A lakh ( /ˈlæk/ LAK or /ˈlɑːk/ LAHK; also lac; abbreviated L; Sinhala: ලක්ෂය, Hindi: लाख, Marathi: लाख, Nepali: लाख, Bengali: লাখ, Urdu: لاکھ) is a unit in the South Asian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; 10⁵), written as 1,00,000. It is widely used both in official and other contexts in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.

Usage[link]

In English the word is used both as an attributive and non-attributive noun, and with either a marked ("-s") or unmarked plural: "1 lakh people" or "1 lakh of people", "200 lakh rupees, "5 lakh of rupees", "rupees 10 lakhs", "5 lakhs of rupees" are all to be found. In the abbreviated form, usage such as "5L" (for Rupees 5 lakh) is common.

The Indian numbering system also uses separators differently from the Western system besides the three least significant digits of the integer part, a comma divides every two rather than every three digits, thus:

This accords with the Indian numbering system, which has units for thousand, hundred thousand, ten million, etc.

Etymology and regional variants[link]

The root of the word lakh may be Pali lakkha—masculine mark, target, stake in gambling; from the latter derived the numerical meaning, "one hundred thousand".^[1] Or its root may be Sanskrit laksha (Devanagari: लक्ष) which has similar meanings in Sanskrit.

South Asian languages[link]

• Assamese: লাখ lakh
• Bengali: লাখ lakh or লক্ষ lokkho
• Dhivehi: ލައްކަ lakka
• Gujarati: લાખ lākh
• Hindi: लाख lākh
  • Bombay Hindi: पेटी peti (peṭi)
    (Peṭi refers to a briefcase. That is the amount of money in Rs. 100 notes that can fit into a briefcase.)
• Kannada: ಲಕ್ಷ lakṣa
• Kashmiri: lach
• Konkani: लाख lākh or लक्ष lakṣa
• Malayalam: ലക്ഷം lakṣham
• Marathi: लाख lākh or लक्ष lakṣa
• Nepali: लाख lākh
• Oriya: ଲକ୍ଷ lakhya
• Pashto: لک lak
• Persian: لک lak
• Punjabi: ਲੱਖ/لکھ lakkh
• Romani: लाख lakh
• Sanskrit: लक्ष lakṣá
• Sindhi: lakhu
• Sinhalese: ලක්ෂ laksha
• Tamil : லட்சம் latcham
• Telugu: లక్ష lakṣa
• Urdu: لاکھ lākh

Non-South Asian languages[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

• Arabic:لاك lāk
• Azerbaijiani: lakca
• Greek: lákka
• Kapampangan Language: laksâ
• Malay Languages: laksa
• Maltese: gommalakka
• Swahili: laki or lakhi
• Tagalog: laksa
• Thai: ลักขะ lakkha or ลักษะ laksa (from Pali lakkha and Sanskrit lakśa respectively; obsolete as a numeral, but otherwise retains root meaning in Thai numeral place value, Lak Mueang, and Thai milestones)
• Turkic Languages: laka

See also[link]

• Crore (= 100 lakh)
• Myriad
• Names of large numbers
• Names of numbers in English

References[link]

• IINRG, Ranchi. "Government Organisation". http://ilri.ernet.in. 

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2012)

Gurdas Maan ਗੁਰਦਾਸ ਮਾਨ
Gurdas Mann at Divya Dutta's mom Nalini's book launch
Background information
Born	(1957-01-04) 4 January 1957 (age 55) Giddarbaha, Sri Muktsar Sahib, East Punjab (India)
Genres	Folk Bhangra
Occupations	Singer-songwriter Actor Musician
Years active	1980 – present
Website	http://www.gurdasmaan.com

Gurdas Maan (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦਾਸ ਮਾਨ) is an Punjabi singer, songwriter, choreographer, and actor. He is considered one of the most notable figures in the world of Punjabi music. He was born in Giddarbaha village of Indian Punjab and gained national attention in 1980 with the song "Dil Da Mamla Hai." Since then, he has gone on to record over 34 albums and has written over 300 songs.

Early life[link]

Maan was formally educated in D.A.V College Malout Punjab.^{[citation needed]} After completing his education there, his parents enrolled him in a further education institute in Patiala.^{[citation needed]} As a keen sports enthusiast Maan was fascinated by the National Institute of Sports in the city; this prompted him to join the N.I.S. and gain a Masters degree in physical education.^{[citation needed]}

He took part in youth festivals organized by universities and won several awards for his singing and acting, always supported by his friends. He competed in many athletic events and won medals including a bronze at the National Championship as well as achieving a black belt in judo.^[1]

Career[link]

1980s[link]

In one of his stage plays, he performed a song he had written called "Dil Da Mamla Hai." The play was seen by a producer for Doordarshan Kendra Jalandhar, the producer who thought the song to have potential approached Maan with a proposition for a TV performance of the song to which Maan agreed. When the song was aired on 31 December 1980 it gained national attention and Gurdas Maan became a national figure. The success of the song attracted the attention of HMV who wanted to record and release it. With HMV Maan eventually released his debut album a year later in 1981. When Maan began his career as a solo performer in India, the music industry was dominated by duet artists and he reportedly declined many offers to become part of a duet as he wished to perform and become a successful solo artist. The film that Gurdas Mann starred in "Mamla Garbar Hai" was directed by Hari Dutt.

During his early career he also wrote and directed TV programs such as POP Time for the Doordarshan Network in Delhi.

1990s and 2000s[link]

Gurdas Maan is often credited with raising Punjabi folk music from a regional level mostly in the Punjab to gain international recognition. His album Apna Punjab won Best Album at the 1998 Asian Pop and Media Awards held in Birmingham. Maan won Best Song for the title track and Best International Artist the same year. In addition to these awards, Maan more recently won three music awards of Best Lyrics ("Kudiye")Best Song ("Heer"), as well as Best Singer of the Year at the ETC Channel Punjabi Music Awards on 6 March 2005.(Ravinder)

Awards and honours[link]

Gurdas Maan received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Wolverhampton on 7 Sept 2010.^[2] Maan performed at the Royal Albert Hall for two nights in April 2011 as part of his UK tour. This was the first time Maan performed at the Royal Albert Hall, an opportunity that very few artists come across.

On other fronts, Maan has starred in blockbuster Bollywood films and has received numerous awards, including the Jury’s Award, presented to him by the president of India in 2005.

In 2009 he won "Best International Album" at the UK Asian Music Awards for Boot Polishan.^[3]

In 2007 he won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for his song titled "Couplets of Heer" for the movie Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris.

In 2011 PTC Punjabi Film Awards, He won Critics Award for Best Actor in a Movie - Sukhmani.^[4] In 2012 he was honored by a special prize Kohinoor of Punjab by PTC network.

Film[link]

Gurdas Maan is best known as an actor for his performances in two films: Waris Shah-Ishq Da Waaris (2006), which was nominated as India's selection for the Academy Awards, and Shaheed-E-Mohabbat (1999), the film which tells the real-life story of Boota Singh.

Gurdas appeared in the hit film Shaheed Udham Singh (2000), in which he played the role of Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary, with no prejudices based on religion, caste or creed. As a singer Maan has worked with music directors such as Laxmikant Pyarelal, Bappi Lahiri, Anu Malik, Nadeem Sharvan, Amar Haidipur, Charanjeet Ahuja, and Jaswant Bhanyra.

He starred alongside Juhi Chawla in the epic Des Hoyaa Pardes (2004), an emotional film illustrating the tragedies faced by the people of Punjab in the 1980s. He adopted the role of a son of a well-respected Jatt (bilingual separatist) Gurdev Singh Somal. He falls in love with a high-ranking police officer’s daughter. Before the wedding, the father is murdered by separatists. This tale soon twists in to the inevitable demise of Gurshaan (Gurdas Maan). This movie was based on actual events.

Aside from singing in Punjabi, he is fluent in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Haryanvi and Rajasthani. As an actor he has performed in Punjabi, Hindi and Tamil movies, but he is best known for his starring role in Waris Shah-Ishq Da Waaris, a depiction of the Punjabi poet Waris Shah during the creation of his epic poem Heer Ranjha, again co-starring Juhi Chawla and Divya Dutta.Waris Shah-Ishq Da Waaris was also the first Punjabi movie which was nominated for OSCAR Awards 2006. He made a special appearance in Veer-Zaara with Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta.

He has appeared in Ucha Dar Babe Nanak Da (1982), Mamla Garbar Hai (1984), Long Da Lishkara (1986), Qurbani Jatt Di (1990), Pratigya (1990), Roohani Taaqat (1991), Saali Adhi Ghar Waali (1992), Wanted: Gurdas Maan Dead or Alive (1994), Kachehri (1994), and Zindagi Khoobsoorat Hai (2002).

Personal life[link]

Maan is married to Manjit and has one son Gurikk who has done his schooling at Yadavindra Public School and Mayo College. He also studied at Eton College. His brothers name is Paramjit Bahia^[1]

In Kundli, Sonepat, Haryana, India on 20 January 2007 Maan was involved in a car accident in which his Range Rover was hit and severely damaged by a truck. Maan escaped with minor injuries on his face, hands and chest. His driver Ganesh was injured seriously but recovered soon after.

This was the second car accident of two that Gurdas Maan was involved in. The first accident was a head-on collision between Maan's vehicle and a truck on 9 January 2001 at a village near Rupnagar, Punjab. In this accident Maan's driver Tejpal was killed. Maan later admitted that his driver asked him to wear his seat belt minutes before the accident. Maan believes that if it had not been for his driver's advice, he would have been dead as well. Later he wrote and performed a song "Baithi sade naal savari utter gayi" dedicated to his driver, who was also his good friend.

During a radio interview Maan revealed to the host, Gagan Grewal, that he is an avid supporter of Liverpool football club.^[5]

Gurdas Maan Started his career as a Employee of Punjab State Electricity Board.

Discography[link]

• 2011: Jogiya (Sai Productions/T-Series/UK BOX OFFICE)
• 2008: Boot Polishan (Sai Creations/UK BOX OFFICE)
• 2005: Vilayatan (T-Series/MovieBox)
• 2004: Heer (T-Series)
• 2003: Punjeeri (T-Series/MovieBox/Music Waves)
• 2001: Pyar Kar Lai (Tips)
• 1999: Jaadugarian (Venus)
• 1998: Dil Hona Chahida Jawaan (Venus)
• 1997: Yaar Mera Pyar (T-Series)
• 1996: Chaklo Chaklo (T-Series)
• 1995: Ishq Na Dekhe Zaat
• 1994: Aaja Sajna
• 1994: Ishq Da Giddha (Tips)
• 1993: Ghar Bhulgi Morh Te Ake
• 1993: Than Than Gopal (RMI)
• 1993: Aakarh Aa Hi Jaandi-E'(Music Bank)
• 1992: Larh Geya Pecha
• 1991: Dil Da Badshah
• 1990: Mohabbat Zindabad
• 1989: Akhiyaan Udeek Dian
• 1988* Raat Suhani'
• 1988: Chugliyaan
• 1988: Wah Ni Jawaniye
• 1987: Geetan Bhari Patari
• 1986: Nacho Babeyo
• 1985: Kurian Ne Judo Sikh Lai
• 1984: Chakkar'
• 1984: Peer Tere Jaan Di
• 1983: Masti
• 1982: Dil Saaf Hona Chahida
• 1982: Disco Vichari
• 1981: Dil Da Mamla Hai

Filmography[link]

• 2013: Punjabiye Zubaney
• 2012: Mitro - Mitro
• 2010: Jaat Haryana ka, Chak Jawana
• 2010: Sukhmani Hope for life (Best Actor - Critic Award PTC Punjabi film Awards 2011.^[4])
• 2009: Mini Punjab (Speed OXL Films)
• 2008: Yaariyan (Universal)
• 2007: Mummy-Ji (special appearance) (Universal)
• 2006: Waris Shah-Ishq Da Waaris (MovieBox)
• 2004: Des Hoyaa Pardes (Universal)
• 2004: Veer Zaara (special appearance)(Yash Raj Films)
• 2002: Zindagi Khoobsoorat Hai
• 2000: Shaheed Udham Singh (MovieBox) ...Shaheed Bhagat Singh
• 1999: Shaheed-E-Mohabbat ...Boota Singh
• 1999 Sirf Tum (special appearance)
• 1995: Subedaar
• 1995: Bagawat ...Gurjeet
• 1994: Kachehri..Gurdas/Ajit
• 1994: Wanted: Gurdas Maan Dead or Alive
• 1992: Saali Adhi Ghar Waali
• 1991: Roohani Taaqat
• 1990: Pratigya ...Billa
• 1990: Qurbani Jatt Di ...Karma
• 1990: Dushmani Di Aag
• 1988: Baghavaat
• 1987: Chhora Haryana Da
• 1986: Ki Banu Duniyan Da
• 1986: Gabhroo Punjab Da ...Shera
• 1986: Laung Da Lashkara
• 1985: Patthar Dil
• 1985: Ucha Dar Babe Nanak Da
• 1984: Mamla Garbar Hai

References[link]

Noorjehan^[1][2] or Noorjehan^[3] (Punjabi, Urdu: نور جہاں) was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai (September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000) who was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. Her career spanned seven decades. She was renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of her time in South Asia and was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum (Urdu: ملکہ ترنم, English: the queen of melody).^[2]

Born in a Punjabi family of musicians, Wasai was pushed by her parents to follow in their musical footsteps and become a singer but she was more interested in acting in films and graced the earliest Pakistani films with her performances. She holds a remarkable record of 10,000 songs to her singing credits in various languages of India and Pakistan including Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Sindhi languages.^[4] Along with Ahmed Rushdi, she holds the highest record of film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema. She is also considered to be the first female Pakistani film director.

In 1957, Jehan was awarded the President's Award for her acting and singing capabilities.

Early life[link]

Noor Jehan was born in Kasur, Punjab, British India^[5] and was one of the eleven children of professional musicians Madad Ali and Fateh Bibi.^[4][6]

Career[link]

Wasai began to sing at the age of five or six years old and showed a keen interest in a range of styles, including traditional folk and popular theatre. Realising her potential for singing, her mother sent her to receive early training in classical singing under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan who was also a native of Kasur. He instructed her in the traditions of the Patiala Gharana of Hindustani classical music and the classical forms of thumri, dhrupad, and khyal.^[7] At the age of nine, Wasai drew the attention of Punjabi musician Ghulam Ahmed Chishti,^[8] who would later introduce her to stage in Lahore. He composed some ghazals, naats and folk songs for her to perform, although she was more keen in breaking into acting or playback singing. Once her vocational training finished, Wasai pursued a career in singing alongside her sisters in Lahore and would usually take part in the live song and dance performances prior to screenings of films in film theatres.

The family moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in hope of developing the movie careers of Wasai and her sisters. During their stay in Calcutta, the renowned singer Mukhtar Begum, encouraged Wasai and her two older sisters to join film companies and recommended them to various producers. She also recommended them to her husband, Agha Hashar Kashmiri, who owned a maidan theatre (a tented theatre to accommodate large audiences). It was here that Wasai received the stage name Baby Noor Jehan. Her older sisters were offered jobs with one of the Seth Sukh Karnani companies, Indira Movietone and they went on to be known as the Punjab Mail.^[4] Wasai would later adopt Mukhtar Begum's way of performance and sari attire.

In 1935, K.D. Mehra directed Pind di Kuri in which Jehan acted along with her sisters. She next acted in a film called Missar Ka Sitara (1936) by the same company and sang in it for music composer, Damodar Sharma. Baby Noor Jehan also played the child role of Heer in the film Heer-Sayyal (1937). After a few years in Calcutta, Noor Jehan returned to Lahore in 1938. In 1939, Ghulam Haider composed songs for Jehan which led to her early popularity. She then recorded her first song Shala Jawaniyan Mane for Dalsukh M. Pancholi's movie Gul Bakavli.

In 1942, she played the main lead opposite Pran in Khadaan. It was her first role as an adult, and the film was a major success. Khandaan's success saw her shifting to Bombay, with director Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. She shared melodies with Shanta Apte in Duhai (1943). It was in this film that Noor Jehan lent her voice for the second time, to another actress named Husn Bano. She married Rizvi later the same year.^[9]

In 1945 Jehan played the lead role, alongside Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, in the movie Bari Maa.

In 1945, she achieved a milestone, when she sung a Qawwali with Zohrabai Ambalewali and Amirbai Karnataki which was "Aahen Na Bhareen Shikave Na Kiye". This was the first ever Qawwali recorded in female voices in South Asian films.

Noor Jehan's (Deepa govindarajan) last film in India was Mirza Sahibaan (1947) which starred Prithviraj Kapoor's brother Trilok Kapoor. Noor Jehan sang 127 songs in Indian films and the number of talking films she made from 1932 to 1947 was 69. The number of silents was 12. Fifty-five of her films were made in Bombay, eight in Calcutta, five in Lahore and one in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma.

Acting career in Pakistan[link]

After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Rizvi and Jehan decided to move to Pakistan. They left Bombay and settled in Karachi with their family.

Three years after settling in Pakistan, Noor Jehan starred in her first film in Pakistan, Chan wey (1951), opposite Santosh Kumar, which was also her first Punjabi film as a heroine. Shaukat and Noor Jehan directed this film together making Noor Jehan Pakistan's first female director. Noor Jehan's second film in Pakistan was Dopatta (1952) which turned out to be an even bigger success than Chan wey (1951).

In 1953-54, Jehan and Rizvi were divorced due to personal differences. She kept custody of the three children from their marriage. News of several affairs followed, including one with cricketer, Nazar Mohammad. In 1959, she married another actor, Ejaz Durrani, nine years her junior.^[9]

Durrani pressured her to give up acting,^[9] and her penultimate film as an actress/singer was Mirza Ghalib (1961). This contributed to the strengthening of her iconic stature. She gained another audience for herself. Her rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's Mujh se pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob naj maang is a unique example of tarranum, reciting poetry as a song. Noor Jehan last acted in Baaji in 1963, though not in a leading role.

Noor Jehan bade farewell to acting in 1963 after a career of 33 years (1930 to 1963). The pressure of being a mother of six children and the demands of being a wife to another actor forced her to give up her career. Noor Jehan made 14 films in Pakistan, ten in Urdu, four in Punjabi.

Noor Jehan as a playback singer[link]

After quitting acting she took up playback singing. She made her debut as a playback singer in 1960 with the film Salma. Her first initial playback for a Pakistani film was for Jan-e-Bahar (1958), in which she sang the song Kaisa Naseeb Layi Thi, picturised on Musarrat Nazir. She received many awards, including the highest Pakistani honour in entertainment, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (The Pride of Performance) in 1966, Pakistan's top civil award. She sang a large number of duets with Ahmed Rushdi, Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana and Mujeeb Aalam.

She had a great understanding and friendship with many great singers of Asia, for example with the late great Alam Lohar and many more singers also.

In the 1990s Jehan also sang for then débutante actresses Neeli and Reema. For this very reason, Sabiha Khanum affectionately called her Sadabahar (evergreen). Her popularity was further boosted with her patriotic songs during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India.

Jehan visited India in 1982 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Indian talkie movies, where she met Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in New Delhi and was received by Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar in Mumbai.

Patriotic songs[link]

During the 1965 India-Pakistan war. Noor Jehan sung many patriotic songs enthusiastically, which became tremendously popular. Some of these songs are listed below:

• Ae watan kay sajeelay jawano, Mere naghmay tumharay leeyay hain
• Aeh putr hataan tay nahin wikday, Tu lubni ain wich bazar kuray
• Mereya dhol sipahia, Tenun Rub dyaan rakhhan
• O mahi chhail chhabilah, Haey neen kernail neen jarnail neen
• Yeh hawaoun kay musafir, Yeh samandaroun kay rahi, Meray sir bakaf mujahid, Meray suf shikan sipahe
• Rung laey ga shaheedoun ka lahoo, Yeh lahoo surkhee hay aazadi kay afsanay ki
• Mera sohnan shehr Qasoor neen, Hoya dunya wich mashhoor neen

Last years and death[link]

In 1986, on a tour of North America, Jehan suffered from chest pains and was diagnosed with angina pectoris after which she underwent a surgery to install a pacemaker. In 2000, Jehan was hospitalised in Karachi and suffered a heart attack. On December 23, 2000 Jehan died as a result of heart failure. Her funeral took place at Jamia Masjid Sultan, Karachi and she was buried at the Gizri Graveyard near the Saudi Consulate in Karachi.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Noor Jehan at the Internet Movie Database
• Noor Jehan Audio Collection - Bingo.com.pk
• Rich tributes paid to Noor Jehan - DAWN.com
• Noor Jehan's immortal melodies - DAWN.com
• The unforgettable queen - DAWN.com
• The Melody Queen lives on - DAWN.com
• ^ Songs by Noor Jehan. Retrieved 2005-04-02. Includes a photograph of Noor Jehan.
• Few hits of Noor Jehan
• Madam Noorjehan on Pakistan Film Magazine