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.\
The video above is of one of Sohail Rana’s – and Pakistan film industry’s – greatest hits ever. The forever green ‘Akailey na jaana.’ The video below is a recent rendition of the same, with Sohail Rana conducting the music in Geo TV’s tribute show for him:
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:
[audio:http://media.odeo.com/5/3/3/harvest.mp3]
Cobra Away:
[audio:http://media.odeo.com/0/4/6/cobraway.mp3]
Saat Maatray:
[audio:http://media.odeo.com/0/2/0/saat_maatray.mp 3]
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.
This is a re-post from original posted at ATP in October 2006 (videos added).
I studied with Suhail in the Arts College in Karachi. He is such a dynamic person, and I never had any doubt he would go far.In fact at that time, if I remember well, he already had a mini hit called ‘INDUS VALLEY ROCK’. Does any one remember it?
In actual fact I was in High School (for about 8 years) with his brother Tanveer Rana. During the years we normally sat along side by side on the double desks in class. This was in Hyderabad (Sind). I wonder if he remembers me. Would like to hear from him.
As for Suhail, I wish him all the best in the future and may his star shine very bright.
Myer
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