The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said that “music is the food of the soul.” Artists and singers experience this more than ordinary people. When the end of the elders’ prayers, the arrangement of nature, the reward of the artist’s taste are combined, the artist is born in the world with his art.
That is why it is said that people are born in the centuries who touch the heights of their art, achieve unique and high status in their field, and become shining examples to others through their services. Artists whose art is timeless, perfect and fantastic. If they are born in living societies, where art and the artist are valued like rare gems, then those artists become diamonds whose brilliance illuminates the world.
In today’s article, we will pay tribute to the life story and services of such a shining star and brilliant artist, who made his mark in his industry with his art, and whose songs still warm the hearts of his fans, bring happy memories to his mind and smile on his lips.
I had been trying to write about the legendary singer Arthur Nair aka A Nair for a long time, but it was not possible to contact the family or find any authentic sources other than the insufficient and incomplete information about him on the Internet. After two to three years of constant searching and austerity, his family finally found an interview with Naeem Hari on the Internet. I am sincerely thankful to Mr. Naeem Hari who provided me the contact number of A Nair’s wife from USA, thanks to which I got in touch with him and thus connected with his media manager, creative travel companion and outspoken brother Shahid Hussain, who not only corrected numerous information but also provided many new and authentic information.
Early life
A Nair was born on April 14, 1950 in Chak No. 148/9 El Ransonabad, a suburban village of Sahiwal, in a Protestant Christian family to Chaudhry Muniruddin Nasir and Mubarak Begum. Arthur Nair was the youngest of four siblings.
Received his early education and upbringing in Arifwala, moved to Lahore in 1962 where he matriculated from the historic St. Francis School, Anarkali. Initially active in the church choir, his voice began to work its magic. Then he joined FC College University, Lahore, from where he did BA, B.Ed in 1974. Here he became well known for his music.
Family life
In 1980, he got married to Rubina Nair, one of his relatives. God blessed them with three daughters, Kamini Nair, Kiran Nair, Mashal Nair and a son Joshua Nair. His wife Rubina Nair says that he was a very good husband, cheerful and caring person. He loved his mother very much, so his mother lived with him. Among his favorite artists were Salim Raza, Mehdi Hasan, Kishore Kumar.
He made music his life and enlightened the name of the nation. Also created a music academy but it could not run, also worked for some time. His elder daughter says that her father was a very compassionate father, used to joke a lot, often woke up at four in the morning to do Riyad. One of his daughters is also following in his footsteps. A Nair’s daughters live abroad while his wife lives in Lahore.
The beginning of a creative journey
A Nair has done great work as a playback singer for radio, TV and film. He started singing regularly in 1973 and sang more than 4200 songs in five languages, local and foreign. His first recording was in 1973 from Radio Pakistan, where the composer was Karim Shahabuddin and the poet Amjad Islam Amjad. In the same year, he became a regular radio singer and recorded over a thousand songs with dozens of renowned musicians. Similarly, his TV debut was with PTV, when he made his first appearance as a singer on Rafiq Waraich’s program in 1971, under musician Sohail Fazli.
Then he became a regular singer of PTV. The first film song of his film journey was recorded in 1973 with composer A. Hameed for famous actor Shaan’s father Riyaz Shahid. It was difficult to make a place among the top eight singers of the time, but soon he managed to make his own unique identity among them. He sang thousands of songs for almost all famous musicians and actors.
Stage programs
He has performed in hundreds of music and cultural shows in many countries of the world, including USA, UK, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Kenya, Japan, UAE, Qatar and Oman etc. He also organized more than 20 charity and charity shows aimed at helping artistes and flood and earthquake victims, among the artists he worked with are Muhammad Ali, Shabnam, Nadeem, Javed Shaikh, Babra Sharif, Shamim Ara and others. Moin Akhtar, Dildar Parvez Bhatti, Umar Sharif, Al Bela, Bushra Ansari, Tahira Wasti are among the hosts. Female singers include Malika Tarnam Noor Jahan, Naheed Akhtar, Neera Noor, Tahira Syed, Musrat Nazir, Mala, Benjamin Sisters, Salma Agha, Mehnaz, Abida Parveen, Fareeha Parvez, Soraya Khanum, Afshan and Tarnam Naz. Male singers include Mehdi Hasan, Munir Hussain, Masood Rana, Ghulam Ali, Akhlaq Ahmed, Parvez Mehdi, Inayat Hussain Bhatti, Asad Amanat Ali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Arif Lohar, Ghulam Abbas and others. Musicians worked with A Hameed, Nisar Bazmi, M Ashraf, Rabin Ghosh, Kamal Ahmed, Amjad Bubi, Naushad, Tafo Brothers, Zulfikar Ali, Karim Shahabuddin, Khalid Ahmed, Wajid Atre, Bakshi Wazir, GA Chishti, Mujahid Hussain, Tasadeq Hussain and Safdar Hussain. Among the poets whose poetry he sang were Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Sufi Tabasim, Munir Niazi, Qatil Shafai, Masroor Anwar, Riazur Rahman Sagar, Khawaja Parvez, Fayyaz Hashmi, Waris Ludhianvi, Hazin Qadri, Taslim Fazli, Saeed Gilani, Shaukat Rizvi, Kaleem Usmani, Yunus Hamdam, Naseer Ali Naseer, Ayub Khokhar, Shahid Hussain and Habib Jalib. are prominent.
Honors
He was awarded the President’s Award for Excellence posthumously in 2018. National Film Award, 8 times Nagar Award, 8 times Graduate Academy Award, Bolan Academy Award (Balochistan), Best Performance Award (Canada), Best Performance Award (USA), Lifetime Achievement Award (Newspaper Nai Baat, 2012) and hundreds of shields and medals from various institutions and organizations.
National spirit and services
He has sung dozens of national songs on radio, TV, movies and stage expressing his love for Pakistan, some of the famous songs are listed below. Mera Pak Watan Mera Dhan Lugo, Yeh Des Mera Des, Hum Pakistani, To Hai Sare Jahan Se Hussain (film Sholay), First Pakistan (with 12 singers), Pakistan Zindabad. He organized 14 August Independence Day programs representing Pakistan in USA, UK, Canada, Norway and UAE. He has done fundraising programs and social and welfare shows for Shaukat Khanum Hospital all over the world with Dildar Parvez Bhatti.
The voice was silenced, but the legacy lived on
On November 11, 2016, A Nair died of a heart attack in Lahore. He was buried in the Christian Cemetery, Jail Road, Lahore. In the last years of his life he suffered from health and financial problems, as is the fate of many of our artists. A. Nair’s life teaches us that talent and art are not bound by religion or background, as he was equally popular in every section of Pakistan despite coming from a common and Christian family. His story reminds us that we should value our artists throughout their lives as well as their rise. In today’s fast-paced and digital world, A-Near’s voice still retains the heart-touching emotion and spirit of an era when music was made from the heart.
O Nair was not just a singer; They were the pulse of an era. He is the dervish of lyrics, the brilliance of songs, the voice that stopped time, sang the song of the heartbeat, the song of memories, the pattern on the sand, the rare name of the sargam of Pakistan. A silky voice that resonated for generations, a voice that had the softness of silk and the strength of steel in the golden age of Pakistani film and television music. Arthur Nair was not only an extraordinary singer but also a symbol of religious harmony, perseverance and artistic excellence in the diverse cultural landscape of Pakistan. The birth of a star with humble beginnings but lofty ambitions. A Nair, from a modest background, rose to prominence in an era when religious minorities were under-represented. His rise to national fame is a tale of hard work, dedication and passion. His voice is still fresh in the hearts of music lovers.
Popular songs
A Nair sang many popular songs with Mehnaz including Aaj Hai Juma Kal (film Kabhi Al-Wadaa Na Kehna), O Meri Jaan-i Wafa (film Aqsadar), Rishta Pyaar Ka (film Benazir Ghorbani), Mit Jaye Sab Dooriyaan (film Proximity), Mano Ke Tum Ho (film Leader). Similarly, songs from the following films are included. Life, Shadows of Gunpowder, Mad Two, Height, Hero, Wind and Storm, Intimates, Prisoners of Rebellion, Lowstory, etc. Among the popular songs are Ye Jo Jo Flowers (Baaghi Gadi), Maasam Koi Aaye (Hum Aur Tum), Dunya Ko Hum Ishq Ki (Beiwan Hi Bewian), I Love You (Bindi), Pyaar Bhara Yeh Jeevan (For Ek Doje), Pyaar To Ek Din Hona Hona Hona Hoa Hoa, I Got My Mate, I Found You, I Got Two Mates, Open Two Buds, Ek Baat Kehu Dildara, We Are Living Alone. This list consists of dozens of songs sung between 1978 and 1992 that have gained prominence in the history of Pakistani film music.
Heights of Fame His first film song “Ye Hee Din Kat Jaye, Yee Hee Sham Dhal Jaye” (Film Behesht, 1974) gave him instant fame. This proved to be the beginning of his illustrious career spanning three decades. 1975 to 1990 when he became the most loved voice after Ahmed Rushdie and was often compared to Kishore Kumar due to his vocal range and versatility. O Nair’s voice had a certain magic thanks to its distinctive style, diversity and depth of emotion; The sound was warm, impressive and instantly recognizable. He could sing romantic songs, national anthems, poignant ghazals and film songs with equal beauty.
Writers and our social tragedy
By the way, this attitude and attitude towards literature and writers has become common in our society, but with regard to A. Nair, I am surprised that he who did a lot of work at the national level, and also sang many songs and psalms for his community, is not mentioned enough. Even today, when numerous Christian channels, studios and institutions have been established, the services of A Nair have not been given the place they truly deserve. No music competition, no event, no award, and no studio was named after him. Even at the government level, his family or his artistic services were not given the recognition they deserved. No road was named after him, nor was his memory kept alive in any institution or artwork.
Right now my fingers are running on the keyboard of the laptop, but my heart and my soul are enjoying the music and sound of A Near. Beautiful voice, good looks and good manners, A Nayar saw the rise of Pakistan’s film industry and its decline. The same life tested him well, on the one hand, the shock of his son’s illness and death at a young age, the changing conditions of the industry, economic problems, the treatment of his wife, the education expenses of his daughters, above all the indifference and indifference of his own and his relatives, took him where he was before his time; But the charm of his beautiful voice and golden memories will always remain in the hearts of music lovers. Einstein said.
“If I wasn’t a physicist, I’d probably be a musician, because I often think in music. I live my dreams in music. I see my life as the head of music.
