Benjamin Sisters

The Benjamin Sisters (Urdu: بنجمن سسٹرز) were a Pakistani singing group of three sisters, Nerissa, Beena and Shabana Benjamin. Usually they sang in choruses-singing together in performances on Pakistan Television in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they achieved immense popularity in both Pakistan and neighboring regions of North India in what began to be referred to as the Benjamin Sisters Phenomenon.[1] They were introduced to showbiz by Javed Allah Ditta, a notable sitar player.[2] Victor Benjamin, their father, a skillful player of the xylophone encouraged his daughters to sing. They then joined the Sunday School choir at The Christ Church - this was all the musical training that they had received.[2]

Benjamin Sisters' singing style

The Benjamin Sisters first participated in various music learning programs aired on Pakistan Television from 1968 to 1987. These programs were conducted by Sohail Rana; a prominent music director of Pakistan, and they were aimed at educating children about music.[3] The sisters usually sang Punjabi and Urdu songs, and tended to initially provide new renderings of songs sung by other artists as opposed to developing their own material. This was partially because the sisters initially appeared in the TV talk show Silver Jubilee (1983), where old artistes were often the invited guests whose songs the sisters would perform as a tribute to them.[1] The three sang in a synchronized way, in a "single voice". The sisters later achieved further fame after the release of the patriotic national songs of Pakistan, such as the Iss parcham kay saye taley, hum ek hain,Ay roohe quaid aaj ke din ham tujhe sey wada kartey hain,Khayal rakhna khayal rakhna etc. which they sang during the 1980s.

Family background

The Benjamin Sisters are from a Pakistani Christian family.[4] As of November 2011, Nerissa teaches at St. Patrick’s High School and Beena works as a voiceover artist and a VJ. Whereas, Shabana Kenneth is a housewife. Nerissa and Shabana have been blessed with a daughter and two sons each, while Beena has a daughter.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Benjamin Sisters: Silver Jubilee". All Things Pakistan. Retrieved 2008-06-27. ... the 1980s talk-show Silver Jubilee ... is memorable because it launched the 'Benjamin Sisters phenomenon'. This earnest trio was essentially brought in to simply re-render the great film songs related to whoever was the guest that week. Over time, it was not just the songs but the Benjamin Sisters themselves who became the sensation ..., Retrieved 28 Nov 2015
  2. 1 2 3 "Benjamin Sisters: Thank you for the music - The Express Tribune". Retrieved 2015-07-19.
  3. ↑ "Sohail Rana: The Unmatched Music Maestro". Dawn. Retrieved 2010-11-28., Retrieved 28 Nov 2015
  4. ↑ Maneesha Tikekar (2004). "Across the Wagah: an Indian's sojourn in Pakistan". Bibliophile South Asia. ISBN 81-85002-34-7. ... Benjamin Sisters and Irene Parveen, reputed singers, are all Christians ...
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