Background
She was born in Calcutta in 1935, but her family origins are from Amritsar.
She was born in Calcutta in 1935, but her family origins are from Amritsar.
The Times of India has called her ملکہ غزل or Malika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazal). Her sister is the famous singer Mukhtar Begum. She started learning Khayal, Thumri and Dadra from Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of Patiala gharana.
Her family moved to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947.
Farida Khanum gave her first public concert in 1950 and then joined Radio Pakistan where she courted fame and fortune. She became a star when Pakistan’s president Ayub Khan invited her to a public recital in the 1960s.
She has been a frequent performer on Pakistan Television and other Pakistani television channels. The ghazal she is most associated with is Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Naa Karo written by the famous poet Fayyaz Hashmi.
