Malika Pukhraj ( Punjabi, ur, ملكہ پکھراج ) (1912 – 2004) was a highly popular

Ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

and

folk singer 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 c ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. She was generally known as "Malika", meaning "The Queen", publicly. She was extremely popular for her rendition of

Hafeez Jalandhri Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jalandhari ( ur, ) (born 14 January 1900 – 21 December 1982) was a Pakistani Urdu-language poet who wrote the lyrics for the National Anthem of Pakistan

nazm ''Nazm'' () is a major part of Urdu and Sindhi poetry that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose-style poems. is a significant genre of Urdu and Sindhi poetry; the other one is known as ''ghazal'' (). is significantly ...

song, ''Abhi tau main jawan hoon'' ("I am still young"), which is enjoyed by millions not only in

, but also in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Others among her popular numbers in

Urdu language Urdu (;"Urdu"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ur, , link=no, ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, In ...

were ''Lo phir basant aaii'', Quli Qutub's ''Piya baaj piyala piya jaey na'', and

Faiz Ahmed Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Out ...

's ''Mere qatil mere dildar mere paas raho''.

Early life

Malika Pukhraj was born in Hamirpur Sidhar to a Singer family of professional musicians. She was given the name "Malika" at birth by Baba Roti Ram 'Majzoob', a spiritualist, in the

Akhnoor Akhnoor is a city and municipal committee, near city of Jammu in Jammu district of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies 28 km away from Jammu city. Akhnoor is on the bank of the Chenab River, just before it enters the Pak ...

area, and named ''Pukhraj'' (Yellow

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...

) by her aunt who herself was a professional singer-dancer.
Profile of Malika Pukhraj on tripod.com website. Retrieved 7 July 2022 Malika Pukhraj received her traditional musical training from Ustad Ali Baksh Kasuri, the father of legendary singer Ustad

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (2 April 1902 – 23 April 1968) was an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist, from the Patiala gharana.Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...

and performed at the coronation ceremony of Maharaja

Hari Singh Maharaja Sir Hari Singh (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir (princely state), Jammu and Kashmir. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, followi ...

, who was so impressed by her voice that he appointed her as a court singer in his

Durbar Durbar can refer to: * Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs * Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria * Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...

. She stayed there as a singer for another nine years. She was among the well-known professional singers of

in the 1940s and after

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947, she migrated to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, where she received much more fame, through her radio performances with composer ''Kale Khan'' at

Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...

. Her voice is most suitable for 'folk songs of the hills' (Pahari Songs). In 1980, she received the

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

Award from the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

, for which she sang until the Partition in 1947, was celebrating its Golden Jubilee, she was invited to

and awarded with the 'Legend of Voice' award. Malika Pukhraj also recorded her memoirs in the novel ''Song Sung True''.

Personal life

Malika Pukhraj was married to Shabbir Hussain, a junior government official in the Punjab, and had six children including

Tahira Syed Tahira ( ar, طاهرة) is an Arabic name for females. There are several Semitic variations that include connotations given in Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is traditionally a given name in Muslim. It is the female variant of male name Tahir. Tahi ...

, also a singer in

.Profile of Malika Pukhraj
Dawn (newspaper), Published 4 February 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2022Tahira Syed 'Profile' on YouTube
Uploaded 9 January 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2022

Death

Malika Pukhraj died in

on 4 February 2004. Her funeral procession started from her residence at West Canal bank, and the ceremony was held in the house of her eldest son.

Awards and recognition

* Legend of Voice Award (1977) by

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

(1980) by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.1912 births 2004 deaths Pakistani Muslims Punjabi people Pakistani women singers Pakistani ghazal singers People from Jammu (city) Singers from Lahore Recipients of the Pride of Performance Punjabi singers Pakistani folk singers Indian women folk singers 20th-century Pakistani women singers Indian folk singers 20th-century Indian singers Punjabi-language singers 20th-century Indian women singers Singers from Jammu and Kashmir Women musicians from Jammu and Kashmir 21st-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian women singers Pakistani radio personalities 21st-century Pakistani women singers Pakistani classical singers Radio personalities from Lahore Pakistani playback singers