By Abid Usman
It’s a sad day for people who grew up being mesmerised by the late legendary singer Nayyara Noor’s voice on PTV and for the rest who were introduced to her gems later in life. The popular playback singer’s demise hit a deep chord in the hearts of fans who took to social media to express how “heartbroken” they are to hear about the “cultural icon’s” passing.
Counting the numerous genres Noor blessed us with her voice, a fan wrote, “ What a magical piece of our childhood Nayyara Noor was. Milli naghma, ghazal, geet, she sang some of the best of all these genres. Her melodious voice was nearest in texture to the ultra-feminine trill of her Hindi film contemporaries.”
Another shared how they thought that the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s words were soulful enough and had very little margin to add any soul in, but Noor managed to personalise it for her fans.
“There’s very little margin to add more soul into Faiz Sahab’s words, but somehow Nayyara Noor’s voice almost made you believe that whatever she sang was written just for you, and you alone. The whole world will miss her.”
The loss felt “personal” to this fan who grew up listening to the Jale To Jalao Gori singer. “The loss feels so personal. How can we console an entire generation that grew up listening to ghazals and songs like Jazba e Dil and Hum Toh Thehray Ajnabi? Completely heartbroken.”
Another fan wrote, “Here’s to the one with a beautiful voice and an equally beautiful spirit. Nayyara Noor’s voice will live in our hearts, especially her legendary rendition of Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s inimitable poetry and of Watan ki Miti Gawah Rehna.”
Calling her a “daffodil” in the garden of classical singing, a user wrote, “A majestic voice of Urdu ghazal passes away as the garden of classical singing loses another daffodil. The last artistic generation of poets/musicians in the post-partition era loses yet another star. Nayyara Noor is no more; and Jazba-e-dil is needed more than ever.” Simple but a harsh reality, a user wrote, “There will never be another Nayyara Noor.”
Another fan compared the digital time of numerous streaming options to the days when only PTV would play. “We didn’t have the infinite scroll as kids but we did have PTV and Nayyara Noor singing ‘Ai jazba i dil gar mein chahoon, har cheez muqabil aa Jai’ Rest in peace. A cultural icon is gone too soon,” they wrote.
“Nayyara Noor, the world will forever remain indebted to you for bringing us closer to the reality in the revolutionary poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Rest in peace you unobtrusively brilliant woman!” wrote a fan.
Another fan wished for Noor to have an afterlife as beautiful as her voice made them feel. Quoting her patriotic anthem, they wrote, “Iss parcham ke saaye talay hum aik hain, hum aik hain~As we remember these lines, we bid farewell to one of our nation’s pride whose contributions were immensely appreciated now & in the days to come. May your final abode be as wonderful as your voice made us feel.”
Noor passed away on Sunday, reported local media. The celebrated crooner, whose fruitful career spanned over several decades, was 71. Noor was conferred with multiple national honours. She was initially conferred with the title of Bulbul-e-Pakistan alongside the Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 2006. Noor was also honoured with the Nigar Award in 1973.
The news of her passing away soon reached social media after a family member of the singer confirmed her demise.
