Amjad Parvez

Amjad Parvez
امجد پرویز

Pride of Performance Award by President of Pakistan
Born 28 March 1945
Lahore, British India
(now Pakistan)
Nationality Pakistani
Occupation Singer, writer

Amjad Parvez (Urdu: امجد پرویز‎) (born 28 March 1945) is an educationist, engineer and he is also writer, singer and musician.[1] He has served as chief engineer, general manager, vice president of many divisions and managing director of Nespak.He has received Gold Madel in 1977[2] and Pride of Performance in 2000 for his music achievements.[3]

Personal life

Background

Parvez was born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1945 to Sheikh Abdul Karim who was head of chemistry department, Islamia College, Lahore and was author of many books on chemistry that were in the syllabus of inter and graduate curricula of the forties and the fifties. Parvez's grandfather Khwaja Dil Muhammad was also principal at Islamia College, Lahore. He was also a poet of Pakistan Movement as his national poems were read in the annual conventions of Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam mostly presided by Allama Iqbal.[2] Parvez received his primary education in Punjab Schools in 1960. He obtained Matriculation Examination at Central Model School, Lahore. He joined Government College, Lahore (GCU) and University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (UET) from there he graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1967. After joining UET in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, he proceeded to University of Birmingham, UK in 1968, where he qualified for Masters Degree in Quality and Reliability Engineering in 1969 and Doctorate in Engineering Production in 1972.[2]

Career

Parvez served Nespak for nearly 30 years and rose to the positions of general manager, Vice President and retired as managing director and President, Nespak in 2005. His hallmark was setting up of Overseas Offices in Saudi Arabia and Gulf Countries and acquiring and implementing colossal projects within Pakistan and abroad in all branches of engineering. In this process he was instrumental in foreign exchange earnings for his country. During his tenure as managing director, he broke the records of Nespak and obtained the highest ever business for Nespak.[2]

After retirement from Nespak on reaching superannuation, Parvez joined as professor at UET responsible for teaching and research at graduate and post-graduate levels in its Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Department. He also set up a consulting company for UET namely Engineering Services UET Pakistan Limited (ESUPAK). In 2011 he joined University of Lahore (UOL) and Head of Mechanical Engineering Department.[2]

Laurels

Parvez received President of Pakistan's Gold Medal for writing best technical paper for Institute of Engineers, Pakistan in 1976. He is the publisher of more than forty technical national & international publications in engineering. He received Dr. A. Q. Khan lifetime achievement award from the Institute of Engineers, Pakistan in 2010[2][4] and Pride of Performance in 2000 for best music works.[5]

Music

Music has been Parvez's passion since childhood.[6] He is among the fraternity of melodist who started his career as a child artist in 1954 at Radio Pakistan, Lahore in the children's' programme 'Honhaar'. By sheer hard work, love and passion for music, he has rightly earned Radio Pakistan's 'outstanding' category in the classical and semi-classical genres. Introduced by none other than Madam Farida Khanum in her programme 'Khatir-e-Ehbaab' in the sixties, he has not looked back since then. Belonging to non-professional family, he has obtained training in classical singing from the Ustads of Sham Chaurasi Gharana such as Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan-Ustad Salamat Ali Khan duo (became their pupil in 1976), Ustad Ghulam Shabbir Khan-Ustad Ghulam Jaffar Khan duo (1992), and music composers Akhtar Hussain Akhian and Pride of Performance Mian Sheheryaar. He is a practicing singer at Central Production Unit, Radio Pakistan where he has recorded hundreds of ghazals, geets etc. since the seventies in his monthly performances. Since last two decades, he renders a new Raag in Broadcasting House's programme 'Ahang-e-Khusrovi' every month and has rendered more than fifty Raags in Kheyal form.[3] By his consistent respect accorded to and acquiring knowledge from the professionals, he has become a symbol of bridging the gap of traditional rivalry between the professionals and non-professionals thereby becoming a role model for the present and the future generations. His journey of growth as an artist is commendable, starting from folk songs leading to fusion (PTV's Sangat in 1972–73), Ghazal, Geet, Kafi, Thumri and now Kheyal forms over past four decades. Parvez therefore combines the art of light, semi-classical and classical singing in one individual.[6]

Parvez though has been associated with PTV since its inception in 1964 and has participated in its entire major programmes and is also in PTV's outstanding category since past more than four decades; he has not left performing at Radio Pakistan which he considers as his base. He possesses clear, melodious, sweet, cultured and broad ranged voice full of melodic pathos. He has contributed wholesomely and significantly to the further promotion and presentation of Pakistani melodic culture, both at national and international levels. He travels widely. During his lifetime he has represented his country on government level as well as in private capacity in many countries such as US, UK, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Myanmar and India especially on occasions of national importance. He can therefore truly be called a cultural ambassador of Pakistan.

Parvez inherits love for poetry from his grand father and selects good quality and sober poetry devoid of vulgarity, before crooning it. His Ghazals sung at Radio Pakistan such as Master Manzoor's 'Ajnabi Ban Key Nayey Rog Laganey Aao' and 'Meri Tasveer Mein Rang Kisi Aur Ka To Nahi', Nasir Kazmi's 'Aaj To Besabab Udaas Hei Ji', 'Aaj Tujhey Kyun Chup Si Lagi Hei' and scores of other numbers coupled with rendering of Raags Kidara, Megh, Jonpuri, Lilat, Rajeshri, Jog, Sarsawati, Shri, Bindrabini Sarang, Bheem, Bakhzar, Durga, Puria Dhanasri, Shudh Sarang, Dais, Madwanti, Champa Kali, Hans Dhun, Marva, Gujri Todi, Mian Ki Malhaar, Gorakh Kalyan, Gun Kali, Nat Bhairon, Dais, Jai Jai Wanti, Gujri Todi, Mian Ki Todi and alike, speak volume about his versatility as a practicing musician.

As a founder member of Pakistan Television, Parvez has rendered hundreds of songs for PTV since its inception. He has participated in almost all important music programmes over past four decades in its folk, light classical and classical music programmes. His song 'Jo Bhi Kutch Hei Muhabbat Ka Phailao Hei', theme song for Ashfaq Ahmed's drama series 'Aik Muhabbat Sau Afsaaney' and folk songs 'Sassi-e-Bekhbrey' and 'Chal Mailey Noon Chaliye' are all time hits.[6]

Writings

Inheriting education from his forefathers and being in the company of most of the senior writers and poets of his generation, Parvez is by now recognized nationally and internationally as a writer par excellence.[1] His regular columns in the daily Nation, Lahore followed by the daily Times, Lahore mostly comprise Book Reviews on the books emanating from Pakistan since past three decades both on literature and music. His book titled ‘Symphony of Reflections’ published in 2006 has been received widely nationally and internationally. It comprises selected book reviews till 2006. Another book titled 'Rainbow Of Reflections' comprising Book Reviews till 2011 was published. Both the books were published by Jahangir Books, Lahore.[7] Parvez also speaks and writes on music. His book titled 'melody makers' on forty music composers of the subcontinent from 1950s to 1980s has been published by Sange-Meel Publications, Lahore in 2012.

Awards

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "A potpourri of creativity". Daily Dawn. 17 September 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "The present government needs to convince their parliamentarians to support construction of Kalabagh and other dams". Jworld Times Magazine. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Learning classical music (passage forth)". Daily Dawn. 7 August 2005. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Awards conferred upon former MD of NESPAK". National Engineering Services Pakistan. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "Book launch: ‘Literature reviews missing in Urdu press". Daily Dawn. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Dr Amjad Parvez – Pakistani singe". Gulf News.com. 21 May 2001. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "'Rainbow of Reflections' by Dr Amjad Parvez launched". Daily Times. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2012.

External links