Malika Pukhraj

Malika Pukhraj
Malika Pukhraj in 1920s in Kashmir
Background information
Born	1912 Jammu, Kashmir and Jammu, British India
Died	4 February 2004 (aged 92) Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Genres	Folk music and Ghazal
Occupation(s)	Vocalist

Malika Pukhraj (Urdu: ملكہ پکھراج ‎) (1912–2004) was a highly popular Ghazal and folk singer of Pakistan. She was generally called as "Malika" meaning "The Queen" publicly. She is extremely popular for her rendition of Hafeez Jalandhri's nazm song, Abhi tau main jawan hoon ("I am still young"), which is enjoyed by millions not only in Pakistan, but also in India. Her popular numbers were,Lo phir basant aaii and Quli Qutub's Piya baaj piyala piya jaey na and Faiz Ahmed Faiz's Mere qatil mere dildar mere paas raho.

Malika Pukhraj, was born in Jammu to a traditional Kanjar family. She was given the name "Malika" at birth, by Baba Roti Ram 'Majzoob', a spiritualist, in Akhnoor area, and named Pukhraj by her aunt.

Malika Pukhraj received her training from Ustad Ali Baksh Kasuri, father of legendary singer Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.

At the age of 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 as a singer for another nine years.

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 much more fame, through her radio performances with composer, Kale Khan at Radio Pakistan, Lahore. Her voice is most suitable for 'folk songs of the hills' (Pahari Songs).