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Summary Eighth death anniversary of renowned classical singer Malika Pukhraj is being observed today.
Malika Pukhraj, was born in village Mirpur, on the banks of the River Akhnoor, 16 miles from Jammu in 1912, and as she grew up her mother moved to Kanak Mandi area of Jammu, presently known as Jammu and Kashmir, where she spent early years of her life.Malika Pukhraj was coached by Ustad Ali Baksh Kasuri-father of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. At age nine, she visited Jammu and performed at the coronation ceremony of Maharaja Hari Singh, who was so impressed by her voice that he appointed her as a court singer in his Durbar, and she stayed there for another nine years.Over the next 8 decades she captivated her audience with her command over the singing genres of Thumri, Ghazal, Bhajan and folk Pahari Geet, including Dogri folk songs. She was among the greatest singers of British India in the 1940s, and after partition of India in 1947, she migrated to Lahore, Pakistan, where she received further fame, through her radio performances with composer, Kale Khan.In 1980, she received the Presidential Pride of Performance Award, Pakistan. In 1977, when All India Radio, for which she sang until Partition, was celebrating its Golden Jubilee, she was invited to India, and awarded with the legend of Voice award. Malika Pukhraj also recorded her memoirs in the novel Song Sung True.Malika Pukhraj, died in Lahore on February 4, 2004 and was buried at her ancestral Shah Jamal graveyard in Lahore.
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