Surinder Kaur
Encyclopedia
Surinder Kaur was an India
n singer and songwriter
. She sang mainly Punjabi folk-songs
, where she is credited for pioneering and popularising the genre and later was known as the ‘Nightingale of Punjab’; she also sang some Hindi movie songs, between 1948-1952.
In an illustrious spanning nearly six decades, her repertoire included Punjabi Sufi Kafis of Bulleh Shah
and verses by contemporary poets like Nand Lal Noorpuri, Amrita Pritam
, Mohan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi
giving memorable songs like, Maavan te dheeyan, Jutti Kasuri, Paireen na poori, Madhaniyan, Kiven akhiyan che pavan kajra, and Ghaman di raat lammi hai jan mere geet. In time her wedding songs, most notably Lathe di chadar?, Suhe ve cheere valeya? and Kaala Doriya, became an indelible part of Punjabi culture
.
Sikh
family. She was sister of Prakash Kaur famous singer. She is the mother of Dolly Guleria
. She had three daughters and dolly is eldest of them.
label, emerging as superstars across the Indian subcontinent.
Following Punjab's 1947 owing to partition of India
, Kaur and her parents relocated to Ghaziabad, Delhi
, next she married Prof. Joginder Singh Sodhi, a lecturer in Punjabi literature at Delhi University. Recognising her talent, her husband became her support system, and soon she started a career as a playback singer
in Hindi film industry in Bombay, introduced by music director, Ghulam Haider
. Under him she sang three songs in the 1948 film Shaheed, including Badnam Na Ho Jaye Mohabbat Ka Fasaana, Aanaa hai tho aajaao and Taqdeer ki aandhi…hum kahaan aur thum kahaan. Her true interest however lay in stage performances and reviving Punjabi folk songs, and she eventually moved back to Delhi in 1952.
In the decades to follow, her husband continued to guide her singing career. "He was the one who made me a star," she later recalled. "He chose all the lyrics I sang and we both collaborated on compositions." Together Kaur and Sodhi wrote such classics as "Chan Kithe Guzari Aai Raat," "Lathe Di Chadar," "Shonkan Mele Di," and "Gori Diyan Jhanjran", "Sarke-Sarke Jandiye Mutiare". The couple they also served as the public face of the Indian People's Theatre Association
(IPTA
), an arm of the Indian Communist party in Punjab, spreading messages of peace and love to the most remote villages of East Punjab; she also travelled to many parts of the world performing Punjabi folk songs, gaining rapid popularity.
In all Kaur recorded more than 2,000 songs, among them duets with Asa Singh Mastana
, Harcharan Grewel, Rangilla Jatt, and Didar Sandhu
.
Although her life and collaboration with Sodhi was cut short upon the educator's death in 1975, she continued the family's creative tradition via duets with their daughter and disciples, Rupinder Kaur Guleria, better known as Dolly Guleria and granddaughter Sunaina, culminating in the 1995 LP, 'Surinder Kaur - The Three Generations.
for Punjabi Folk Music in 1984, by the Sangeet Natak Academi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre, the Millennium Punjabi Singer award, and Padma Shri
award in 2006 for her contribution in Arts. The Guru Nanak Dev University
conferred on her a doctorate in the year 2002.
in 2004, with an aim to construct a house in Zirakpur
, near Chandigarh. Subsequently, on 22 December 2005, she suffered a heart attack and was admitted to General Hospital, Panchkula. Later, however, she looked up and personally went to Delhi to receive the coveted Padma Shri
Award in January 2006. It is another matter that she was painfully aware of the events that delayed the honour for so long, despite her unparalleled contribution to Punjabi music. But even when she received the award she was regretful that the nomination for the same had come from Haryana
and not Punjab for which she worked tirelessly through five decades.
In 2006, a prolonged illness prompted Kaur to seek treatment in the U.S. she died in a New Jersey
hospital on June 15 at the age of 77. She was survived by three daughters, eldest, singer Dolly Guleria who lives in Panchkula
, followed by Nandini Singh and Pramodini Jaggi, both settled in New Jersey. Upon the death, the Prime minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh described her as "the nightingale of Punjab", and "a legend in Punjabi folk music and popular music and a trend-setter in Punjabi melody." and added, "I hope that her immortal voice will motivate other artists to practice the right Punjabi folk music tradition".
documentary titled, Punjab Di Koyal (Nightingale of Punjab), on the life and works of Surinder Kaur, received the Doordarshan National Awards - 2006.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. She sang mainly Punjabi folk-songs
Music of Punjab
Punjab is a region in the South Asia, divided into two parts Western Punjab and Eastern Punjab . Punjabi music has a diverse style of music, ranging from Folk and Sufi to Classical, notably the Patiala gharana-Sufi Music :...
, where she is credited for pioneering and popularising the genre and later was known as the ‘Nightingale of Punjab’; she also sang some Hindi movie songs, between 1948-1952.
In an illustrious spanning nearly six decades, her repertoire included Punjabi Sufi Kafis of Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher.-Early life:Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, in present day Pakistan. His father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a teacher and preacher in a village mosque...
and verses by contemporary poets like Nand Lal Noorpuri, Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam was a Punjabi writer and poet, considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist, and the leading 20th-century poet of the Punjabi language, who is equally loved on both the sides of the India-Pakistan border, with a career spanning over six decades, she...
, Mohan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi
Shiv Kumar Batalvi
Shiv Kumar 'Batalvi was a noted Punjabi language poet, who was most known for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, separation and lover's agony...
giving memorable songs like, Maavan te dheeyan, Jutti Kasuri, Paireen na poori, Madhaniyan, Kiven akhiyan che pavan kajra, and Ghaman di raat lammi hai jan mere geet. In time her wedding songs, most notably Lathe di chadar?, Suhe ve cheere valeya? and Kaala Doriya, became an indelible part of Punjabi culture
Punjabi Culture
Punjabi Culture is the culture of the Punjab region. It is one of the oldest in world history, dating from ancient antiquity to the modern era. The Punjabi culture is the culture of the Punjabi people who are now distributed throughout the world. The scope, history, sophistication and complexity of...
.
Early life and education
She was born in a PunjabiPunjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
family. She was sister of Prakash Kaur famous singer. She is the mother of Dolly Guleria
Dolly Guleria
Dolly Guleria is a renowned Punjabi folk singer, born in Bombay on Baisakhi day. She's the daughter of the late Surinder Kaur, popularly known as ‘The Nightingale of Punjab’.-Career:...
. She had three daughters and dolly is eldest of them.
Career
Kaur made her professional debut with a live performance on Lahore Radio in August 1943, and the following year on August 31, 1943, she and her elder sister, Parkash Kaur cut their first duet, Maavan Te Dheeyan Ral Baithiyaan for the HMVHMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
label, emerging as superstars across the Indian subcontinent.
Following Punjab's 1947 owing to partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, Kaur and her parents relocated to Ghaziabad, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, next she married Prof. Joginder Singh Sodhi, a lecturer in Punjabi literature at Delhi University. Recognising her talent, her husband became her support system, and soon she started a career as a playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
in Hindi film industry in Bombay, introduced by music director, Ghulam Haider
Ghulam Haider
Ghulam Haider was an early film music composer who worked both in India and Pakistan. Ghulam Haider was born in Hyderabad, Sind in 1908.-Erly Life:...
. Under him she sang three songs in the 1948 film Shaheed, including Badnam Na Ho Jaye Mohabbat Ka Fasaana, Aanaa hai tho aajaao and Taqdeer ki aandhi…hum kahaan aur thum kahaan. Her true interest however lay in stage performances and reviving Punjabi folk songs, and she eventually moved back to Delhi in 1952.
In the decades to follow, her husband continued to guide her singing career. "He was the one who made me a star," she later recalled. "He chose all the lyrics I sang and we both collaborated on compositions." Together Kaur and Sodhi wrote such classics as "Chan Kithe Guzari Aai Raat," "Lathe Di Chadar," "Shonkan Mele Di," and "Gori Diyan Jhanjran", "Sarke-Sarke Jandiye Mutiare". The couple they also served as the public face of the Indian People's Theatre Association
Indian People's Theatre Association
Indian People’s Theatre Association was an association of leftist theatre-artists and others mostly based in Kolkata, West Bengal, Mumbai and Assam, India. Its goal was to bring cultural awakening among the people of India. It was the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India...
(IPTA
Ipta
IPTA can refer to:* Indian People's Theatre Association* International Pulsar Timing Array...
), an arm of the Indian Communist party in Punjab, spreading messages of peace and love to the most remote villages of East Punjab; she also travelled to many parts of the world performing Punjabi folk songs, gaining rapid popularity.
In all Kaur recorded more than 2,000 songs, among them duets with Asa Singh Mastana
Asa Singh Mastana
Asa Singh Mastana was a Punjabi musician and singer, best known for lending his voice to the hit Bollywood film Heer...
, Harcharan Grewel, Rangilla Jatt, and Didar Sandhu
Didar Sandhu
Didar Singh Sandhu was a Punjabi singer & songwriter.-Early years:Didar Sandhu was born in 3rd July 1942 to Sardarni Daan Kaur and Sardar Sumand Singh in Village of Chhak no. 133, Tehsil Silawali of District Sargodha in Punjab before the partition of India and Pakistan. He was the youngest of...
.
Although her life and collaboration with Sodhi was cut short upon the educator's death in 1975, she continued the family's creative tradition via duets with their daughter and disciples, Rupinder Kaur Guleria, better known as Dolly Guleria and granddaughter Sunaina, culminating in the 1995 LP, 'Surinder Kaur - The Three Generations.
Awards and recognition
She was conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi AwardSangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
for Punjabi Folk Music in 1984, by the Sangeet Natak Academi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre, the Millennium Punjabi Singer award, and Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
award in 2006 for her contribution in Arts. The Guru Nanak Dev University
Guru Nanak Dev University
Guru Nanak Dev University was established at Amritsar, India on November 24, 1969 to commemorate Guru Nanak Dev's birth quincentenary celebrations. Guru Nanak Dev University campus is spread over 500 acres near village of Kot Khalsa, nearly 8 km west of the Amritsar City on Amritsar - Lahore...
conferred on her a doctorate in the year 2002.
Illness and death
Towards the later part of her life, wanting to get close to her mitti, Surinder Kaur settled in PanchkulaPanchkula
Panchkula is a planned city in Panchkula district, Haryana, India. It is a satellite city of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It also shares seamless border with Mohali district in Punjab. The prestigious Chandimandir Cantonment Headquarters of the Indian Army Western Command, is also located in...
in 2004, with an aim to construct a house in Zirakpur
Zirakpur
Zirakpur is a satellite town of Chandigarh located in the Mohali district of Punjab. It is set on the foothills of Aravali hills. Located on the Chandigarh-Delhi highway, it shares its border with Panchkula...
, near Chandigarh. Subsequently, on 22 December 2005, she suffered a heart attack and was admitted to General Hospital, Panchkula. Later, however, she looked up and personally went to Delhi to receive the coveted Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
Award in January 2006. It is another matter that she was painfully aware of the events that delayed the honour for so long, despite her unparalleled contribution to Punjabi music. But even when she received the award she was regretful that the nomination for the same had come from Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
and not Punjab for which she worked tirelessly through five decades.
In 2006, a prolonged illness prompted Kaur to seek treatment in the U.S. she died in a New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
hospital on June 15 at the age of 77. She was survived by three daughters, eldest, singer Dolly Guleria who lives in Panchkula
Panchkula
Panchkula is a planned city in Panchkula district, Haryana, India. It is a satellite city of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It also shares seamless border with Mohali district in Punjab. The prestigious Chandimandir Cantonment Headquarters of the Indian Army Western Command, is also located in...
, followed by Nandini Singh and Pramodini Jaggi, both settled in New Jersey. Upon the death, the Prime minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh described her as "the nightingale of Punjab", and "a legend in Punjabi folk music and popular music and a trend-setter in Punjabi melody." and added, "I hope that her immortal voice will motivate other artists to practice the right Punjabi folk music tradition".
Legacy
A 2006 DoordarshanDoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
documentary titled, Punjab Di Koyal (Nightingale of Punjab), on the life and works of Surinder Kaur, received the Doordarshan National Awards - 2006.
See also
- Asa Singh MastanaAsa Singh MastanaAsa Singh Mastana was a Punjabi musician and singer, best known for lending his voice to the hit Bollywood film Heer...
- Kuldeep Manak
- Dolly GuleriaDolly GuleriaDolly Guleria is a renowned Punjabi folk singer, born in Bombay on Baisakhi day. She's the daughter of the late Surinder Kaur, popularly known as ‘The Nightingale of Punjab’.-Career:...
- List of Punjabi singers