Kailash Mehra Sadhu (born 1950) is a

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

i singer.

Early life

Kailash Mehra Sadhu, also known as Malika-e-Ghazal, was born in

Dogra __NOTOC__ Dogras, or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic community of Pakistan and India. Dogra, Dogras or Dogri may also refer to: * Dogra dynasty, a Hindu dynasty of Kashmir * Dogri language, a language spoken by Dogras and other ethnic commu ...

Nainital Nainital (Kumaoni language, Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a town and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand High Court, High Court of the state being ...

. She earned master's degrees from Panjab University, Chandigarh and Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad (1975), the latter degree focusing on vocal music. She became a music lecturer at the Women's College in Anantnag in 1979. She earned fame singing

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, the language of the Kashmiris ethnic group People with the nam ...

ghazals ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

and

songs A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usuall ...

, and has recorded in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, Gujarati,

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

, Hindi, Persian, Bhaderwahi, Pahari and the

Kannad Kannad is a Taluka and a Municipal Council City in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kannad has located 58 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. It is located 24 km away from the Ellora Caves and Grish ...

languages. Kailash participated in music competitions organised by the state cultural academy. Her stage performances were organised in Patna, Lucknow, Calcutta,

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi. Having married in 1980, she took part in the fourth Festival of Music organised by the Kashmiri Overseas Association of Britain in 1985. She also sang for the film Aarnimall. She was given the title, Malika-e-Ghazal in 1993 by the

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

Vikas Sanstha. The Sadiq memorial Committee awarded her the Mehboob Awami Funkara in 1981 and she was chosen the best singer by the Sri Bhat Smarak Samiti in 1980.

Work after Kashmir conflict

Kailash Mehra Sadhu sang for the album 'Poozai Posh'. Alongside fellow

singer Vijay Malla, and produced by the Kashmir Overseas Association of the United States of America, this album, containing several sacred

bhajans Bhajan is an Indian term for any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Dharmic religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root w ...

and

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

native to Kashmir, and as a movement to preserve

's 5000-year-old culture, history and sanctity, this album became highly popular with the millions of Kashmiris in the diaspora worldwide.

Works

Before the

Kashmir conflict The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, and also between China and India in the northeastern portion of the region. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1 ...

, Kailash Mehra Sadhu used to be a reasonably well-known singer known for her

and hymns. These hymns gained popularity after the

exodus of Kashmiri Pandits Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Exo ...

, after her collaboration with the Kashmir Overseas Association of the USA.

References

External links

Kashmir News Network page on Kaliash Mehra Sadhu
1956 births Living people Kashmiri people People from Nainital district {{Asia-singer-stub