The forgotten story of Mohini Das nee Hameed, seen here with Rafi Peer, 1955
Mohini Das was born in Batala in 1922 and joined All-India Radio Lahore in 1939 at the age of 17. Mohini was soon a major female Urdu-language voice and almost every major radio play, or special announcement, had her behind the microphone. With time she kept on improving and excelling in her art. On the 14th of August, 1947, and Mohini became the first woman broadcaster of Pakistan. She had changed her name to Mohini Hameed and had already a daughter who came to be known as Kanwal Hameed. Just as Mohini Hameed was Pakistan’s first woman broadcaster, her daughter Kanwal Hameed, now known as Kanwal Naseer after her marriage to Col Naseer, became Pakistan’s first woman telecaster. In 1965 she was awarded the ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’ and in 1969 when for the first time the United Nations declared it a ‘Woman’s Year’, it was the picture of Mohini Hameed that donned UN posters the world over.After working from Lahore for a full 50 years, the woman with the golden voice, Mohini Hameed, retired and with her husband A. Hameed migrated to the USA to live a meaningful life recording religious programmes for broadcasting to Pakistan and the Middle East. In 1998 she was again awarded a second ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’ and in 1999 given a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation. She passed away in 2009 and the Lahore studio of Radio Pakistan was renamed ‘Mohini Hameed Studio’.
The forgotten story of Mohini Das nee Hameed, seen here with Rafi Peer, 1955
Mohini Das was born in Batala in 1922 and joined All-India Radio Lahore in 1939 at the age of 17. Mohini was soon a major female Urdu-language voice and almost every major radio play, or special announcement, had her behind the microphone. With time she kept on improving and excelling in her art. On the 14th of August, 1947, and Mohini became the first woman broadcaster of Pakistan. She had changed her name to Mohini Hameed and had already a daughter who came to be known as Kanwal Hameed. Just as Mohini Hameed was Pakistan’s first woman broadcaster, her daughter Kanwal Hameed, now known as Kanwal Naseer after her marriage to Col Naseer, became Pakistan’s first woman telecaster. In 1965 she was awarded the ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’ and in 1969 when for the first time the United Nations declared it a ‘Woman’s Year’, it was the picture of Mohini Hameed that donned UN posters the world over.After working from Lahore for a full 50 years, the woman with the golden voice, Mohini Hameed, retired and with her husband A. Hameed migrated to the USA to live a meaningful life recording religious programmes for broadcasting to Pakistan and the Middle East. In 1998 she was again awarded a second ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’ and in 1999 given a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation. She passed away in 2009 and the Lahore studio of Radio Pakistan was renamed ‘Mohini Hameed Studio’.