'Lambi Judai'... for music lovers as Reshma departs

She might have lived her entire life in Pakistan, but she mesmerised millions of music lovers in India with soulful rendition of songs like Laal meri pat rakhiyo bala jhulelaalan, Dama Dam Mast Kalandar and Lambi Judai in her trademark rustic voice.

Folk singer Reshma passed away in a Lahore hospital on Sunday morning after a prolonged battle with throat cancer. She was in coma for the last one month. She is survived by son Umair and daughter Khadija.

Born to a Banjara family in Rajasthan’s Bikaner in 1947, Reshma’s family crossed over to Pakistan after partition. But Reshma never forgot her roots and returned several decades later to perform in her birthplace.

Music was in her DNA. “It is a gift from Allah,” she told whoever asked about the secret of her powerful voice. At the age of 12, she was singing Laal meri......, which was believed to be originally composed by legendary Amir Khushro and later modified by  Sufi saint Bullehshah, at the shrine of Laal Shahbaaz Qalandar in Sehwan town located in Jamshoro district of Sind province.

A producer of Pakistani radio, who happened to be at the shrine, was stunned by the range and the mysterious nature of Reshma’s voice. He arranged for her to record the iconic song Laal Meri on the Pakistan Radio. The song was an instant hit in Pakistan, and later it became a rage in the Indian subcontinent.

An artiste known for her extreme simplicity and vast devotion to Allah, Reshma moved out of the Sufi circuit in a way with her superhit songs for Hindi films.

In 1983, she sang Atif Aslam’s Lambi Judaai char dinonda.... composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal for Subhash Ghai’s superhit film Hero. Not only the song was a sensation in the Indian subcontinent, but also in London, New York and Gulf countries.

In fact, one of the main reasons for the success of this film was Reshma’s songs. In 2003, Bollywood director Kuku Kohli flew down to London when he heard that she was performing there. Kohli couldn’t believe his ears when Reshma readily agreed to sing for his film Woh Tera Naam Tha.

When he asked her why she unhesitatingly agreed to sing for his film, Reshma replied: “You have come all the way from India to meet me. That means you must be genuine about your request.”

The song Ashqaan di gali... too became a hit. If music is one of the means of God realisation, then Reshma certainly achieved that through her soulful songs.

Hit numbers
Lambi judai (Hero - 1983)

Mere chan pardesi (Pati Patni Aur Tawaif- 1990)

Akhiyon ne akhiyon se milke (Heer Ranjha - 1992)

Jo phool yahan par (Heer Ranjha - 1992)

Ashkan di gali... (Woh Tera Naam Tha - 2003)

Dama dam mast kalandar

Chi chi da challah

Hay o rabba nai laghda dil mera