Malika Pukhraj (

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

, 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 of

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's

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 List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Others among her popular numbers in

Urdu language Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

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 ...

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 "sa ...

) 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. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

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. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's death, Singh became ...

, 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 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: India and Pakistan. T ...

in 1947, she migrated to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

, 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 Augus ...

. 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 ...

, 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, 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 ...

(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