Guest Post by Altamash Mir
Sohail Rana is the son of renowned poet Rana Akbar Abadi. Young Sohail started showing interested in the arts at a very early age, first in painting and then in music, which he took up as his love and profession.
His first break came in 1962, when he was appointed as a composer in Radio Pakistan and also began composing in EMI. After that he did his first musical score and song for the movie Jab Say Dekha Hai Tumhain. The songs from this movie instantly topped the charts and proved to be a stepping stone in Sohail Rana’s brilliant career. Great film productions like Arman gave Sohail the opportunity to maximize his musical talents by embedding his fresh style of music and turning and twisting the mood of the entire movie.
Sohail Rana understood the power of music and the effect it has on people. During the 60’s he observed that Western music was taking Pakistan by storm and people were beginning to forget the native folk music of the land.
During this period, in addition to doing music for films, he flexed his muscles as a composer and started working on private records such as Folk tunes of Pakistan, Shahbaz Qalandar and Khyber Mail. Many songs from these albums are still admired and re-performed by modern bands.
Listen to some wonderful instrumental tunes from ‘Khyber Mail’, here:
Harvest Time:
Cobra Away:
Saat Maatray:
To accomplish his goal of fusing together the modern music with folk melodies, he started a show on PTV in 1968 called Kaliyon ki Mala. He would take this opportunity to not only introduce traditional music to Pakistani kids but to also teach them about music. Kaliyon ki Mala stayed alive up until mid 80s under different names such as Sung Sung Chalein. In all these years of teaching youngsters to sing and understand music, Sohail Rana produced some of the most popular artists not only for Pakistan, but all of South Asia. He composed over 2000 songs for the childrens musical show.
Mr. Rana has received the prestigious Presidential Award the Pride of Performance, The Nigar Award for film Arman, Gold Discs from EMI for the vinyl album, Khyber Mail and the United Nations Peace Messenger Award, conferred on him, at the United Nations in New York in 1987.
Sohail Rana’s achievements in music are uncomparable to his triumph in causing rippling changes in the Pakistani society, where musicians and music were looked down upon and impermissible in the middle class. Overall, Mr. Rana has achieved what most people dare not dream in their entire lives. Sohail Rana now resides in Canada, runs a music school and is busy composing symphonies. His passion for music lives on and perhaps the best is yet to come, Inshallah!!!
Some of his best film work:
Ye khushi ajab khushi hai
Jab say deikha hai tumhain, dil ka ajab Aalam hai
Ko-Ko-Korina
Saye ki talab karney walo
Akele na jana,
Bay taab ho udhar tum
Jab pyar mein do dil miltay hain
Meri Qismet bata, hai meri kya kheta
Mujhay tum say mohabbat hai
Ik naye maur pay
Aye mere zindigi aye meray hum safar
Do akhian, ye do sakhian
Wada karo milo gey
Raatain theen chandni
Aashiyaan jal gaya
Hai bay qarar tamanna
Tujh jaisa dagha baaz
Bansiri bajanay walay
Aaj janay ki zid na karo
Dheeray, dheeray paoon rakh gori
Some of his other great songs:
Sohni dharti
Sung sung chaltay rehna
Dosti aisa nata
Shawa bhy shawa
Jeeway Pakistan
Mein bhee Pakistan hoon
Allah Akbar
Some of the Artists that he introduced:
Mohammad Ali Shehki; Habib Wali Mohammad; Amjad Hussain; Alamgir; Mona Sisters; Benjamin sisters; Nazia Hasan/Zohaib Hasan; Afshan Ahmed; Anwar Ibrahim; Fatima Jaffery; Adnan Sami Khan; Hadiqa Kiyani
Acknowledgement: The wonderfully informative essay of Sohail Rana by Anis Ahmad Shakur (here); also see updates where he is now and what he is doing here and here.
Altamash Mir is a Chicago-based Pakistani, has been a reader and frequent commentator to this blog from its inception. He is very active in AOPP.
Altamash Mir,
@Sohail Rana, popularisation of music in TV, Kalion ki
Mala KTV children’s music segment,1964 and onwards.
We can not forget that Sohail Rana first time “informed”
the grand public thru Kalion ki mala, the 10 akars (thaats)
of Ragas combined in one potpuri, its now nearly 45 years, its still in my memory and helped me understand and recognize origin of some ragas. The genius Ameer Khosro had 37 thaats of Ragas and ragnis, he introduced feminin ragnis.
The ten thaats are, Kalyan, Bilawal, Khamaj, kafi, Malwa,
Bhairon, Bhairanvi, Todi, Asawari, Purvi.
Am listening learning admiring since the age of 9, a genre
of a classical (shastria) and semi-classical music which is
unique in the world with a multiple dimentions never ending
story, that is our classical music. The Gharanas impressed
me the most are Patiala, Sham chaurasi, Benares, am
discovering now south Indian, Karnataka, B.natayam
which are the origin of our music.
Dear Ateeq
please try a location given below and do tell me your findings
http://www.dukandar.com/sohailranatvhits.html
thanks
Waseem Intizar
I want to Congratulate famous Sohail Uncle on receiving
LIFE TIME ACHIVEMENT AWARD from PTV/President PK
I grew up watching on TV Sohail Rana children shows. Can we buy CD of famous Songs from those shows (70 thru 80’s)? Will love to get hold of those song with so many sweet memories of my childhood in Karachi
Our music, folkloric, or urban classical or semi, Ghazals
geets, naghmas, etc etc. are authentic ones, but, the moment
latinos, boleros, waltz, hip hop, rock n roll, twist etc were
(made) infiltrated, the quality went down loosing all the
charme and originality, continueous banging of German
military march percussions ravaged the whole culture of
music in our country at the cost of our real music.
Now a days, again we are introducing vulgar, erotic, porno
style music, which is quite displaced and has no links
how ever. Indian imitation is a shameful and ungrateful
attitude towards our artists. Its a collective suicide.
I was very young in sixties but have vivid memories of some of the great songs of Sohail Rana such as Ko-Ko-Korina, Akele na jana acted by Wahid Murad, Ik naye maur pay again acted by Wahid Murad, Sohni dharti, Mein bhee Pakistan hoon. I practically grew up listing his songs. Thank you for bringing up the good memories.
Hello Mr. Sohail Rana,
I have heard a lot of excellent things about you and I would like to know more about your vocal classical music classes, and where and when they take place and how much you charge? I am from India and love to sing Indian songs but I need to train my voice. I am a mature student. Also please give me your phone number to contact you regarding the classes. Please give me all the information about the classes that you can provide.
Thank you,f
Iris
Rafi Saheb. look at this web site.
http://www.dawnclassified.com/scart/rajlab_4.asp
The first audio CD titled ” Adaab Arz Hai, Begum Sahiba
Love melodies from Karachi mehfils” includes this song ‘bandar road se kimari’.
I used to have this CD but I gave it to a friend