LAHORE: Samina Syed, classical singer and wife of Najm Hosain Syed, the most prolific Punjabi poet and pioneer of modern Punjabi literature, passed away in Lahore on Saturday. She was 72.

Samina was suffering from cancer.

Prominent literary and cultural personalities attended the funeral prayers held at her house at 2:30pm on 49-Jail Road. She was laid to rest at Shah Jamal graveyard.

Her qul will be held at her Jail Road residence between Asr and Maghrib prayers on Sunday (today).

Those who attended the funeral prayers included many prominent personalities from the literary and cultural circles of Lahore, including Mushtaq Soofi, Pervaiz Vandal, Sajida Vandal, Saeed Bhutta, Nayyar Ali Dada, Zaeem Qadri, Husain Naqi, Salima Hashmi, Madeeha Gauhar, Akmal Husain and Quddus Mirza.

Samina was born in Ferozepur, India, in December 1944. She learnt classical music from the age of 12 from several singers, including Feroze Nizami, Bhai Chela and Ustad Chohtay Ghulam Ali Khan.

She taught music at the College of Home Economics for over three decades. She had a huge contribution to the promotion of classical singing.

Mushtaq Soofi, Punjabi poet, intellectual and former general manager of the Pakistan Television Corporation, told Dawn that during the 1980s, Samina had recorded a programme on Kafis for the state television channel. He said she had a major contribution to enrich the Punjabi poetry and most of the Punjabi poetry compositions sung at Sangat, a weekly gathering at her home, were composed by her.

Salima Hashmi while commenting on Samina Syed’s death said: “Samina kept alive music and poetry of classic Punjabi poets and classical singers”.

She said a Sangat meeting was held at Najm and Samina’s place every Thursday continuously for the last over three decades.

Madeeha Gauhar said she had 40-year-old association with the family. She used to attend Sangat sessions.

“I remember I first attended Sangat in the 1970s.”

Samina Syed is survived by her husband Najm Hosain Syed, daughter Risham who is a visual artist, and son Rasaal, a lawyer.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2016