Farida Khanum (Urdu: فرِیدہ خانُم) is a Pakistani classical singer from the city of Kolkata West Bengal.[2] She is also known by her honorific title Malika-e-Ghazal (The Queen of Ghazal) in both Pakistan and India.[3]
HI PP Farida Khanum | |
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فرِیدہ خانُم | |
![]() Farida Khanum rehearsing in December 2005 | |
Born | Farida Khanum 1929 (age 92–93) Calcutta, British India, India |
Other names | Queen of Ghazal[1] |
Occupation |
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Years active | 1949 - present |
Known for | Ghazal • Dadra • Khyal • Thumri |
Notable credit(s) | Coke Studio Pakistan Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) Radio Pakistan |
Children | 6 |
Relatives | Agha Hashar Kashmiri (brother-in-law) Mukhtar Begum (sister) |
Awards | Pride of Performance (1970) Hilal-i-Imtiaz (2005) |
She was born in the fall of 1929 in Calcutta , British India.[4] She had four siblings, a sister and three brothers. Her sister is the famous singer, Mukhtar Begum. Their whole family moved from Amritsar, in eastern Panjab (india) to Lahore, Pakistan when she was 18 years old.[5][6]
She started learning Khayal, Thumri and Dadra from Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of Patiala gharana.[2][5] As a child, her sister Mukhtar Begum would take her to the Khan's place for regular riyaaz (practice of classical music).[5] Her family moved to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947.
Farida Khanum gave her first public concert in 1950 at the very young age of 21, and then joined Radio Pakistan where she gained recognition for herself.[7][5] She became a star when Pakistan's president Ayub Khan invited her to a public recital in the 1960s. Farida also acted in films and she also sanged songs for films. She has been a frequent performer on Pakistan Television and other Pakistani TV channels.[5] The ghazal she is most associated with is Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Naa Karo written by the famous poet Fayyaz Hashmi.[5][2]
In 2015, at the age of 86, she sang this ghazal in Coke Studio Season 8.[8]
Farida Khanum's live concerts in India have been very popular.[5] She also visited Kabul, Afghanistan in the late 1960s and early 1970s for concerts, she collaborated with Afghan musicians and sang Persian-language ghazals there.
Farida Khanum lives in Lahore, Pakistan. She has five daughters and one son. Sheeba Hassan is her niece, who is known for her performance in the PTV drama serial Sona Chandi (1982). Farida Khanum has been affectionately called Queen of Ghazal in Pakistan.[8]
Year | Film | Language |
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1953 | Sailab | Urdu |
1961 | Sher-e-Islam | Urdu |
1963 | Baji | Urdu |
1967 | Main Woh Nahin | Urdu |
1968 | Pakeeza | Urdu |
1969 | Qasm Us Waqt Ki | Urdu |
1970 | Pardesi | Punjabi |
1972 | Bazi Jit Lei | Punjabi |
1973 | Pyasa | Urdu |
1973 | Dukh Sajna Day | Punjabi |
1974 | Rano | Punjabi |
1979 | Nishani | Urdu |
Year | Title | Album details | Track listing |
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1993 | Farida Khanum: Meri Pasand Vol 1 | Digital release date: 9 April 1993
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1993 | Farida Khanum: Meri Pasand Vol 2 | Digital release date: 9 April 1993
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Year | Title | Album details | Track listing |
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1978 | Farida Khanum In Concert | Digital release date: 1 December 1978
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1979 | Farida Khanum In Concert Vol. 2 | Digital release date: 1 October 1979
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1980 | Farida Khanum In Concert Vol. 3 | Digital release date: 1 January 1980
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1985 | Taghazzul Farida Khanum Vol 1 | Digital release date: 1 July 1985
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Year | Award | Category | Result | Title | Ref. |
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1970 | Pride of Performance | Award by the President of Pakistan | Won | Herself | [4] |
1974 | EMI Silver Disc Awards | Best Ghazal Singer | Won | Herself | [4] |
1980 | Amir Khusrau Award | Best Ghazal Singer | Won | Herself | [9] |
2000 | PTV Award | Best Singer | Won | Herself | [10] |
2005 | Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) | Award by the President of Pakistan | Won | Herself | [8] |
2005 | Hafiz Ali Khan Award | Best Singer | Won | Herself | [8] |
2007 | The Times of India | Malika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazal) | Won | Herself | [11][8] |
2017 | 5th Hum Awards | Hum Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | Herself | [12] |
2021 | 20th Lux Style Awards | Unilever Chairman's Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | Herself | [13] |
Recipients of the Pride of Performance for Arts | |
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1950s |
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1960s |
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1970s |
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1980s |
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1990s |
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2000s |
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2010s |
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2020s |
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General | |
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National libraries | |
Other |
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