Zarina Baloch
Zarina Baloch was a Sindhi folk music singer, vocalist and composer from the Sindh province of Pakistan. She was also an actress, Radio and TV artist, writer, teacher for over 30 years, political activist and social worker. She is notable for her revolutionary songs and resistance against the military dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq.
Early life and family
She was born on 29 December 1931 in Allahdad Chand village, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Her mother, Gulroz Jalalani, died in 1940 when Zarina was six years old. She studied with Mohammad Juman, who was also a Sindhi singer. At the early age of 15 years, her family arranged her marriage with a remote relative. She had two children: Akhter Baloch also known as Zina, and Aslam Parvez. However, Baloch and her husband disagreed on the subject of her further education and the pair were separated in 1958. Baloch joined Radio Hyderabad in 1960 and received her first Music Award in 1961. Then Zarina married Sindhi politician Rasool Bux Palijo in Hyderabad on 22 September 1964. They had a son, Ayaz Latif Palijo. In 1967, she became a teacher at the Model School Sindh University. She retired in 1997 and died in 2005 of brain cancer at Liaquat National Hospital.Imprisonment and political activism
In 1979, Zarina was arrested and imprisoned in Sukkur and Karachi jails for leading the protests against President General Zia-ul-Haq's martial law. Because of her struggle against the ruling classes and against gender discrimination, feudalism and martial laws of Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan, she earned the title of JeeJee of the Sindhi people. She was one of the leading founders of Sindhiani Tahreek, Women's Action Forum, Sindhi Adabi Sangat and Sindhi Haree Committee. She was fluent in Sindhi, Urdu, Seraiki, Balochi, Persian, Arabic and Gujrati.Awards and recognition
- Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1994
- Faiz Ahmed Faiz Award
- Pakistan Television Corporation Award
- Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Award
- Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Award