Noor Jehan – Own Way of Inspiration BY Mansoor Vohra

When the name Noor Jehan resonates in my ear I can only relate with two Queens whose names have been recorded in history for their golden rules and their sense and sensibilities. One Noor Jehan ruled India and the other Noor Jehan ruled hearts, though both the Empresses had different territories as rulers both did not fail to impress anybody with their sense of fashion and style.

The first Noor Jehan, the Empress of the Mughal Empire. A strong, charismatic and well-educated woman, she is considered to be one of the most powerful and influential women of the 17th century Mughal Empire. She was the twentieth and favourite wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir who ruled the Mughal Empire at the peak of its power and supremacy. Noor Jahan was able to wield a significant amount of imperial influence and remains historically significant for not only the sheer political power she maintained a feat no Mughal women before she had ever achieved but also for her contribution to Indian culture, charity work, commercial trade and her ability to rule with an iron fist. She was the aunt of the Empress Mumtaz Mahal for whom the future Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj mahal. Furthermore, she is the only Mughal empress to have her name struck in silver coins.

And the second Noor Jehan also needs no introduction as she was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. Her career spanned seven decades. 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 or the Queen of Melody. Born in a Punjabi family of musicians, Noor Jehan 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 has recorded about 10,000 songs in various languages of India and Pakistan including Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Sindhi languages.  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, Noor Jehan was also awarded the President’s Award for her acting and singing capabilities.

Now coming up to compete with these two queens is another Noor Jehan … but she is no Queen herself but an outlet to dress the ladies with fashion sense for no less than a queen. Though I am more of a social blogger and bad at reviewing, however, this one thing I couldn’t resist to review. Noor Jehan – Own Way of Inspiration is the brainchild of the talented Mansoor Vohra, and who else can someone come up with such eccentric ideas unexpectedly? For it, one needs an innate sense of aesthetics and the adequate amount of polishing and trust my words a blend of both comes in the human form of Mansoor Vohra who recently launched his first flagship store in Karachi marking it as his first store nationwide in the urbanely chic market area of Zamzama. Noor Jehan – Own Way of Inspiration by Mansoor Vohra has the design philosophy of conventional materials to create unorthodox aesthetics and a simple harmony between the traditional and the avant-garde. I must say a must-visit for all the fashion-conscious ladies who want to divulge into high-class fashion with a gentle kiss to their pockets.