Early life:
Noor Jehan was born in Kasur, Punjab, British India, as Allah Rakhi Wasai to a Punjabi Muslim family. She was one of eleven children born to Imdad Ali and Fateh Bibi.
Career:
Jehan began singing at the age of six and was drawn to a variety of forms, including traditional folk and popular theatre. Her father, seeing her talent for singing, sent her to Ustad Ghulam Mohammad for early classical singing lessons. He began her instruction at the age of 11 in Calcutta, where he taught her the Patiala Gharana’s Hindustani classical music traditions as well as the classical styles of thumri, dhrupad, and khyal.
Noor Jehan caught the attention of Punjabi artist Ghulam Ahmed Chishti when she was nine years old, and he later introduced her to the stage in Lahore. He wrote a few ghazals, naats, and folk songs for her to sing, but she was more interested in acting or playback singing. After completing her vocational training, Jehan pursued a career in singing in Lahore with her sister, and would frequently perform live song and dance performances before movie screenings.
Noor Jehan caught the attention of Punjabi artist Ghulam Ahmed Chishti when she was nine years old, and he later introduced her to the stage in Lahore. He wrote a few ghazals, naats, and folk songs for her to sing, but she was more interested in acting or playback singing. After completing her vocational training, Jehan pursued a career in singing in Lahore with her sister, and would frequently perform live song and dance performances before movie screenings.
www.fabulouspakistan.com
Personal life:
Her first marriage took place in 1942 when she married Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. They had three children before divorcing in 1953. In 1959, she married Ijaz Durrani. Their second marriage resulted in the birth of three additional children before ending in divorce.
Awards and Achievements:
She was to receive several prestigious awards, including the Pride of Performance, which was given by the Government of Pakistan in 1965.
