Daughter says Noor Jehan was an exceptional mother

ISLAMABAD: Talking in Geo’s special programme, ‘Geo Tehzeeb’, Mina Hasan, the daughter of the late Melody Queen, Noor Jehan, said that the legendary singer possessed unprecedented qualities. Despite her busy schedule, Noor Jehan performed her obligations as a mother in a befitting fashion. She used to regularly practice singing every morning.
Madam Noor Jehan’s daughter said that her mother was different from typical mothers. Due to her presence, a number of people thronged to meet her. Mina Hasan’s sister and Noor Jehan’s daughter, Nazia Ejaz was also present during the interview conducted by Jugnu Mohsin. Mina Hasan further said that love and respect given by the people made her believe that her mother, Madam Noor Jehan was an extraordinary woman and it was due to the Melody Queen that the people knew them. Even today, when the people meet them, they warmly compliment Madam Noor Jehan and want to know more and more about her.
She further said that her mother was a visionary and vision made her advance in fashion and style. The fashion and style introduced by Madam Noor Jehan in the past is followed by the people of today. Noor Jehan’s songs are so melodious that people get frenzied listening to them. “If you listen to her songs without background music, it seems that the sound is coming from the skies,” she noted. “My mother often used to say that if singing could be learnt, everyone in the world would have been able to sing. However, this quality is God-gifted,” she added.
She further said that Madam Noor Jehan was bound by her temperament. If she had a mood to sing, she would, otherwise not. She said that the wife of General Ziaul Haq was a great fan of Madam Noor Jehan. When he was in power, he invited her to tea. When Noor Jehan went there, General Zia asked what he could give to her. At this, she got a little bit angry and said that it is Allah the Almighty who bestows honour to everybody. She further told the interviewer, Jugnu Mohsin that when Madam Noor Jehan was ill, Pervez Musharraf came to meet her and said that the Army won war while hearing the songs by Madam Noor Jehan. Musharraf also said that everyone in the Army respected Noor Jehan a lot and there are a number of people who joined Army after listening to her songs. To a question, Noor Jehan’s daughter, Nazia Ejaz was of the view that she had always been a fan of her mother whose voice remained with her always. “When I was young, I wanted to hide my mother somewhere because I did not like the crowd of people surrounding her. But time told me that my mother was not an ordinary woman. People loved her a lot. She had a dignified place in eyes of the people. I accepted this reality,” she disclosed. “Mother used to call me ‘grandmother’ because I used to talk big,” she recalled. Noor Jehan’s daughter said that her mother used to like and follow the style of Bibi Mukhtar. The Melody Queen was fond of diamonds and ‘Saris’, an eastern dress. Noor Jehan’s daughter added that her mother did not like the makeup done by makeup artists and learnt to do makeup herself. To a question regarding Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Nazia Ejaz viewed that she had a very unique relation with Faiz. “Mother used to tell me that on the occasion of an Army’s charity function which she had to kick off and was broadcast live on Radio Pakistan, ‘Mujh say pehli si muhabbat’ written by Faiz topped the list of all songs. Faiz was in prison at that time.
The organiser of the show argued that poet of the song, that is Faiz, was in jail, but Madam Noor Jehan said that she was to begin the show with Faiz poetry, or otherwise, she would not perform in the function.”
Recalling the Pak-India war of 1965, Nazia Ejaz, the daughter of Noor Jehan, said that at that time her father was busy in shooting of a film in Naran, Kaghan and did not know that the war had started. Meanwhile, late Noor Jehan used to go to Radio Pakistan daily, where songs were written and broadcast. Host of the programme, Jugnu Mohsin said that Lata Mangeshkar was her greatest fan and she used to say to Noor Jehan that Bhagwan talked in her throat. Nazia Ejaz said that Lata used to give her respect and Noor Jehan also used t say that no one matched the class of Lata. During the talk, host of the show, Jugnu Mohsin said that if Madam Noor Jehan had opted to stay in India, Lata would not become such a great artist and this fact should be remembered by the Pakistanis. At this, Mina Hasan said it is a pity that our nation did not remember any such thing. Nazia Ejaz said that she was not given the NOC to visit India easily, and when she used to return from abroad, Customs department used to irritate her. Host, Jugnu Mohsin said that there were a lot of her friends working in Bollywood and she liked Daleep Kumara a lot. Nazia Ejaz said that Madam Noor Jehan also was friends with film star Nargis.
Jugnu Mohsin termed it unfortunate that Madam did not teach any of her daughters how to sing. Responding to this, Mina Hasan said that her mother did not want her children to go through the problems she faced in life, and wanted her daughters to study, and get married at the earliest. A melodious voice was a gift of God to her mother. Jugnu Mohsin asked which of her own songs Madam Noor Jehan liked. Mina Hasan said that Noor Jehan liked the ghazals which she sung herself. Nazia Ejaz said that her mother could sing every difficult song with skill. Mina Hasan said that as a keen listener of her mother’s song, she liked “Dildar” and “Mujh say pehli si muhabbat” a lot. Jugnu Mohsin said that spiritualism was a part of Noor Jehan’s life.
At this, Nazia Ejaz said that her mother had great association with religion, and she used to distribute meals every Thursday. The way in which she prayed to God brought tears to everyone’s eyes, she recalled.