Malika Pukhraj

Malika Pukhraj was a Pakistani ghazal singer and folk singer who earned recognition in both India and Pakistan. She was born on 20 November 1912 in Hamirpur Sidhar, a village in Jammu and Kashmir, British India (now Pakistan). She belonged to a family of musicians and learned music from her father and uncle, who were also renowned singers. She started her career by singing the compositions of her father and uncle, but later developed her own style of singing, which came to be known as the Malika Pukhraj style. She was known for her mastery of various genres of classical music, such as khayal, thumri, dadra, and ghazal. She sang in various languages, such as Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, and Braj Bhasha. She composed many songs under the pen name of Noor Jehan. She performed in various countries, including India, Pakistan, UK, US, and Germany, where she was highly acclaimed and respected. She was awarded the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan in 1965 and the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, the Sitara-e-Imtiaz and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan in 1966, 1996 and 1997 respectively. She also sang two songs for the 1960 film Mughal-e-Azam, for which she received a very high remuneration. She died of old age in Lahore on 4 February 2004. She is regarded as one of the finest ghazal and folk singers of her generation.