Prakash Kaur
Prakash Kaur ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਕੌਰ | |
|---|---|
 Prakash Kaur in 1967 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Prakash Kaur |
| Born | 19 September 1919 |
| Origin |  Lahore, British India |
| Died | 2 November 1982 (aged 63) |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Playback singing |
| Years active | 1940–1982 |
Prakash Kaur or Parkash Kaur ( Punjabi: ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਕੌਰ ; Hindi: प्रकाश कौर ; 19 September 1919 – 2 November 1982) was a Punjabi singer.
She mostly sang Punjabi folk songs. It is where she is credited and appreciated the most for involving and improving new ideas and popularizing this Folk music genre along with her sister Surinder Kaur.[1] Her sister Surinder was also known as 'Nightingale of Punjab'.[2][3] Prakash Kaur has also sung Pashto folk songs.[4]
Early life
Kaur was born to a Punjabi-Sikh family in Lahore, Pakistan which was then a part of British India. She is the elder sister of Surinder Kaur who was a famous Punjabi singer and songwriter.[3]
Kaur's family used to live in a neighborhood called Mohalla Bhaati Gate, located in the enclosed part of Lahore. Kaur would listen to the Rababi women (singers who used a musical instrument named Rabab) singing at weddings and joyful events.[1][5] She along with her sister used to go into weddings that had not been invited to so they could hear the music.[6] From a very early age, she would try to copy the experienced singers, trying to sing exactly the same details of the tunes that they sang. She did not take any formal lessons in music, even though Lahore was having great teachers of classical music.[5]
Career
Around 1940, Kaur received permission from his family to sing on the Indian radio. She officially did her first live performance on 'Peshawar Radio' in 1941.[1] In 1943 her sister Surinder was also selected as a music artist and Later, on August 31, 1943, the two sisters performed their first duet, "mawan te dhiyan ral baithian," for the HMV label.[7]
Personal life
When India and Pakistan gained their independence in August 1947, the Hindus and Sikhs of Lahore had to be relocated to East Punjab or elsewhere in India because Lahore was given to Pakistan according to the agreement. Prakash Kaur and her family members were also among those who left Lahore and came to India. Prakash and her husband settled in New Delhi while her younger sister Surinder settled in Bombay (now Mumbai).[5]
Parkash Kaur was married with Sardar Harbans Singh Suri, an electrical engineer who was working for the Indian Department of Railways. Before India's independence he was posted in Lahore, but after India's independence he received a posting at New Delhi. Harbans Singh Suri proved to be an great husband who used to support her wife. As the demands from All India Radio Delhi increased that Parkash need to give more time to the Radio channel, she always had her husband's great support.[5]
Death
Kaur died on November 2, 1982 at the age of 63. It is known that she died after a disability caused by a serious accident but more details of her death remains unknown.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Roundabout: Singing sisters who took women's songs out of the homes into the wide world". Hindustan Times. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ Chakraborty, Debdutta (14 June 2023). "Hip-hop did not drown out Punjab's Nightingale Surinder Kaur and her love songs". The Print. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dogra, Bharat (27 November 2022). "Nightingale of Punjab". The Citizen. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ "Prakash Kaur". Tring. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "About: Prakash Kaur". Punjabi Screen. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chugh, Parul (3 November 2019). "25 Top Punjabi Singers from India". Desi Blitz. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ Bhogal, Gurminder Kaur (3 April 2017). "Listening to female voices in Sikh kirtan". Sikh Formations. 13 (1–2): 48–77. doi:10.1080/17448727.2016.1147183. ISSN 1744-8727. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
Other websites
- Gora Diya Jhanjra, one of her most famous song.