: ''This article describes the organisation formed during World War II in Singapore. For the Provisional Government formed by Raja Mahendra Pratap during World War I, see Provisional Government of India.''

Coordinates	6°1′″N6°55′″N
Native name	आर्ज़ी हुक़ूमत-ए-आज़ाद हिन्द عارضی حکومت‌ِ آزاد ہند Ārzī Hukūmat-e-Āzād Hind
Conventional long name	Provisional Government of Free India
Common name	India
Continent	Asia
Region	South East Asia
Country	India
Era	World War II
Status	Provisional government supported by Japan
Year start	1943
Year end	1945
Date start	21 October
Date end	18 August
P1	British Raj
Flag p1	British Raj Red Ensign.svg
S1	British Raj
Flag s1	British Raj Red Ensign.svg
Image coat	AzadHindFlag.png
Symbol	Indian National Army
Symbol type	Insignia
Image map caption	Green: Territory controlled (with Japanese assistance) Light green: Territory claimed
National anthem	''Subh Sukh Chain''
Capital	Port Blair (provisional)
Capital exile	Rangoon Singapore
Common languages	Hindustani
Government type	Provisional government
Title leader	Head of State
Leader1	Subhas Chandra Bose
Year leader1	1943-1945
Title deputy	Prime Minister
Deputy1	Subhas Chandra Bose
Year deputy1	1943-1945
Currency	Azad Hind Rupee
Footnotes	}}

Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (, , the Provisional Government of Free India), simply Free India or Azad Hind, was an Indian provisional government established in Singapore in 1943.

It was a part of a political movement originating in the 1940s outside of India with the purpose of allying with Axis powers to free India from British Rule. Established by Indian nationalists-in-exile during the latter part of the second world war in Singapore with monetary, military and political assistance from Imperial Japan, to fight against British Rule in India. After completing the task of reorganizing the Indian Independence League and launching preparations for revolutionizing the army, and after conducting a successful campaign to mobilize the support of the Indian communities throughout Southeast Asia—a phase which lasted from July to October—Netaji turned toward formation of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind (Free India). This had to be done before the army could be sent for action in the battlefield. Founded on October 21, 1943, the government was inspired by the concepts of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who was also the leader of the government and the Head of State of this Provisional Indian Government in Exile. The government proclaimed authority over Indian civilian and military personnel in Southeast Asian British colonial territory and prospective authority over Indian territory to fall to the Japanese forces and the Indian National Army during the Japanese thrust towards India during the Second World War. The government of Azad Hind had its own currency, court and civil code, and in the eyes of many Indians its existence gave a greater legitimacy to the independence struggle against the British.

However, while it possessed all the nominal requisites of a legitimate government, it lacked large and definite areas of sovereign territory until the government assumed control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Japan in 1943 and the occupation of parts of Manipur and Nagaland. Throughout its existence, it remained heavily dependent on Japanese support.

Immediately after the formation of the government-in-exile, Azad Hind declared war against the Anglo-American allied forces on the Indo-Burma Front. Its army, the "Azad Hind Fauj", (Indian National Army or the ''INA'') went into action against the British Indian Army and the allied forces alongside the Imperial Japanese Army in the Imphal-Kohima sector. The INA was to make its mark in the battle of Imphal where along with the Japanese 15th Army it breached the British defences in Kohima, reaching the salient of Moirang before Allied air dominance and compromised supply lines forced both the Japanese and the INA to lift the siege.

The existence of Azad Hind was essentially coterminous with the existence of the Indian National Army. While the government itself continued until the civil administration of the Andaman Islands was returned to the jurisdiction of the British towards the end of the war, the limited power of Azad Hind was effectively ended with the surrender of the last major contingent of INA troops in Rangoon. The supposed death of Bose is seen as the end of the entire Azad Hind Movement.

The Allies at the time, as well as some post-war historians, regarded the Government as a puppet state. The government was not recognised by Allied governments or Vichy France. Some other historians contend that the Azad Hind was a free and independent government.

The legacy of Azad Hind is, however, open to judgment. After the war, the Raj observed with alarm the transformation of the perception of Azad Hind from traitors and collaborators to "the greatest among the patriots". Given the tide of militant nationalism that swept through India and the resentment and revolts it inspired, it is arguable that its overarching aim: to germinate public resentment and revolts within the Indian forces of the British Indian Army to overthrow the Raj was ultimately successful.

Establishment

The direct origins of Azad Hind can be linked to two conferences of Indian expatriates from across Southeast Asia, the first of which was held in Tokyo in March of 1942. At this conference, convened by Rash Behari Bose, an Indian expatriate living in Japan, the Indian Independence League was established as the first move towards an independent Indian state politically aligned with the Empire of Japan. Rash also moved to create a sort of liberation army that would assist in driving the British from India - this force would later become the Indian National Army. The second conference, held later that year in Bangkok, invited Subhas Chandra Bose to participate in the leadership of the League. Bose was living in Germany at the time and made the trip to Japan via submarine.

Rash Behari Bose, who was already aging by the time the League was founded, struggled to keep the League organized and failed to secure resources for the establishment of the Indian National Army. He was replaced as president of the Indian Independence League by Subhas Chandra Bose; there is some controversy as to whether he stepped down of his own volition or by pressure from the Japanese who needed a more energetic and focused presence leading the Indian nationalists.

Bose arrived in Tokyo on June 13, 1943, and declared his intent to make an assault against the eastern provinces of India in an attempt to oust the British from control of the subcontinent. Bose arrived in Singapore on July 2, and in October 1943 formally announced the establishment of the Provisional Government of Free India. In defining the tasks of this new political establishment, Subhas declared: “It will be the task of the Provisional Government to launch and conduct the struggle that will bring about the expulsion of the British and their allies from the soil of India.” Bose, taking formal command of the demoralized and undermanned Indian National Army from Rash Bose, turned it into a professional army with the help of the Japanese. He recruited Indian civilians living in Japanese-occupied territories of South-east Asia, and incorporated vast numbers of Indian POWs from British forces in Singapore, Malaya and Hong Kong to man the brigades of the INA.

Ministers

The Provisional Government of Free India consisted of a Cabinet headed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as the ''Head of the State, The Prime Minister and the Minister for War and Foreign Affairs''.

Captain Doctor Lakshmi Swaminathan (later married as Lakshmi Sehgal) was the ''Minister in Charge of Women's Organization''. She held this position over and above her command of the ''Rani Jhansi Regiment'', a brigade of women soldiers fighting for the Indian National Army. For a regular Asian army, this women's regiment was quite visionary; it was the first of its kind established on the continent. Dr. Lakshmi was one of the most popular and prosperous gynaecologists in Singapore before she gave up her fabulous practice to lead the troops of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment.

Other public administration ministers of the Provisional Government of Free India included:

Mr. S. A. Ayer - the Minister of Broadcasting and Publicity

Lt. Col. A. C. Chatterji - the Minister of Finance

The Indian National Army was represented by Armed Forces ministers, including:

Lt. Col. Aziz Ahmed

Lt. Col. N. S. Bhagat

Lt. Col. J. K. Bhonsle

Lt. Colonel Guizara Singh

Lt. Col. M.Z. Kiani

Lt. Col. A. D. Loganathan

Lt. Col. Ehsan Qadir

Lt. Col. Shahnawaz Khan

The Provisional Government was also constituted and administered by a number of Secretaries and Advisors to Subhas Chandra Bose, including:

A.N. Sahay - Secretary

Karim Ghani

Debnath Das

D.M. Khan

A. Yellapa

J. Thivy

Sirdar Isher Singh

A. N. Sarkar - the government's official Legal Advisor

All of these Secretaries and Advisory officials held Ministerial rank in the Provisional Government. The extent of the Provisional Government's day-to-day management of affairs for Azad Hind is not entirely well-documented, so their specific functions as government officials for the state outside of their positions as support ministers for Subhas Chandra Bose is not entirely certain.

Recognition

Azad Hind was recognized as a legitimate and independent successor state to British rule in India by only a small number of countries, limited almost solely to Axis powers and their affiliate states and puppet regimes. Azad Hind had diplomatic relations with nine countries: Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, Fascist Italy, the Independent State of Croatia, Wang Jingwei's Government in Nanjing, Thailand, the State of Burma, Manchukuo and the Philippine Republic. On the declaration of its formation in Singapore the President of Ireland, Éamon de Valera, sent a note of congratulations to Bose. Vichy France, however, although being an Axis collaborator, never gave formal political recognition to Azad Hind. Recent researches have shown that the Soviet Union too had recognised the Provisional Government of Free India. This government participated as an observer in the Greater East Asia Conference in November 1943.

Government administration and World War II

The same night that Bose declared the existence of Azad Hind, the government took action to declare war against the United States and Britain. The government consisted of a Cabinet ministry acting as an advisory board to Subhas Bose, who was given the title "Netaji" (translating roughly to "leader") and was no doubt the dominant figure in the Provisional Government. He exercised virtual authoritarian control over the government and the army. With regards to the government's first issuances of war declarations, the "Cabinet had not been unanimous about the inclusion of the U.S.A. Bose had shown impatience and displeasure - there was never any question then or later of his absolute authority: the Cabinet had no responsibility and could only tender advice..."

At the end of October 1943, Bose flew to Tokyo to participate in the Greater East Asia Conference as an observer to Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere; it could not function as a delegate because India had technically fallen outside the jurisdiction of Japan's definition of "Greater East Asia", but Bose gave speeches in opposition to Western colonialism and imperialism at the conference. By the end of the conference, Azad Hind had been given a limited form of governmental jurisdiction over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which had been captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy early on in the war.

Once under the jurisdiction of Azad Hind, the islands formed the government's first claims to territory. The islands themselves were renamed "Shaheed" and "Swaraj", meaning "martyr" and "self-rule" respectively. Bose placed the islands under the governorship of Lt Col A. D Loganathan, and had limited involvement with the official governorship of the territory, instead involving himself in plans to expand the Indian National Army, ensure adequate men and materiel, and formulate its course of actions and the administrations and relations of the Indian population in south east Asia and determining Japanese designs in India and his provisional government. In theory the government itself had the power to levy taxes on the local populace, and to make and enforce laws: in practice they were enforced by the police force under Japanese control. Indians were willing to pay these taxes at first, but became less inclined to do so towards the end of the war when the Provisional Government enacted legislation for higher war-time taxes to fund the INA. During his interrogation after the war Loganathan admitted that he had only had full control over the islands' vestigial education department, as the Japanese had retained full control over the police force, and in protest he had refused to accept responsibility for any other areas of Government. He was powerless to prevent the Homfreyganj massacre of the 30th January 1944, where forty-four Indian civilians were shot by the Japanese on suspicion of spying. Many of them were members of the Indian Independence League, whose leader in Port Blair, Dr. Diwan Singh, had already been tortured to death in the Cellular Jail after doing his best to protect the islanders from Japanese atrocities during the first two years of the occupation.

Azad Hind's military forces in the form of the INA saw some successes against the British, and moved with the Japanese army to lay siege to the town of Imphal in eastern India. Plans to march towards Delhi, gaining support and fresh recruits along the way, stalled both with the onset of monsoon season and the failure to capture Imphal. British bombing seriously reduced morale, and the Japanese along with the INA forces began their withdrawal from India.

In addition to these setbacks, the INA was faced with a formidable challenge when the troops were left to defend Rangoon without the assistance of the Japanese in the winter of 1944-1945. Loganathan was relocated from the Andaman Islands to act as field commander. With the INA garrison about 6,000 strong, he manned the Burmese capital in the absence of any other police force or troops during the period between the departure of the Japanese and the arrival of the British. He was successful in maintaining law and order to the extent that there was not a single case of dacoity or of loot during the period from April 24 to May 4, 1945.

Indian areas under the Administration of the Provisional Government

Almost all of the territory of the Provisional Government lay in the Andaman Islands, although the Provisional Government was allowed some authority over Indian enclaves in Japanese-occupied territories. Provisional Government civil authority was never enacted in areas occupied by the INA; instead, Japanese military authority prevailed and responsibility for administration of occupied areas of India was shared between the Japanese and the Indian forces.

The Defeat of the INA and the Collapse of the Provisional Government

Left to defend Rangoon from the British advance without support from the Japanese, the INA was soundly defeated. Bose had fled Burma and returned to Singapore before the fall of Rangoon; the government Azad Hind had established on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands collapsed when the island garrisons of Japanese and Indian troops were defeated by British troops and the islands themselves retaken. Allegedly Bose himself was killed in a plane crash departing from Taiwan attempting to escape to Russia. The Provisional Government of Free India ceased to exist with the deaths of the Axis, the INA, and Netaji Bose in 1945.

The troops who manned the brigades of the Indian National Army were taken as prisoners of war by the British. A number of these prisoners were brought to India and tried by British courts for treason, including a number of high ranking officers such as Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. The defense of these individuals from prosecution by the British became a central point of contention between the British Raj and the Indian Independence Movement in the post-war years.

Relations with Japan and View of Azad Hind as Axis Collaborator

Subhas Chandra Bose, while an ally of Japan throughout the war, has become a controversial figure for his stances against imperialism which would run in opposition against what was generally recognized as Japanese imperialism in Asia during World War II. Bose himself opposed all manner of such colonial practices, but saw Britain as hypocritical in "fighting a war for democracy" but refusing to extend the same respect for democracy and equal rights to their colonial subjects in India. Bose opposed British racial policy and declared working for the abolition of racial discrimination with Burmese, Japanese and other Asians. Criticism of Bose remains, with some accusing him of fascism, citing his strict control over the Provisional Government as evidence of this; some accused him of wanting to establish a totalitarian state in India with the blessings of the Axis powers. It is inaccurate to term Bose solely as a fascist.But he believed that parliamentary democracy was unsuitable for India immediately after independence , and that a centrally organized, self-sufficient, semi-socialist India under the firm control of a single party was the best course for Indian government. Some of his ideas would help shape Indian governmental policy in the aftermath of the country's independence from Britain.

The fact that Azad Hind was aligned politically with Japan may have little to do with explicit agreement and support for Japanese policy in Asia, and more with what Bose saw as a pragmatic approach to Indian independence. Disillusioned with Gandhi's philosophies of non-violence, Bose was clearly of the camp that supported exploiting British weakness to gain Indian independence. Throughout the existence of Azad Hind, Bose sought to distance himself from Japanese collaboration and become more self-sufficient, but found this difficult since the existence of Azad Hind as a governmental entity had only come about with the support of the Japanese, on whom the government and army of Azad Hind were entirely dependent. Bose, however, remains a hero in present-day India and is remembered as a man who fought fiercely for Indian independence.

Although Japanese troops saw much of the combat in India against the British, the INA was certainly by itself an effective combat force, having faced British and allied troops and making their mark in the Battle of Imphal. On 18 April 1944 the suicide squads led by Col. Shaukat Malik broke through the British defence and captured Moirang in Manipur. The Azad Hind administration took control of the this independent Indian territory. Following Moirang, the advancing INA breached the Kohima road, posing a threat to the British positions in both Silchar and Kohima. Col. Gulzara Singh's column had penetrated 250 miles into India. The Azad Brigade advanced, by outflanking the Anglo-American positions. However, INA's most serious, and ultimately fatal, limitations were the reliance on Japanese logistics and supplies and the total air-dominance of the allies, -which, along with a supply line deluged by torrential rain, frustrated the INA's and the Japanese bid to take Imphal.

With the siege of Imphal failing, the Japanese began to shift priority for resource allocation from South Asia to the Pacific, where they were fighting United States troops advancing from island to island against Japanese holdings there. When it had become clear that Bose's plans to advance to Delhi from the borders of Burma would never materialize due to the defeat of the INA at Imphal and the halt of Japanese armies by British aerial and later naval superiority in the region, Japanese support for Azad Hind declined.

Contributions to the Indian Independence

The true judgement of success or failure of the movement remains open to historians. However, the true extent to which the INA's activities influenced the decision to leave India is mirrored by the views of Clement Attlee, the British Prime Minister at the time of India's Independence. Attlee cites several reasons, the most important of which were the INA activities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which weakened the very foundation of the British Empire in India, and the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny which made the British realise that the support of the Indian armed forces could no longer be relied upon.

See also

Freedom fighters of India

Notes

External links

The Last Straw That Broke the Back of the British Empire

Netaji Subhas

Lecture notes on Bose

Category:Indian independence movement Category:Indian National Army Category:Azad Hind Category:Subhas Chandra Bose Category:National liberation movements Category:National liberation armies Category:Military history of India during World War II Category:Provisional governments Category:Urdu words and phrases

ar:عارضي حكومة آزاد هند bn:আর্জি হুকুমত-এ-আজাদ হিন্দ cs:Azad Hind de:Azad Hind es:Gobierno provisional para una India libre fr:Gouvernement provisoire de l'Inde libre ko:자유 인도 임시 정부 id:Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind it:Governo dell'India Libera ms:Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind ja:自由インド仮政府 ru:Азад Хинд uk:Азад Хінд zh:自由印度臨時政府

Etienne Saqr (born in 1937) (last name also spelt Sakr or Sacre, Arabic: إتيان صقر), also known by his nom de guerre ''"Abu Arz"'' (translate: Father of Cedars), is a far-right, Lebanese nationalist and founder of the Guardians of the Cedars militia and political party ( حراس الأرز, Horras Al-Arz in Arabic). Saqr and his militia participated in the Lebanese War facing the Palestinians and the Syrians in the 1970s and 1980s, and remained militantly active until he was expelled from the country with the flight of the South Lebanon Army, of which he was not a member, in May 2000. He is the father of notable Lebanese performers Karol Sakr and Pascale Sakr

Biography

Saqr was born in Ain Ebel in 1937, one of eleven children, of whom eight were boys and three were girls. He was educated in French schools in Tripoli and Beirut. He joined the ''Sûreté générale'' (General Security Directorate) in 1954 and was involved in fighting against pan-Arab forces in the Lebanon crisis of 1958. He left the security services in 1969, went into business, and became politically active in Lebanese nationalist circles. He opposed the Cairo Agreement of 1969. Worthy noting is the pan-Lebanese conception of the party whose members were drawn not only from Christian circles but Muslim and Druze as well.

In the early 1970s, Saqr helped to organize the Lebanese Renewal Party, and in 1975 he formed the Guardians of the Cedars inspired by his 'nom de guerre' Abu Arz (father of the cedars). In the Lebanese Civil War, which began in 1975, the Guardians of the Cedars fought under the slogans "No Palestinian will remain in Lebanon" and "Lebanon, at your service". The Guardians of the Cedars joined the Lebanese Front, a coalition of mainly Christian parties intended to act as a counter force to the Lebanese National Movement of Kamal Jumblatt and others. While Saqr objected to the Syrian intervention in 1976, the Lebanese Front accepted it. Saqr withdrew from the Front and the Guardians retreated to the mountains but continued to fight on the LF side in key battles, including East Beirut (1978 and Zahlé (1981).

Saqr was placed under house arrest in 1990 by his former allies, the Lebanese Forces, after the latter accepted the Taif Agreement. Eventually, Saqr was forced to leave Beirut for southern Lebanon and upon Israel's withdrawal from the south in 2000, Saqr fled to Israel. In an address to the Knesset a few days later, Saqr argued against the withdrawal saying Israel had "made heroes out of Hezbollah." He has been sentenced to death in absentia by a Lebanese court on charges of collaborating with Israel, and remains in exile - not in Israel - until today.

Etienne Saqr has 3 children, one boy named Arz Sakr and two girl who are both famous Lebanese singers, Karol Sakr and Pascale Sakr.

References

External links

Guardians of the Cedars - website

The History of Relations between Jews in Israel and Christians in Lebanon

Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:Lebanese Maronites Category:People sentenced to death in absentia Category:People from South Lebanon Category:Lebanese nationalists Category:Lebanese anti-Syrian activists Category:Guardians of the Cedars politicians Category:Lebanese exiles

ar:إتيان صقر fr:Étienne Sacr he:אטיין סאקר pl:Etienne Sakr

Coordinates	6°1′″N6°55′″N
name	Pankaj Udhas
alt	Pankaj Udhas at Westin Hotel New Year Bash
birth date	May 17, 1951
birth place	Jetpur, Gujarat, India
occupation	Ghazal Singer
spouse	Farida
children	Nayaab and Rewa
website	http://www.pankajudhas.com/
footnotes	}}

Pankaj Udhas is an Indian singer, credited in the Indian music industry, along with other musicians like Jagjit Singh and Talat Aziz, with bringing the style to the realm of popular music. Udhas rose to fame for singing in the film Naam (1986 film), in which his song ''Chitthi Aayee Hai'' became an instant hit. Following that, he has also performed as a playback singer for numerous films. He has recorded many albums since then and tours the world as an accomplished ghazal singer. In 2006, Pankaj Udhas was awarded the Padmashree.

Early life

Pankaj Udhas was born in Jetpur near Rajkot in Gujarat and is the youngest of three brothers. He hails from Charan nandi community. His father's name is Keshubhai Udhas and mother's name is Jituben Udhas. His eldest brother Manhar Udhas achieved some success as a Hindi playback singer in Bollywood movies. His second elder brother Nirmal Udhas is also a well-known Ghazal Singer and was the first of the three brothers to start singing in the family. He had studied in Sir BPTI Bhavanagar. His family moved to Mumbai and Pankaj attended St. Xavier's College in Mumbai.

Career

Pankaj Udhas' older brother, Manhar, was a stage performer and this aided Pankaj in his introduction to musical performance. His first stage performance was during the Sino-Indian War, when he sang "Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon" and was given Rs. 51 by an audience member as a reward.

Four years later, he joined the Sharabi Natya Academy in Rajkot and learned the nuances of playing the tabla. After that, he pursued a Bachelor of Science degree at Wilson College, and started to work in a bar, practicing his singing extracurricularly.

Udhas' first singing role in a film was in the 1972 film ''Kamna'', which was a flop.

Subsequently, Udhas developed an interest in ''ghazal''s and learned Urdu to try to pursue a career as a ghazal singer. After finding little success, he moved to Canada and, after spending some time there and in the U.S. performing ''ghazal''s at small shows, he returned to India.

His first ghazal album, ''Aahat'', was released in 1980. From this, he began to have success and, as of 2009, he has now released over 40 albums.

In 1986, Udhas received another opportunity to perform in film, in the film ''Naam'', which brought him fame. In 1990, he sang the melodious duet 'Mahiya Teri Kasam' with the nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, for the movie Ghayal. This song achieved immense popularity. In 1994, Udhas sang the notable song, ''Na Kajre Ki Dhar'', from the film Mohra. He continued working as a playback singer, making some on-screen appearances in films such as ''Saajan'', ''Yeh Dillagi'', and ''Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayee''.

Later, Udhas started a talent hunt television program called ''Aadab Aarz Hai'' on Sony Entertainment Television

Personal life

Pankaj Udhas is married to Farida. They have two daughters, Nayaab and Rewa.

Awards

2006 - Pankaj Udhas Awarded Padmashree for completing his Silver Jubilee in Gazal singing career.

2006 - Awarded the prestigious "Kalakar" award at Kolkotta for "Hasrat" as "Best Ghazal album of 2005".

2004 - Special Felicitation at the Wembley Conference Center, London for Completing 20 Years of Performance at the Prestigious Venue.

2003 - MTV Immies Award for the successful album 'In Search of Meer'.

2003 - Special Achievement Award at the Bollywood Music Award, New York for Popularizing Ghazals Across the Globe.

2003 - Dadabhai Naoroji Millennium Award conferred by the Dadabhai Naoroji International Society for Contribution to Ghazal and the Music Industry.

2002 - Award for Excellence in Music Field presented by Sahyog Foundation at Mumbai.

2002 - Honored by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce.

2001 - Vocational Recognition Award for Outstanding Performance as a Ghazal singer presented by Rotary Club of Mumbai Downtown.

1999 - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, USA Award for extraordinary services to Indian music, especially promotion of ghazals in India and abroad. Presented at the Festival of Ghazals held in New York.

1998 - Indian Arts Awards Gala presented by the Mayor of the City of Jersey City.

1998 - Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award presented by the American Academy of Artists at Atlantic City.

1996 - Indira Gandhi Priyadarshani Award for Outstanding Services, Achievement and Contribution to Music.

1994 - Honorary Citizenship of Lubbock Texas, USA.

1994 - Radio Lotus Award for Outstanding Achievement and for the many songs featuring on the official hit parade of the radio. Presented by Radio Lotus, South Africa at the University of Durban.

1993 - Giants International Award for extraordinary efforts to achieve the highest standards in the field of music thereby motivating the entire community to pursue excellence.

1990 - Outstanding Young Persons' Award (1989-90) for positive leadership and distinguish services rendered to the nation. Presented by the Indian Junior Chambers.

1985 - K L Saigal Award for being the Best Ghazal Singer of the Year.

Albums by Pankaj Udhas

Aahat (1980)

Mukarrar * Tarrannum

Nabeel

Nayaab

Shagufta

Aman

Mehfil

Rajuat (Gujarati)

Baisakhi (Punjabi)

Geetnuma * Yaad

Stolen Moments

Kabhi Ansoo Kabhi Khushboo Kabhi Naghuma * Humnasheen * Aafreen * Woh Ladki Yaad Aati Hai

Rubaayee

Mahek

Ghoonghat

Muskaan

In Search of Meer (2003)

Hasrat

Bhalobasha (Bengali)

Endless Love

Yaara - Music by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Shabad - Music by Vaibhav Saxena and Gunjan Jha

Shaayar (2010)

References

Shabad-

External links

Lyrics are available at - http://pankajudhas.blogspot.com

Official site

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Ghazal singers Category:Indian ghazal singers Category:People from Rajkot Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri

bn:পঙ্কজ উদাস gu:પંકજ ઉધાસ hi:पंकज उधास ml:പങ്കജ് ഉദാസ് te:పంకజ్ ఉధాస్ ur:پنکج ادھاس

Melhem Zein, also transliterated Melhem Zain (}}) (born in Shmistar, Lebanon on October 21, 1982) is a well-known Lebanese pan-Arab singer. He is married to the daughter of Ali Salim al-Beidh, the former President of Democratic Republic of Yemen.

Earlier, when he was 16, Melhem Hussein Zein first participated in an Amateur Singing Program called ''Kaas Al Nojoum'' (The Cup of the Stars) on the Lebanese LBC Channel for singing Mohammed Abd El Wahhab's "Ya Jarat Al Wadi" (The Neighbour of the Valley).

His pan-Arab stardom came particularly after coming third in ''Super Star'' 1, the Pan-Arab version of ''Pop Idol''. Melhem receives the title of "Al Rayyes" (The Boss) of the Lebanese folklore songs from George Ibrahim El Khouri and his fans for singing Lebanese singer Wadih El Safi's "Endak Bahriyya Ya Rayyes" on ''Super Star''. Demonstrations and riots erupted throughout Lebanon when it was known he had been eliminated in the semi-finals by the pan-SArab voting against finalists Diana Karazon (from Jordan), the eventual winner of the series and Rouwaida Attieh (from Syria), the eventual runner-up. But despite his defeat in the semi-finals, he became a very successful pabn-Arab artist.

Zein has released three albums ''Enti Msheeti'' (2004), ''Baddi Hibbik'' (2006) and ''Aalawa'' (2008). All three albums have enjoyed great success throughout the Arab world solidifying Melhem's status as a star.

Melhem includes Wadih El Safi, Mohammed Abd El Wahhab and Nazem Al Ghazali as his main musical inspirations.

Discography

2004 ''Enti Msheeti''

2006 ''Baddi Hebbek''

2008 ''Aallawa''

''SuperStar'' Performances

Top 55: خطرنا على بالك ("Khatarna Ala Balak") by Toni Hanna

Top 12: عندك بحريه ("Andak Bahriyya") by Wadi El safi

Top 10: رمشة عينك ("Remshet Aaynik") by Wadi El Safi

Top 8: سهروني الليل ("Sahharoni El Lail") by Ragheb Alama

Top 7: دقوا المهابيج ("Deggo El Mahabeej") by Fairuz

Top 6: على جرى ("Alli Jara") by Oulaia El Tunisiya

Top 5: وبعاد كنتم ("Webaad Kentom") by Mohammed Abdo

Top 4: سمرا وانا الحاصودي ("Samra Wana El Hasoudi") by Ali El Deek

Top 4: صرخة بطل ("Sarkhet Batal") by Wadi El Safi

Top 3: انت عمري ("Enta Omri") by Um Kulthum

Top 3: يا غايب ("Ya Ghayeb") by Fadel Shakir

Top 3: ولا مره ("Wala Marra") by Melhem Barakat

External links

Melhem Zein's Website

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Arab people Category:Idol series participants Category:Lebanese male singers Category:Super Star (Arabic TV series)

ar:ملحم زين de:Melhem Zein