The National Anthem of Pakistan

-
"Pak Sarzamin Shad Bad" or "Blessed be the Sacred Land" is Pakistan's National Anthem. A committee to select a national anthem for Pakistan was formed a year after independence in December 1948. A member of the committee, Ahmed Ghulamali Chagla, was asked to produce a composition. Mr. Chagla's background in music involves study in both western and eastern music, and characteristics of eastern music can be found in the anthem.

After some "test runs" which included performances for the Prime Minister, for a visiting head of state, for the Prime Minister's visit to the United States, and finally for the committee itself. It was then approved by the anthem committee in August 1950 and gained official recognition in December 1953. The words were composed by another member of the committee, Abu-Al-Asar Hafeez Jullandhuri, and officially approved in August 1954.


Ahmed Ghulamali Chagla was the musician who wrote the score for the national anthem of Pakistan in 1950. He was born in May 1902 into a prominent Karachi family. His father, Ghulamali Chagla was the third elected president of the municipality of Karachi, serving from 1921 to 1922. Ahmad Chagla attended the Sindh Madrassat-ul-Islam in Karachi and took lessons in classical Indian music in 1910 and western musical composition in 1914.

In 1948, Chagla was a member of the National Anthem Committee (NAC) of Pakistan, which had the task of creating a new national anthem to replace the earlier one written by Jagannath Azad. The impending state visit to Pakistan by the Shah of Iran in 1950, created an impetus for a national anthem to be ready with or without lyrics. The NAC examined several different tunes and selected a tune presented by Chagla which was submitted it for formal approval. Chagla then produced the musical composition in collaboration with another committee member and assisted by the Pakistan Navy band.

Unfortunately Chagla died in 1953, before the national anthem was officially adopted in 1954. His contribution to the national anthem was recognised by the government of Pakistan in 1996, when he was posthumously awarded the "President's Pride of Performance award", which was presented to his family on March 23, 1997.

Chagla was also an author, journalist, and writer, with most of his articles written prior to the partition of India in 1947. His works included a series of articles on classical Urdu poets such as Mirza Ghalib and Allama Iqbal and an article on the Sindhi poet Shah Abdul Latif, which appeared in the Illustrated Weekly of India in December 1937. He also composed music for a number of Urdu, Gujarati, Sindhi and English plays, and composed music on eastern and western instruments for various films.

Popular posts from this blog

Rodolfo S. Cornejo on Stamp

-
Image
Rodolfo S. Cornejo is the first Filipino composer who received an honory degree from a government recognized music school in the United States . He is also remarkable for his pianistic and compositional know-how by improvising a piano composition at the spur of the moment.   He was born on 15 May 1909 in Singalong, Manila . At the age of six, he had his formal piano lessons. After 2 years, he played fourteen pieces and six encores for his recital. In that same year, he became the organist of the Pasay Catholic Church when they moved in. When he was ten, he composed a piano piece entitled, "Glissando Waltz". He became so keen and inspired about music by his mother's genuine support.    At 13, he composed the "Salute", a military march that was also published. He also composed the Philippine Suite: Paalam sa Pagakadalaga , Okaka Variations , Paalam na Sinta , Oriental Fantasy , Nocturne in G, Piano Concerto no. 1 , and the Moro Wedding Dance . At 14, twenty
Read more

Cebuano Artists Painting Collection- Celso Duazo Pepito

-
Image
The Will to Live 2021, ( Autostereogram )     When we look and appraise a painting by color blind Master artist Celso Duazo Pepito , one will immediately come face to face with a brilliantly made work of art.    He was born 54 years ago on the 22nd of November in Daan Bantayan , Cebu . He plunged into the world of art as a young man who showed special skills in lettering . He was surprised when he steps into the halls of the University of the Philippines that the fine arts course was after all about painting. His painting career soon took off soon after college.    There were years of facing struggles hurdling one trial after another. But, like college education, experience is considered as the best teacher. His paintings are known to contain imagery that is brought to life by crisp and clear lines, bold strokes and his usual usage of bright color scheming. But deep within his subjects are personal motives and intentions that come from his heart. The man is with a mission he
Read more

Glimpses of Old Cebu: Images of the Colonial Era

-
Image
" Glimpses of Old Cebu: Images of the Colonial Era " is a 276-page coffee table book of nearly 600 of the best photographs , postcards , stereoviews and lantern glass slides of Cebu and its many towns taken between 1870-1945. More than just a mere showcasing of rare, never-before-seen images, the book also provides a treasure trove of information accompanying nearly every picture. The author, Lucy Urgello Miller has been collecting vintage Philippine postcards and photographs for over 20 years, the thrust of her collection being Cebu . She acquired 90% of her Cebu collection in the United States where she is living with her husband Richard "Rick" Miller. Most of the collection was bought at antique postcards shows. Lucy has about 1,000 pictures and postcards on Cebu but she selected only the best and most interesting for this book. Mommy Gingging, Lucy and my wife Grace A blue-blooded Theresian, Lucy spent her entire education from kind
Read more

Cebuano Artists Painting Collection- Cesar Castillo

-
Image
Cesar Castillo was born and raised in Cebu City . Though he had shown interest in arts, he ended up taking Mechanical Engineering course in the University of the Visayas in 1986 just to fulfill the request of his parents. After graduation, he worked as a quality controller in the glass plant department of San Miguel Corporation , Cebu branch situated in Mandaue City   Though busy with his works, he always found time to develop his artistic skills, turning his free time into opportunities for learning.    As his artistic quest evolved, he started to find self-confidence in every painting he created thus giving him the privilege to slowly expose his art to Cebu's art patron and enthusiast. His first art teacher was Cebuano master cubist , Celso Duazo Pepito but he was personally mentored by Jose Kimsoy Yap Jr. , who taught him the notion of "less is more" and "not all has to be seen".   Giving in to the clamor for artistic expression, Cesar  Castillo
Read more

Cebuano Artists Painting Collection- Billy Pomida

-
Image
Born in the island of Samar in the Philippines on July 11, 1963, Billy Pomida started the rudiments of drawing at a young age which inspired him to take up Fine Arts in college at the University of the East in Manila .    In 1986, he worked as a graphic designer for a government research institution before devoting to full-time painting in 2001. Since then, he has participated in numerous group exhibitions in different places in the Philippines and a series of Three-Man Shows in the United States in 2002.    Parola sa Liloan, Watercolor, 2009 He has won numerous awards, among of which are the following: One of the Top Five Watercolorists for 2001 and 2007 and the runner-up for the 2008 in the Kulay sa Tubig Annual Invitational Watercolor Competition and Exhibition in Manila, Grand Prize , Cebu Arts Association 70th Anniversary Painting Competition in 2007, Grand Prize , President Ramon Magsaysay Death Anniversary Painting Contest, Grand Prize , Dona Modesta Gais
Read more

Empowered Women- An Art Exhibit Celebrating Women's Month at Nustar

-
Image
 The National Women’s Month Celebration has its roots in the recognition of International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th, a historical event stemming from the organizing efforts of women in the early 20th Century. Between 1909 and 1911, working women in the United States, united under  the National Women’s Trade Union League and other groups, protested against low wages, lack of protective legislation, and harsh working conditions. These demonstrations were a response to the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in March 1911 in New York City, claiming the lives of over 140 working girls, primarily Italian and Jewish immigrants. The subsequent observances of International Women’s Day invoked the appalling working conditions and unfair labor practices leading up to the disaster. The 2024 National Women’s Month Celebration aims to capitalize on the recurring theme “WE for gender equality and inclusive society,” introduced in 2023. This theme, launched to renew commitment to the advo
Read more

Manuel H. Bernabe on Stamps

-
Image
Manuel H. Bernabe (1890-1960) “King of Balagtasan ” in Spanish was a poet, linguist and politician, Manuel Bernabe was born on February 17, 1890 to Timoteo Bernabe and Emilia Hernandez of Paranaque, Rizal .   At the age of 10, he already started writing verses. He studied at the Ateneo de Manila where he finished his Bachelor of Arts degree with high academic standing in 1907, and then took up law at the University of Santo Tomas , but not able to took up the bar exams. In 1910, Manuel’s first poem was published in the Renacimento Filipino.   In 1912, he translated Virgil’s Aenid from Latin to Spanish. In 1913, he received an award for his poems: “Himno al Sagado Corazon de Jesus (Hymn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus ), “El Zapote,” and “Espana a Filipinas”.   In 1912, he joined the staff of La Democracia and in 1918, of La Vanguardia of the Roces Publications . He was a columnist but from time to time he also published poems and short stories in the magazine Exelsior.   Manuel al
Read more