Zahida Parveen

Zahida Parveen is a Pakistani classical singer and film playback singer who earned the titles of The Nightingale and The Queen of Kafi. Born in 1925, she became a prominent figure in the music industry through her mastery of various vocal styles.

Early life and education

Zahida Parveen was born in 1925 at Amritsar, Punjab, during the era of British India. She belongs to a family of classical musicians, although her parents died when she was very young. Because of this loss, her sister Peeran Ditti raised her. She eventually joined the Patiala gharana school of classical music to study under Baba Taj, who was a sarangi player from Kapurthala.

Her early career began as a tawaif where she gained recognition for singing Multani kafi. She later pursued further studies with Hussain Bakhsh Khan, a sarangi player based in Amritsar. While some historical accounts categorize her profession, modern critics argue that Parveen belonged to the 'Peerni' caste instead of the heeramandi tawaif.

Career

Following the partition, she moved to Pakistan and began learning singing from Ashiq Hussain of the Patiala Gharana in Lahore. She soon started performing at Radio Pakistan, Lahore. In 1949, she transitioned into film playback singing when she recorded a qawwali for the film Mundri. This specific recording featured Iqbal Bano and Munawar Sultana, while G.A. Chishti composed the track.

Parveen achieved significant popularity through her work at Radio Pakistan. She performed "Kya Haal Sunawan Dil Da" and "Maindi Ajj Kal Akh Phurkaandi Aei," which were compositions of Khwaja Ghulam Farid in the kafi style. These songs were recorded for His Master's Voice on gramophone. She continues to be remembered for recording numerous Kafis in Urdu, Saraiki, Hindi, Punjabi and Sindhi languages.

During the 1940s, she sang film songs using Kheyal style and classical vocalization. She also performed light classical music through forms such as geets and ghazals. In 1957, she recorded the song "Nain Se Nain Milae Rakhoni Ko" for the film Waadah alongside Ustad Fateh Ali Khan. Rashid Attre composed this piece.

Her work in the late 1950s included a duet with Naseem Begum for the film Begunah in 1958. In that film, she sang the classical song "Kaisi Raat Rageeli Aai." That same year, music composer Rashid Attre hired her again for the film Jan-e-Bahar. She was paired with Naseem Begum once more to sing "Ab Tou Ji Bhar Ke Khanjar Chalaenge Hum" in raag darbari style.

Personal life

Zahida Parveen was married and had one daughter named Shahida Parveen. Because she wanted her daughter to become a singer, she provided training in a similar musical style. At the insistence of her mother, Shahida became a student of Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan.

She died at the age of 50 on 15 May 1975 in Lahore, Pakistan. Her final resting place is the Miani Sahib Graveyard.

Awards and recognition

In 1964, the All Pakistan Music Conference honored her for her contributions to the music industry. She received a Gold Medal Award during this ceremony.