Adil Najam
For many of us the 1980s talk-show Silver Jubilee was the very best of all of Anwar Maqsood’s television shows. And that is saying something given the many brilliants endeavors he was been part of. That the other maestro of Pakistan Television(PTV), Shoaib Mansoor, was the producer of this memorable series is another reason why.
The PTV show is memorable, most of all, for its selection of guests; especially for bringing back people from a bygone era of greats (Naeem Bokhari’s Yaadesh Bakhair was memorable for the same reason).
Another reason why it is memorable is because it launched the Benjamin Sisters phenomenon. This earnest trio was essentially brought in to simply re-render the great songs related to whoever was the guest that week. Over time, it was not just the songs but the Benjamin Sisters themselves who became the sensation.
There are some lessons to be learnt – not just about the performing arts but about life – from their success.
- First, and most important, they sang really really well; moreover, by just looking at them singing you can see that they worked really hard and were very serious about singing well. The lesson here is that performance matters, talent matters, and hard work matters.
- Second, in Anwar Maqsood and Shoaib Mansoor, they had two nurturing mentors. In a society where we are generally so insecure and unsure of ourselves that we are threatened by everyone else’s talents, here is a an example which shows that mentoring the talent of others not only gives them a break, it also makes you look better.
- Third, the selection of the songs they sang was truly remarkable. I do not know for sure but my sense is that Anwar Maqsood might have had the largest role in this selection. It is too simple to say that they pulled at our nostalgia chords. For some, they did. But for many, especially in my generation, they introduced the great music of an earlier generation. And, lo and behold, it plucked at our hearts as much as it had at our parents. The lesson here is that things that are crafted properly (in this case, songs) are timeless. This lesson – I would like to think – is applicable well beyond songs.
Since then, the sisters (at least two of them) disappeared. One heard they got married. I do not know where they are and Google did not give me any clues. If you know, do share. But wherever they are, I hope they are well and prosperous and happy.
All of this was triggered by a stash of recently-loaded Benjamin Sister songs I found on YouTube.
Included in this post are two particularly catchy melodies. Note also the other guests sitting there. A young Javed Miandad and an ageless Shabnam in the first, and an older Waheed Murad in the other.
This is really embaressing for me to ask at this forum and i know some people may take this for gossip mongering but maybe some one will put this to rest for me once and for all ….
as teens we were all great fans of Benjamin Sisters but later on I heard that Madam Noor Jehan ( pls no offence to her memory or her status as a legend ) was a little annoyed with the sisters for copying her songs and getting fame from them. It was also heard that she had a bit to do with them being banned from the television.
True or false ??
( I have my fingers crossed for being bashed on this forum !)
dear all,
it was a pleasure looking at the comments our fans have made to us.well for your information, i am beena benjamin,one of the benjamin sisters. Iam the one who got married and went to canada, the eldest nerissa is in pakistan and shabana is in dubai. we miss our singing and we know there are lots of people who like and adore our singing and want us to come back, but this is not possible as now nerissa and shabana are busy with their household activities and im working in a reputable tv channel. Anyways i think this is enough for today. Once again thanks to all our fans out there, hope to see ur comments on and off on this page.
Hi all,
I’m glad that there are others that adore the Benjamin sisters as much as I do. I was only 3 when my Nana-ji brought the Silver Jubilee VHS Set from Pakistan and my mum said that I was constantly watching the Benjamin Sisters and enjoying the music.
About their performance, in my opinion, if I had to sing quite difficult and in some instances classical based songs in front of the original singer and music director then I would also be a bit nervous and look a bit rigid. It is to their credit that in the song ‘Kahan tak sunoge kahan tak sunao’ Master Inayat is in the audience and is clearly impressed with their rendition.
If anyone is in touch with them (Pam) please let them know they still have a following and a fan base. There is not a day that doesn’t go by when I do not listen to their songs.
Long live the Benjamin Sisters
[quote comment="37454"]Adil, in your article you mentioned wondering where the Benjamin sisters are nowadays. Well if it helps, their older brother now lives here in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, practicing real estate. If would you like to contact him the telephone number is (780) 450-6300 and his web address is: http://www.johnbenjamin.ca. Good luck. Dean[/quote]
Hi Dean
Benjamin sisters have lots of Boy cousins but they do not have a brother,the brother you are mentioning is possibly their Masi’s son who lives in Canada(mothers sisters son)Who actually got married to the second sister they are now divorced
Togathere they are 4 sisters
Doing pretty well in their married lives and their families.
[quote comment="35319"]Thankyou for up loading information about Benjamin Sisters, im to young to say their songs have bought memories back as i wasnt around when they were popular, not that im saying they aint now, iv heard some of their songs and they have beautiful voices and der song collection is quite impressible, i remember reading someone mentioned one of them died, how did they die? and which one was it? it breaks ones heart when you see people spliting up like that. but i guess its part of life… thanks once again for loading info about them. cheerz[/quote]
Just to let you know by the grace of god all of them are very much alive and doing well.I know since I grew up in the house next to theirs and my brother and his family are still their next door neighbour .2 of them still live in Mission compund even after they got married the youngest Shabana is in Dubai,she is married and very happy.
Adil, in your article you mentioned wondering where the Benjamin sisters are nowadays. Well if it helps, their older brother now lives here in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, practicing real estate. If would you like to contact him the telephone number is (780) 450-6300 and his web address is: http://www.johnbenjamin.ca. Good luck. Dean
Thankyou for up loading information about Benjamin Sisters, im to young to say their songs have bought memories back as i wasnt around when they were popular, not that im saying they aint now, iv heard some of their songs and they have beautiful voices and der song collection is quite impressible, i remember reading someone mentioned one of them died, how did they die? and which one was it? it breaks ones heart when you see people spliting up like that. but i guess its part of life… thanks once again for loading info about them. cheerz
[...] Waheed Murad, as you can see, is in his ‘Elvis Presley of Pakistan’ mode here. For another glimpse of that mood see the video in our previous post on Waheed Murad. By way of a parting note, I should add that even though I have expressed my own bias against what I have called the ‘hilna jullna’ style of singing I am not only not averse to but am actually partial to a good ‘performance’, as long as the singing is not compromised by the ‘hilna julna’. This video is not just nostalgic but also meets that test of fun performance combined with good singing. internet advertising [...]