Gulam Haider

Gulam Haider was a very popular music composer who worked in India before independence and in Pakistan post-independence. He was known for mixing Raagas with Punjabi style music. He was the person who debuted Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar, the veteran playback singer, had >> Read More... , the legendary and evergreen singer of all time in the music industry. He was born in 1908 in Punjab province of Pakistan. He completed his schooling and intermediate and then went to do dentistry in a college. He completed his degree in dentistry. He became a dentist but was very much attached to music.

He started learning and taking music classes from the famous artist Babu Ganesh Lal. He was very much attracted by music and left his dentist career. His family was not happy with his decision. He got a job of playing piano with Alfred Theatrical Company as well as Alexander Theatrical Company in Kolkata. He also worked as a music composer for Jenophone Recording Company. He composed songs for Umrao Zia Begum, a famous singer who was working with the Pancholi Studios in Lahore. He married the same Umrao Zia Begum later. Haider started to compose music in films with Roshan Lal Shorey and Roop Kumar Shorey, the father-son duo. A.R. Kadar asked him to compose music for his 1935 film called Swarg Ki Seerhi.

However, Haider’s debut in film music was with the Punjabi movie, Gul-E-Bakavli by D.M. Pancholi in 1939. Noor Jehan Noor Jehan is a singer of two countries India and >> Read More... was in this movie. Then he did KamlaJat in 1940. Khazanchi was released in 1941 which had the first hit song by Haider. Specifically the song, Sawan Ke NazareHai showed the style of music that Haider created which resulted in the revolution in the music industry. The audience, as well as other music directors, were taken by storm by the music of this film and this ensured the change in the music of Indian cinema. Noor Jehan’s first movie in lead role, Khaandan was released in 1942. It made Haider the top music director of that time. He started composing music for movies like Humayun, Poonji, Shahid, Kaneez, etc.

He also composed music for Majboor released in 1948 which was Lata Mangeshkar’s big break. After independence, he moved to Pakistan and composed music for Shahida (1949). He gave music to Pakistani movies like Bheegi Palkein After such big hits like Tum Sy Mil Ke, Mumkin, an >> Read More... , Beqarar, Gulnar. He died on 9 November 1953, just sometime after the release of Gulnar in 1953. He passed away in Lahore, Pakistan. He is lived by the compositions that remain evergreen.