Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri pays tribute to legendary singer Nayyara Noor
Canberra: Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri this week paid tribute to legendary singer Nayyara Noor who passed at the age of 71.
“Nayyara Noor was an Era that has come to an end. May her soul rest in eternal peace – Aameen,” the envoy tweeted.
Nayyara Noor passed away after a brief illness in Karachi at the age of 71. The musical legend had been under treatment for the last some days in the port city.
Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said Nayyara Noor, the melody queen of Pakistan, was one of the top playback singers in the country.
He said hundreds of Nayyara Noor’s songs for Pakistani films are still fresh in her fans’ memories even today. Her fans across the subcontinent remember her ghazals even today.
From her early childhood, Nayyara Noor took fancy to Begum Akhtar’s ghazals, thumris and Kanan Devi’s bhajans. Later, in 1968, Noor started singing songs on Radio Pakistan and then on Pakistan Television in 1971. The singer then never looked back as her unstoppable musical journey began.
In 1973, she was accorded the Nigar Award for Best Playback Singer in the film Gharana. In 1977, her reputation peaked as the songs of the film Aaina touched the hearts of Pakistanis.
Nayyara Noor showed her excellence while working with every major composer for film and TV during her time. She sang Ahmed Shamim’s ‘Kabhi Hum Bhi Khoobssorat Thay’ for the PTV drama serial ‘Teesra Kinara.’
Nayyara liked to sing Ibn-e-Insha’s ghazals as she believed they carry a unique pathos, like ‘Jalay tau jalao gori’.
Initially, she came to be known for singing Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s poetry. Her iconic rendition of Faiz’s poetry turned out to be probably the most known and celebrated work she produced in 1976 as a birthday gift for Faiz.
In her long career as a singer, Nayyara Noor received a lot of praise and was given the title of Bulbul-e-Pakistan (Nightingale of Pakistan).
In 2006, Noor was honoured with the Pride of Performance Award, and in 2012, she bid farewell to her professional singing career by saying that it is honourable to step back in time.
