Posted on August 14, 2012 by beenasarwar
Reviving Jagannath Azad’s tribute to his beloved homeland, Pakistan…
An exciting update to the story of Jagannath Azad’s tarana for Pakistan is that the talented young Shahvaar Ali Khan in Lahore has composed and sung it. Shahvaar released the song, that he has titled ‘Azad ki dua‘, on Aug 14 on Youtube. It is also exciting that Radio Pakistan agreed to broadcast it, every three hours on its nine FM 101 channels.
Scroll further below for my essay, Pakistan’s ‘lost’ anthem, published in Fountain Ink a few days ago Continue reading →
Filed under: Music, Pakistan-India | Tagged: Jagannath Azad, Pakistan anthem, shahvaar ali khan | 4 Comments »
Posted on April 9, 2010 by beenasarwar
Complete version of the tarana by the Lahore-based poet Jagan Nath Azad, who wrote this anthem, Pakistan’s first, reportedly at the request of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah (see ‘Bring back Jagganath Azad’s Pakistan anthem‘). Thanks to his son Chander K. Azad in Jammu for sending the complete naz’m (obtained and scanned from his sister Pramilla Taylor’s archives in the U.K.). I believe this is the first time since 1947 that it is being made public.
Jagan Nath Azad’s Pakistan ‘Tarana’ – courtesy his son Chandar K. Azad in Jammu and daughter Promilla Taylor in the UK. (Thanks to Tanveer Sheikh for the jpeg conversion)
Transliteration and translation follow, by people who are coincidentally both Lahoris too, like Azad Continue reading →
Filed under: Progressive politics | Tagged: Jagan Nath Azad, Jagannath Azad, Pakistan anthem | 64 Comments »
Posted on August 30, 2009 by beenasarwar
Photo of Jagannath Azad in PIA’s ‘Hamsafar’, Aug 2009
I first learnt about Pakistan’s original national anthem, especially commissioned by Mr Jinnah from the poet Jaganath Azad of Lahore, in ‘Hamsafar‘, Pakistan International Airlines’ monthly magazine in its August issue when flying back to Karachi from Lahore on Aug 9. This national anthem lasted only until a few months after Mr Jinnah’s death – after which his successors commissioned a more Persianised one that Hafeez Jullandari wrote. Please note, you would never have read this in any official literature a couple of years ago, ‘enlightened moderation’ notwithstanding. Continue reading →
Filed under: History | Tagged: Chander K Azad, Jagannath Azad, Jaswant Singh, Jinnah, Kashmir Times, Pakistan anthem, PIA Hamsafar, Sh. Luv Puri | 5 Comments »
Journeys to democracy 