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But a replacement of Malika Pukhraj is not likely to be found for two obvious
reasons: the originality of her voice and the grace she gave to the art of singing, both on stage and off stage.
After the death of the Indian legendary singer and film actress, Suraiya, in Bombay on January 31, Malika Pukhraj died in Lahore on February 3. The loss of these two great performers would be felt whenever there is a discussion on the protectors and promoters of performing art, both, singing and acting.
Suraiya was an accomplished actress and a singer of ghazal. Her mastery over her art of singing and her command over her performance in films had placed her on a pedestal above many of her contemporaries. Nobody could rise above her stature during her lifetime.
She would be remembered for the loveliness and charm of her face and the dulcet voice that she had. It is a rarity in singers even today.
Good voice is a god-gifted quality and needs polishing for its maintenance. Suraiya knew it. Riaz (practice) remained her routine till her last days when she was admitted to a hospital for her medical checkup.
She did not return to her home thereafter. She maintained the quality of her voice till she lived. She mostly sang for films and created a place for her singing, unique and markedly different from others. The void her death has created is likely to be filled in by someone, as this is how the lifecycle moves on.
But a replacement of Malika Pukhraj is not likely to be found for two obvious reasons: the originality of her voice and the grace she gave to the art of singing, both on stage and off stage.
This great exponent of thumri, dadra, geet, ghazal and pahari passed away at the age of ninety in Lahore after a respiratory complication. With her passing away a glorious chapter of semi classical music has closed down. Many would sing in her way and would copy her style for maintaining the grace that singing requires but would not be able to do so. The original would continue to exist and remind of the golden age Malik Pukhraj had created for herself. Early Life & Career
Malika Pukhraj was born to Gulzar Begum and Abdullah Khan in a small village close to Jammu called Hamirpur Sidhar. The village was located very picturesquely upon the banks of the Akhunr River. From the very start Malika was exposed to a disciplined and strict regimen. She began training as a three-year-old disciple of Ustaad Ali Baksh Kasuriya, father of Ustaad Baray Ghulam Ali. At the age of five, she left for Delhi to learn music and dance (nirth bhahu) under the instructions of famous musicians such as Ustaad Momin Khan, Ustaad Mollah Bukhsh Talwandi and Ustaad Ashiq Ali.
The turning point in her career came when she, at the age of nine, returned to Jammu to attend the taj poshee (crowning ceremony) of Maharajah Hari Singh. The Maharaja impressed by her performance employed her at his court. At the age of 9, Malika became a gazetted officer, for she earned over Rs. 500 a month as her stipend.
The many years that she spent at the Maharajah's court allowed her to excel in music. She performed at the darbar (court) on a regular basis, mostly rendering thumris and dadras and occasionally ghazals and geets. During her stay at the court, she performed in front of innumerable members of the sub-continent's princely ranks, including the Maharajah of Patiala.
HER POPULARITY: At the age of 17, she left the employment at the Maharajah's court and took many decisive steps in her personal life.
She married Syed Shabbir Hussain, a tehsildar from Jhang, Punjab, who was a well respected literary figure in his own right, particularly in the field of Urdu short stories.
It was during this period, that Malika matured as an artist, both due to her exposure as Shah Sahib's wife, through whom she met well known poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Hafeez Jallandhri and through her regular performance on All India Radio.
Radio at this stage was critical for popularizing music and Malika Pukhraj rendered many thumris, dadras and ghazals during this period. These were her ghazals that won her acclaim and she began to develop a regular fan club. Malika Pukhraj's style of music became very popular especially her ghazals, since her Urdu pronunciation was extremely good.
Malika Pukhraj had been taught Urdu by a Principal of a local college during her stay in Delhi. Her Urdu teacher was particularly fond of her and would often ask her to sing "naats" to him. However, as a child she did not appreciate his rigorous teaching and would often wish him ill. Little did she realize at this stage what an important role that would later play in making her a super star. Based on the success of her ghazals, she practically stopped singing dadras and thumris at this stage and along with her contemporary Begum Akhtar, brought ghazal into the main fold of sub-continental music.
She had a liking form soz-o-salam, marsia. It was from her childhood that she perfected the art of rendering soz-o-salam and marsia of classical poets. Her passion for this for of poetry remained alive throughout her life. She would not miss an occasion for devotional renditions.
Her Legacy
Malika's contribution to music is manifold and varied. Her most important role was to introduce ghazals in many different ragas. Some of these ghazals were even composed by her, while others she had specially put to music. The particular feature of her work was the special attention she paid to the words of the verse and its link to the composition or the tune. In other words, the ghazal and its meaning was revealed through the music that it was set to, thus attaining an amazing harmony and balance was her uniqueness.
She was highly selective and discerning in matching the two. From many of her selected ghazals two most favourite ghazals are "Zahid na kae buree ka yeh han dewanay admi", by Dagh Dehlavi and "Teray ishq kee intaha chahata houn" by Allama Iqbal.
She was also unique in singing azaad nazam (free verse), which not many performers had done before and it was in this area that a unique relationship developed between her voice and the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. One particular beautiful and haunting melody that continues to charm with its simplicity is "Tum meray paas raho".
Malika Pukhraj also paid a longer lasting tribute to her birthplace by popularizing pahari songs, which she had learnt from common labourers and masons in Jammu.
The joie de vivre expressed in these tunes reflects their original flavour and traditional richness, since she maintained both the basic tunes and words of these songs.
Malika Pukhraj's legacy continues today with her daughter Tahira Syed, whom she trained in the same form of music.
Tahira Syed's training was imparted to her by two of the most celebrated masters, Ustad Akhtar Hussain and her mother Malika Pukhraj, who has reigned supreme as a ghazal singer for over forty years. Tahira made her debut at the age of fourteen, when she confidently walked away with two gold medals in the coveted categories of folk song and classical music, at a national radio competition.
This launched her into the world of music. However, her training in the detailed nuances of variation improvisation and voice discipline in a range of ragas continued. Like her mother, Tahira continues to enthrall audiences the world over with her rendition of ghazals, geets and folk songs.
Malika Pukhraj was a well recognized figure in the sub-continent and at all stages of her career had received acknowledgement and acclaim, both in Pakistan and India. She was awarded Pakistan's highest civilian award the Pride of Performance in 1980. A lot has been written about her and a lot would be written about her in times to come. But the best contribution would come from her acquaintances who volunteer to talk about her life and work.