her potential for singing, her parents sent her to receive early training in classical singing under Ustad Ghulam Mohammad. Noor Jehan's mother arranged for her to receive musical training under famous classical singer Kajjanbai. Kajjanbai had her receive 12 hours of "riyaz" every day, she also had a teacher who taught her literature lessons every day. She started her training at age 11 in Calcutta, where ustads instructed her in the traditions of the Patiala Gharana of Hindustani classical music and the classical forms of thumri, dhrupad, and khyal.

As a child, Noor Jehan and her two sisters performed on stage in a rural theater troupe called "Taka Theater". At the age of nine, she drew the attention of Punjabi musician Ghulam Ahmed Chishti, who would later introduce her to the stage in Lahore. He composed some ghazals, na`ats, and folk songs for her to perform, although she was keener on breaking into acting or playback singing. Once her vocational training finished, Jehan pursued a career in singing alongside her sister in Lahore..