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{{Short description|Folk singer from India (1929-2006)}}
{{for|the India field hockey player|Surinder Kaur (field hockey)}}
{{for|the India field hockey player|Surinder Kaur (field hockey)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Surinder Kaur
| name            = Surinder Kaur
Line 20: Line 20:
| years_active    = 1943–2006
| years_active    = 1943–2006
| label            =  
| label            =  
| associated_acts = [[Parkash Kaur]] (sister), [[Dolly Guleria]] (daughter) Sunaini Sharma ( granddaughter) Rhea (great- granddaughter)
| past_member_of = [[Parkash Kaur]] (sister), [[Dolly Guleria]] (daughter) Sunaini Sharma ( granddaughter) Rhea (great- granddaughter)
| website          =  
| website          =  
}}
}}


'''Surinder Kaur''' (25 November 1929 – 14 June 2006) was an Indian singer and songwriter. While she mainly sang [[Folk music of Punjab|Punjabi folk songs]], where she is credited for pioneering and popularising the genre, Kaur also recorded songs as a playback singer for [[Hindi films]] between 1948 and 1952. For her contributions to Punjabi music, she earned the sobriquet '''Nightingale of Punjab''', the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] in 1984, and the [[Padma Shri]] in 2006.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/jul/11/guardianobituaries.india Surinder Kaur]</ref><ref name=to/><ref name=la>{{cite web |title=Surinder Kaur's profile|url= http://www.last.fm/music/Surinder+Kaur|publisher= [[LastFM]] }}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tributes paid to melody queen  |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060626/cth1.htm#2 |date=26 June 2006|publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper}}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>
'''Surinder Kaur''' (25 November 1929 – 14 June 2006) was an Indian singer and songwriter. While she mainly sang [[Folk music of Punjab|Punjabi folk songs]], where she is credited for pioneering and popularising the genre, Kaur also recorded songs as a playback singer for [[Hindi films]] between 1948 and 1952. For her contributions to Punjabi music, she earned the sobriquet '''Nightingale of Punjab''', the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] in 1984, and the [[Padma Shri]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Obituary: Surinder Kaur |date=2006-07-10 |website=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203123057/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/jul/11/guardianobituaries.india |archive-date=2023-02-03 |url-status=live |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/jul/11/guardianobituaries.india}}</ref><ref name=to/><ref name=la>{{cite web |title=Surinder Kaur's profile|date= 3 May 2024|url= http://www.last.fm/music/Surinder+Kaur|publisher= [[LastFM]] }}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tributes paid to melody queen  |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060626/cth1.htm#2 |date=26 June 2006|publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper}}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>


In a career spanning nearly six decades, her repertoire included Punjabi [[Sufi]] [[Kafi]]s 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 dheean", "Jutti kasuri", "Madhaniyan", "Ehna akhiyan 'ch pavan kiven kajra', 'Ghaman di raat' and "bajre da sitta". In time her wedding songs, most notably "Lathe di chadar", "Suhe ve cheere waleya" and "Kaala doria", have become an indelible part of the [[Punjabi culture]].<ref name=pu>{{cite web |title=Surinder Kaur leaves Delhi to settle in Punjab |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040424/edit.htm#7 |date= 24 April 2004|publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper}}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>
In a career spanning nearly six decades, her repertoire included Punjabi [[Sufi]] [[Kafi]]s 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 dheean", "Jutti kasuri", "Madhaniyan", "Ehna akhiyan 'ch pavan kiven kajra', 'Ghaman di raat' and "[[Bajre da sitta (song)|Bajre da sitta]]". In time her wedding songs, most notably "Lathe di chadar", "Suhe ve cheere waleya" and "Kaala doria", have become an indelible part of the [[Punjabi culture]].<ref name=pu>{{cite web |title=Surinder Kaur leaves Delhi to settle in Punjab |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040424/edit.htm#7 |date= 24 April 2004|publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper}}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Surinder Kaur was born to a [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] [[Sikh]] family in [[Lahore]], the capital of the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]] in [[British India]]. She was the sister of [[Parkash Kaur]] and Narinder Kaur and the mother of [[Dolly Guleria]], both noted Punjabi singers. She had three daughters, of which Dolly is the eldest.<ref name=Spectrum>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110612/spectrum/book5.htm |title=The Sunday Tribune– Books |publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper |date=12 June 2011|access-date=18 Aug 2016}}</ref> She was influenced by Renu Rajan, a prominent figure in Punjabi folk music.
Surinder Kaur was born on 25 November 1929 to a [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] [[Sikh]] family in [[Lahore]], the capital of the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]] in [[British India]].<ref name=to/> She was the sister of [[Parkash Kaur]] and Narinder Kaur and the mother of [[Dolly Guleria]], both noted Punjabi singers. She had three daughters, of which Dolly is the eldest.<ref name=Spectrum>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110612/spectrum/book5.htm |title=The Sunday Tribune– Books |publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper |date=12 June 2011|access-date=18 Aug 2016}}</ref> She was influenced by Renu Rajan, a prominent figure in Punjabi folk music.


== Career ==
== Career ==
Surinder Kaur made her professional debut with a live performance on Lahore Radio in August 1943, and the following year on 31 August 1943, she and her elder sister, [[Parkash Kaur]] cut their first duet, "''maavan 'te dheean ral baithian''", for the [[HMV]] label, emerging as superstars across the Indian subcontinent.<ref name=to/><ref name=pu/>
Surinder Kaur made her professional debut with a live performance on [[Radio Pakistan|Lahore Radio]] in August 1943,<ref name=to/> and the following year on 31 August 1943, she and her elder sister, [[Parkash Kaur]] cut their first duet, "''Maavan 'te dheean ral baithian''", for the [[Saregama|His Master's Voice]] label, emerging as superstars across the Indian subcontinent.<ref name=to/><ref name=pu/><ref name=Bhogal2017>{{cite journal |last1=Bhogal |first1=Gurminder Kaur |title=Listening to female voices in Sikh kirtan |journal=Sikh Formations |date=3 April 2017 |volume=13 |issue=1–2 |pages=48–77 |doi=10.1080/17448727.2016.1147183 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17448727.2016.1147183 |language=en |issn=1744-8727|url-access=subscription}}</ref>


Following the [[Partition of India]] in 1947, Kaur and her parents relocated to [[Ghaziabad, India|Ghaziabad]], [[Delhi]]. In 1948, she married Professor Joginder Singh Sodhi, a lecturer in Punjabi literature at Delhi University.<ref name=Spectrum/> Recognising her talent, Kaur's 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 (composer)|Ghulam Haider]]. Under him, she sang three songs in the 1948 film ''[[Shaheed (1948 film)|Shaheed]]'', Shagan (1951) ,[[Singaar]], including ''Badnam Na Ho Jaye Mohabbat Ka Fasaana'', ''Aanaa Hai To Aajao'' and ''Taqdeer ki aandhi...hum kahaan aur thum kahaan''. However, her interest was in stage performances and reviving Punjabi folk songs, and she eventually moved back to Delhi in 1952.<ref name=pu/>
Following the [[Partition of India]] in 1947, Kaur and her parents relocated to [[Ghaziabad, India|Ghaziabad]], [[Delhi]]. In 1948, she married Professor Joginder Singh Sodhi, a lecturer in Punjabi literature at Delhi University.<ref name=Spectrum/> Recognising her talent, Kaur's husband became very supportive of her, and soon she started a career as a playback singer in [[Hindi film industry]] in [[Bombay]], introduced by music director, [[Ghulam Haider (composer)|Ghulam Haider]]. Under him, she sang three songs in the 1948 film ''[[Shaheed (1948 film)|Shaheed]]'', Shagan (1951), and [[Singaar]], including ''Badnam Na Ho Jaye Mohabbat Ka Fasaana'', ''Aanaa Hai To Aajao'' and ''Taqdeer ki aandhi...hum kahaan aur thum kahaan''. However, her interest was in stage performances and reviving Punjabi folk songs, and she eventually moved back to Delhi in 1952.<ref name=pu/>


In the decades to follow, she got married, after the 1947 partition of old British Punjab, in 1948.<ref name=Spectrum/> 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 arranged for her to sing such Punjabi folk classics as ''Chan Kithe Guzari Aai Raat'', ''Lathe Di Chadar'', ''Shonkan Mele Di'', and ''Gori Diyan Jhanjran'' and ''Sarke-Sarke Jandiye Mutiare''. These songs were written by various well-known Punjabi poets but were made popular by the singer Surinder Kaur. The couple also served as the public face of the [[Indian People's Theatre Association]] ([[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.
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 arranged for her to sing such Punjabi folk classics as ''Chan Kithe Guzari Aai Raat'', ''Lathe Di Chadar'', ''Shonkan Mele Di'', and ''Gori Diyan Jhanjran'' and ''Sarke-Sarke Jandiye Mutiare''. These songs were written by various well-known Punjabi poets but were made popular by the singer Surinder Kaur. The couple also served as the public face of the [[Indian People's Theatre Association]] ([[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 traveled to many parts of the world performing Punjabi folk songs, gaining rapid popularity.


In all, Kaur recorded more than 2000 songs, including duets with [[Asa Singh Mastana]], [[Karnail Gill]], [[Harcharan Grewal]], [[Rangila Jatt]], and [[Didar Sandhu]].
[[File:Prakash_Kaur_(left)_Deedar_Singh_Pardesi_&_Surinder_Kaur-Nairobi-1967.jpg|thumb|Prakash Kaur, Deedar Singh Pardesi and Surinder Kaur in Nairobi in 1967.]]
 
In all, [https://dnd.com.pk/surinder-kaur-and-the-stories-of-punjabi-mothers/306826 Kaur recorded more than 2000 songs], including duets with [[Asa Singh Mastana]], [[Karnail Gill]], [[Harcharan Grewal]], [[Rangila Jatt]], and [[Didar Sandhu]].
Although her life and collaboration with Sodhi was cut short upon the educator's death in 1976, she continued the family's creative tradition via duets with their daughter and other disciples. Her daughter, Rupinder Kaur Guleria, better known as [[Dolly Guleria]] and granddaughter Sunaini Sharma, culminating in the 1995 LP, 'Surinder Kaur – The Three Generations'
Although her life and collaboration with Sodhi was cut short upon the educator's death in 1976, she continued the family's creative tradition via duets with their daughter and other disciples. Her daughter, Rupinder Kaur Guleria, better known as [[Dolly Guleria]] and granddaughter Sunaini Sharma, culminating in the 1995 LP, 'Surinder Kaur – The Three Generations'
list of some of her Punjabi and hindi movies songs she sang  
list of some of the Punjabi and Hindi movies songs she sang in:
* [[Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!]] (2008)
* [[Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!]] (2008)
* Chungking Express (1994)
* [[Chungking Express]] (1994)
* [[Satluj De Kande]] (1964)
* [[Satluj De Kande]] (1964)
* ''[[Aandhiyan (1952 film)|Aandhiyan]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Aandhiyan (1952 film)|Aandhiyan]]'' (1952)
Line 57: Line 59:
* Roop Lekha (1949)
* Roop Lekha (1949)
* Sunehre Din  (1949)
* Sunehre Din  (1949)
* Nao  ( 1948 ) song “Ek Nazar Woh Yaad Hi”
*[[Pyar Ki Jeet (1948 film)|Pyaar Ki Jeet]] (1948)
*[[Pyar Ki Jeet (1948 film)|Pyaar Ki Jeet]] (1948)
* Patjhad (1948)
* Patjhad (1948)
Line 62: Line 65:
* ''[[Nadiya Ke Paar (1948 film)|Nadiya Ke Par]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Nadiya Ke Paar (1948 film)|Nadiya Ke Par]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Shaheed (1948 film)|Shaheed]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Shaheed (1948 film)|Shaheed]]'' (1948)
* Mehandi (1947) song- ''woh dekho chaand aayi'' sang with Munawar Sultana
* Mehandi (1947) song- ''woh dekho chaand aayi'' sang with [[Munawar Sultana (singer)|Munawar Sultana]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Her mother's daughter |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98jul31/art-trib.htm#1 |date=31 July 1998 |work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] }}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>
.<ref>{{cite web |title=Her mother's daughter |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98jul31/art-trib.htm#1 |date=31 July 1998 |work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] }}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>


==Awards and recognition==
==Awards and recognition==
She was conferred the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] for Punjabi Folk Music in 1984, by the [[Sangeet Natak Academi]], India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre,<ref>http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/SNA-Awards.php, Sangeet Natak Academy website, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref> the ''Millennium Punjabi Singer award'',<ref name=tr>{{cite web |title=Surinder Kaur gets Padma Shri |url= http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060128/cth1.htm|date=28 January 2006 |publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper}}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref> and [[Padma Shri]] award in 2006 for her contribution in Arts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Padma Shri Official listings |url=http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php?start=190 |publisher=[[Govt. of India]] Portal }}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref> The [[Guru Nanak Dev University]] conferred on her a doctorate degree in the year 2002.<ref name=pu/>
* [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] for Punjabi Folk Music in 1984, by the [[Sangeet Natak Academi]], India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre,<ref>http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/SNA-Awards.php, Sangeet Natak Academy website, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>  
* The ''Millennium Punjabi Singer award'',<ref name=tr>{{cite web |title=Surinder Kaur gets Padma Shri |url= http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060128/cth1.htm|date=28 January 2006 |publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper}}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>  
* [[Padma Shri]] award in 2006 for her contribution in Arts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Padma Shri Official listings |url=http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php?start=190 |publisher=[[Govt. of India]] Portal }}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref>  
* The [[Guru Nanak Dev University]] conferred on her a doctorate degree in the year 2002.<ref name=pu/>


==Illness and death==
==Illness and death==
Towards the later part of her life, wanting to get close to her ''mitti'' (her soil), Surinder Kaur settled in [[Panchkula]] 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.<ref name=pu/> Later, however, she recovered 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, India]] for which she worked tirelessly for over five decades.<ref name=tr/>
Towards the later part of her life, wanting to get close to her ''mitti'' (her soil), Surinder Kaur settled in [[Panchkula]] 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.<ref name=pu/> Later, however, she recovered 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, India]] for which she worked tirelessly for over five decades.<ref name=tr/>


In 2006, a prolonged illness prompted her to seek treatment in the United States. She died in a [[New Jersey]] hospital on 14 June 2006 at the age of 77. She was survived by three daughters, the eldest, singer [[Dolly Guleria]] who lives in [[Panchkula]], followed by Nandini Singh and Pramodini Jaggi, both settled in New Jersey.<ref name=to>{{cite web |title=Punjab's Nightingale is no more |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060616/main2.htm |date=16 June 2006 |publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper}}, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016</ref> Upon her 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".
In 2006, a prolonged illness prompted her to seek treatment in the United States. She died in a [[New Jersey]] hospital on 14 June 2006 at the age of 77.<ref name=to/> "She had been in coma for most part of her hospitalisation in the USA".<ref name=to/> She was survived by three daughters, the eldest, singer [[Dolly Guleria]] who lives in [[Panchkula]], followed by Nandini Singh and Pramodini Jaggi, both settled in New Jersey.<ref name=to>{{cite news |title=Punjab's Nightingale is no more|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060616/main2.htm |date=15 June 2006 |publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] newspaper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712155224/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060616/main2.htm|archive-date=12 July 2007|access-date=7 February 2025|url-status=dead}}</ref>  
 
Upon her 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".
[[File:The President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presenting Padma Shri to Dr. (Smt.) Surinder Kaur, a Punjabi folk singer, at an Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on March 29, 2006.jpg|thumb|The President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presenting Padma Shri to Dr. (Smt.) Surinder Kaur, a Punjabi folk singer, at an Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on March 29, 2006]]


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
Line 95: Line 103:
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Sikhs]]
[[Category:Punjabi Sikhs]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:Singers from Lahore]]
[[Category:Singers from Lahore]]
[[Category:Indian women folk singers]]
[[Category:Indian women folk singers]]
Line 102: Line 109:
[[Category:Punjabi-language singers]]
[[Category:Punjabi-language singers]]
[[Category:Indian women playback singers]]
[[Category:Indian women playback singers]]
[[Category:Bollywood playback singers]]
[[Category:Hindi-language playback singers]]
[[Category:Indian women singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Indian women singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Indian male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Indian singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Indian singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Indian People's Theatre Association people]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Delhi]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Delhi]]
[[Category:Singers from Delhi]]
[[Category:Singers from Delhi]]
[[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]]

Latest revision as of 13:36, 28 March 2026


For the India field hockey player, see Surinder Kaur (field hockey).

Surinder Kaur
Background information
Birth nameSurinder Kaur
Also known asNightingale of Punjab
Born(1929-11-25)25 November 1929
Lahore, Punjab, British India
Died14 June 2006(2006-06-14) (aged 76)
New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
Years active1943–2006

Surinder Kaur (25 November 1929 – 14 June 2006) was an Indian singer and songwriter. While she mainly sang Punjabi folk songs, where she is credited for pioneering and popularising the genre, Kaur also recorded songs as a playback singer for Hindi films between 1948 and 1952. For her contributions to Punjabi music, she earned the sobriquet Nightingale of Punjab, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1984, and the Padma Shri in 2006.[1][2][3][4]

In a career 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 dheean", "Jutti kasuri", "Madhaniyan", "Ehna akhiyan 'ch pavan kiven kajra', 'Ghaman di raat' and "Bajre da sitta". In time her wedding songs, most notably "Lathe di chadar", "Suhe ve cheere waleya" and "Kaala doria", have become an indelible part of the Punjabi culture.[5]

Early life[edit | edit source]

Surinder Kaur was born on 25 November 1929 to a Punjabi Sikh family in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab in British India.[2] She was the sister of Parkash Kaur and Narinder Kaur and the mother of Dolly Guleria, both noted Punjabi singers. She had three daughters, of which Dolly is the eldest.[6] She was influenced by Renu Rajan, a prominent figure in Punjabi folk music.

Career[edit | edit source]

Surinder Kaur made her professional debut with a live performance on Lahore Radio in August 1943,[2] and the following year on 31 August 1943, she and her elder sister, Parkash Kaur cut their first duet, "Maavan 'te dheean ral baithian", for the His Master's Voice label, emerging as superstars across the Indian subcontinent.[2][5][7]

Following the Partition of India in 1947, Kaur and her parents relocated to Ghaziabad, Delhi. In 1948, she married Professor Joginder Singh Sodhi, a lecturer in Punjabi literature at Delhi University.[6] Recognising her talent, Kaur's husband became very supportive of her, 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, Shagan (1951), and Singaar, including Badnam Na Ho Jaye Mohabbat Ka Fasaana, Aanaa Hai To Aajao and Taqdeer ki aandhi...hum kahaan aur thum kahaan. However, her interest was in stage performances and reviving Punjabi folk songs, and she eventually moved back to Delhi in 1952.[5]

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 arranged for her to sing such Punjabi folk classics as Chan Kithe Guzari Aai Raat, Lathe Di Chadar, Shonkan Mele Di, and Gori Diyan Jhanjran and Sarke-Sarke Jandiye Mutiare. These songs were written by various well-known Punjabi poets but were made popular by the singer Surinder Kaur. The couple 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 traveled to many parts of the world performing Punjabi folk songs, gaining rapid popularity.

Prakash Kaur, Deedar Singh Pardesi and Surinder Kaur in Nairobi in 1967.

In all, Kaur recorded more than 2000 songs, including duets with Asa Singh Mastana, Karnail Gill, Harcharan Grewal, Rangila Jatt, and Didar Sandhu. Although her life and collaboration with Sodhi was cut short upon the educator's death in 1976, she continued the family's creative tradition via duets with their daughter and other disciples. Her daughter, Rupinder Kaur Guleria, better known as Dolly Guleria and granddaughter Sunaini Sharma, culminating in the 1995 LP, 'Surinder Kaur – The Three Generations' list of some of the Punjabi and Hindi movies songs she sang in:

Awards and recognition[edit | edit source]

Illness and death[edit | edit source]

Towards the later part of her life, wanting to get close to her mitti (her soil), Surinder Kaur settled in Panchkula 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.[5] Later, however, she recovered 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, India for which she worked tirelessly for over five decades.[10]

In 2006, a prolonged illness prompted her to seek treatment in the United States. She died in a New Jersey hospital on 14 June 2006 at the age of 77.[2] "She had been in coma for most part of her hospitalisation in the USA".[2] She was survived by three daughters, the eldest, singer Dolly Guleria who lives in Panchkula, followed by Nandini Singh and Pramodini Jaggi, both settled in New Jersey.[2]

Upon her 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".

The President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presenting Padma Shri to Dr. (Smt.) Surinder Kaur, a Punjabi folk singer, at an Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on March 29, 2006

Legacy[edit | edit source]

A Doordarshan documentary titled, Punjab Di Koyal (Nightingale of Punjab), on the life and works of Surinder Kaur was released in 2006. It later won the Doordarshan National Award.[12]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Obituary: Surinder Kaur". The Guardian. 10 July 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Punjab's Nightingale is no more". The Tribune newspaper. 15 June 2006. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Surinder Kaur's profile". LastFM. 3 May 2024., Retrieved 18 Aug 2016
  4. ↑ "Tributes paid to melody queen". The Tribune newspaper. 26 June 2006., Retrieved 18 Aug 2016
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Surinder Kaur leaves Delhi to settle in Punjab". The Tribune newspaper. 24 April 2004., Retrieved 18 Aug 2016
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Sunday Tribune– Books". The Tribune newspaper. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "Her mother's daughter". The Tribune. 31 July 1998., Retrieved 18 Aug 2016
  9. ↑ http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/SNA-Awards.php, Sangeet Natak Academy website, Retrieved 18 Aug 2016
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Surinder Kaur gets Padma Shri". The Tribune newspaper. 28 January 2006., Retrieved 18 Aug 2016
  11. ↑ "Padma Shri Official listings". Govt. of India Portal., Retrieved 18 Aug 2016
  12. ↑ "DD's honourable men". The Tribune. 22 November 2006., Retrieved 18 Aug 2016

External links[edit | edit source]

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