Farida
Khanum
Veteran Classical Singer
Farida Khanum is still strikingly graceful and a
traditionalist to the core. With her combination of glamour and
professional excellence, she has been the life and soul of
cultural evenings, and a delight for the media ever since she
gained prominence. Being an accomplished singer, her winsome
presence, engaging mannerism and soft demeanor have all added to
her success, just as her affection has made her dear to all who
have come in contact with her. |
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These qualities reflect the kind of influences she
was exposed to in her early life. Music was a family vocation. The
younger sister of celebrated singer Mukhtar Begum, Farida Khanum grew up
in a house which hummed with music. She was only five when Mukhtar Begum
shifted from Amritsar to Calcutta to work with dramatist Agha Hashar.
Calcutta's potential for and willingness to promote the arts, breathed
new life into all musicians. Mukhtar Begum got the chance to interact
with the masters. Mukhtar Begum's professional engagements took her to
many parts of the subcontinent. Mumbai and Delhi were the main stops.
Contact with the masters of music and performing in their presence is
what built Farida Khanum's confidence.
However, it wasn't until after Partition that she
was launched as a singer. Radio Pakistan, Lahore, served as the chariot.
Farida Khanum has special words of thanks and praise for the late Z. A.
Bokhari, the man who took broadcasting in Pakistan to great heights.
As a young and attractive singer, always tastefully
dressed, Farida Khanum was a sight for sore eyes. Her movements and
gestures lent a cultured sensuousness to her singing. Her rendition of
carefully-selected ghazals by contemporary poets supplemented by her
lively style of performance would enthrall the audience. When she sang,
it would be obvious to everyone that she was enjoying it.
In the 50s and early 60s when the environment in the
country was far more liberal than it is today, Pakistan regularly sent
out cultural delegations to foreign countries for participation in
festivals and national day celebrations. Farida Khanum has represented
Pakistan in the Soviet Union, China, Britain and Afghanistan and many
other countries
Farida Khanum explored cinema both as a playback
singer and as an actress early in her career.
Farida Khanum no longer practices as rigidly as before, but she
has not altogether given up ryaz. At present, she is involved in
recording select thumris and ghazals only with one of the best known
connoisseurs of classical music, lawyer Raza Kazim.
Family commitments have taken her away from
full-time professional activities over the years. First it was marriage
and then the children demanded attention. After her husband's death some
years ago, her responsibilities increased manifold. But all her
children, five daughters and a son, are now married and well-settled.
She is a grandmother, but the aura of grandeur is still with her.
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