Reshma (; c. 1947 – 3 November 2013), was a Pakistani

folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. Awarded with Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction), the third highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan among other honours, she is remembered for

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

s and her powerful singing voice. Born in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

, India in a nomadic

Banjara The Banjara are nomadic tribes found in India. Etymology The Gor usually refer to themselves as ''Banjaras'' and outsiders as ''Kor'', but this usage does not extend outside their own community. A related usage is ''Gor Mati'' or ''Gormati'', ...

household in 1947, her family relocated to

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

after the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

. Discovered by a local producer at the age of twelve while singing at the shrine of

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sayyid Shah Hussain Jafari al-Marwandi , (1177 - 19 February 1274) popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (), was a Sufi saint and poet who is revered in South Asia. In Taqaiyah, his maternal grandfather changed his name to Usman al-Marwandi o ...

in Sehwan,

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

, Reshma went on to record various folk songs for such labels as the Pakistan Radio. Her first project with the company " Laal Meri" was an instant hit and she was catapulted to fame with several television appearances in the 1960s. Reshma went on to record songs for both the Pakistani and

Indian film industry The cinema of India, consisting of Film, motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various #Cinema by language, film indus ...

. Some of her most memorable songs include "Laal Meri", "Hai O Rabba Nahion Lagda Dil Mera", "Ankhiyan Nu Rehen De" and "Lambi Judai" among others. She died on 3 November 2013 in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, Pakistan, after suffering from throat cancer for several years.

Early life

Reshma was born in the village of Loha, Ratangarh, Churu near

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

around 1947.Srivastara, Sanjeev (2000)
Festive celebrations in Rajasthan

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, 25 September 2000. Retrieved 14 July 2019 Her father, Haji Muhammad Mushtaq, was a camel and horse trader from Malashi.Siddiqui, Rana (2004)
The singer, the song (Reshma's profile)
, ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' (newspaper), Published 16 February 2004, Retrieved 14 July 2019 She belonged to a tribe which had converted to Islam. Her tribe migrated to

shortly after the

, when she was just one month old.Legendary Pakistani singer Reshma passes away after long battle with throat cancer
dnaindia.com website, 3 November 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2019 She did not receive any formal education and spent much of her childhood singing at the mazars (shrines) of the mystic saints of

, Pakistan. She married Muhammad Khan who was from within her extended family.

Career

Reshma was spotted, at the age of 12, singing at the

Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar The Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (; ) is a Dargah, shrine and mausoleum dedicated to the 13th century Muslim and Sufi saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The shrine is located in Sehwan Sharif, in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The shrine is one of ...

by then

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

television and radio producer, Saleem Gilani. Gilani arranged for her to make a recording of "Lal Meri Pat Rakhio" on

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

in 1968. She became an instant hit and since that day, Reshma has been one of the most popular folk singers of Pakistan, and garnered international renown. Reshma had been appearing on television since 1968, recording songs for both the Pakistani and Indian film industries, and performing in live concerts at home and abroad. Some of her famous songs are "Dama Dam Mast Kalandar", "Hai O' Rabba nahion lagda dil mera", "Sun charkhe di mithi mithi khook mahiya meinu yaad aunda", "Wey main chori chori teray naal laayyan akhhian" (song lyrics by renowned Punjabi poet Manzoor Hussain Jhalla ), " Kithay Nain Na Jori", "Lambi Judai" and "Ankhiyan nu rehen de ankhyan de kol kol". The above song was used by

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...

in his film '' Bobby'', "Ankhyon ko rehne de ankhyon ke aas pass", sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

. Her fame had crossed the border, thanks to pirated tapes. She was able to perform live in India much later, during the 1980s when India and Pakistan allowed exchange of artists.

Subhash Ghai Subhash Ghai (born 24 January 1945) is an Indian film director, producer, actor, lyricist, music director and screenwriter, primarily known for his work in Hindi cinema. He was one of the most prominent Hindi filmmakers in the 1980s and 1990s. ...

used her voice in the film ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

'', which featured one of her most famous songs, "Lambi Judai".Chopra, Dinesh (2004)
Lambi judai? Reshma asks who's Tendulkar
''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'', 14 April 2004. Retrieved 14 July 2019 During her career she was invited to meet Indian Prime Minister,

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

.Puniyani, Ram (2003) ''Communal Politics: Facts versus Myths'', Sage, , p. 101 In 2004, she recorded "Ashkan Di Gali Vich Mukaam De Gaya", which was used in the

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

film '' Woh Tera Naam Tha'', and was also a hit record in India.Reshma sings for Bollywood
''

'', 20 January 2004. Retrieved 14 July 2019 In January 2006, she was one of the passengers on the inaugural Lahore-Amritsar bus, the first such service linking both parts of the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

since 1947. The bus had 26 passengers in total of whom 15 were Pakistani officials, and Reshma had booked seven seats for herself and her family. Reshma planned to give many performances in India on this tour. Her last residence was in the area of Ichhra in

, Pakistan. Her younger sister, Kaneez Reshma is also a professional singer.

Health issues and death

Reshma was diagnosed with throat cancer in the 1980s. In later years, her health deteriorated, leading President

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

to come to her aid, giving her one million Rupees to help pay off a bank loan, as well as putting her on a secured assistance of 10,000 rupees per month. He also helped her secure a plot of land for herself, but that did not go through due to the change in government. Her health deteriorated to such an extent that she was hospitalised in

, Pakistan in 'Doctors Hospital' on 6 April 2013. The

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (, ) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the Demographics of Pakistan, most populous province in Pakistan and the List of first-level administrative divisions by popu ...

caretaker government elected to pay all her medical expenses. Tell her that she has lost weight and she promptly replies, "''To kyā? Maiṅ is se slim, smart bhī to ho gaī.''" (So what? I have grown slim and smart because of this), but then explains, "Doctors have advised me to curtail oily and spicy food." She readily used to admit, "I have no training in classical music, I do not know even the 'r' of any raga. So when I sing and miss any technical aspect, please forgive me," is what this humble soul used to say to the audience. "For me, there is no difference between India and Pakistan, they are like my two eyes." Reshma fell into a coma in October 2013 and died on 3 November 2013 in a

hospital.Legendary folk singer Reshma dies
, ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

'' (newspaper), 3 November 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2019

Awards and tributes

* Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) awarded by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

in 2008, for her services to the nation. *

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award in 1982 by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

* In 2000 at '' PTV Award'' Reshma received Best Singer award A journalist from

, Pakistan, Murtaza Solangi who also used to work for

, had arranged for Reshma's performances at different radio stations in the 1970s, said," How could I forget Reshma? In my youthful years, her voice always enriched me and she connected

Cholistan The Cholistan Desert (; ; Saraiki: ), also locally known as Rohi (), is a desert in the southern part of Punjab, Pakistan, Pakistani Punjab that forms part of the Greater Thar Desert, which extends to Sindh province and the Indian state of Rajast ...

and

. She was a flower of the desert, symbol of love, music and peace".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reshma 1940s births 2013 deaths 20th-century Pakistani singers 20th-century Pakistani women singers 21st-century Pakistani singers 21st-century Pakistani women singers Deaths from cancer in Pakistan Deaths from throat cancer PTV Award winners Pakistani folk singers Pakistani people of Rajasthani descent Pakistani radio personalities People from Churu district Performers of Sufi music Punjabi singers Punjabi-language singers Radio personalities from Lahore Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of the Pride of Performance Indian emigrants to Pakistan