Iqbal Bano

In the hierarchy of female ghazal singers, Iqbal Bano ranks high, if not the highest. She is also an accomplished thumri and dadra singer. Her rich repertoire is madw up of ghazals both classical and modern which she renders with great feeling and complete mastery of her craft. Winner of the Pride of Performance medal in 1974, she has travelled around the world enchanting the large Asian community resident abroad with the magic of her voice.

Iqbal Bano was musically a very talented girl. She possessed a sweet and appealing voice. Even from that young age, Bano developed love for music from her heart. It was a crucial situation of her life when her friend's father came forward as her votary. He told her father, `My daughters do sing reasonably well, but Bano is blessed in singing. She will be a big name if you continue her training.' Because of persuasion from others and her attachment to music, he allowed her to be a student of music.

She remembers her teenage days of 1947, when the dispute of partition caused a condemnable stir everywhere in India. She disliked the riot and carnage of Delhi from the core of her heart. In Delhi, she learnt from Ustad Chaand Khan of Delhi gharana, an expert in all kinds of classical and light classical forms of vocal music. She was a duly initiated Gandaabandh shaagird of the Ustad. He forwarded her to All India Radio, Delhi and made her sing there.

In 1952, a zaminder from Pakistan married Bano, on the promise that he would never stop her music, but try to promote her. He fulfilled his promise until his last. After she migrated to the garden town, Lahore, she began learning with Ashiq Ali Khan and Abdul Karim Khan. It was observed that her temperament was apt to the genres, like thumri, dadra and ghazals.

Now and then, Radio Pakistan invited her for performances being an accomplished artiste. She rendered her debut public concert in 1957, at Lahore Arts Council, before an elite crowd. Her relatives went wild as was expected, but music lovers feted her beyond the imagination.

With her each recital she generated more and more public appeal. She was considered a specialist in singing the works of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. She has given such musical relevance to the ghazals of Faiz, that Bano and Faiz are apparently inseparable in the popular imagination. Because of Faiz's imprisonment, and hatred of the Pakistan Government towards him, once Bano roused a 50,000 strong crowd in Lahore by singing his passionate nazm:

`Ham Dekhenge Jab Taqht Giraaye Jaayenge

Jab Taj Uchaale Jaayenge'.

Moreover, once in the gathering of poets when Faiz was reciting his poetry, the audience repeatedly demanded, `Iqbal Bano wala qalaam.'

Renowned arts journalist S. Kalidas states, "The Pakistani ghazal singer Iqbal Bano is the uncontested Queen of ghazal. With her powerful, trained and tactile voice, she can cast a mesmeric spell with her thumris, dadras, geets and ghazals."

The lady of Rohtak, Haryana, Iqbal Bano can sing Persian ghazals with the same fluency of Urdu. She is always applauded in Iran and Afghanistan for her Persian ghazals. Similar to all the races of the world, Iranians and Afghans thronged to her shows in large numbers to hear her ghazals in their mother tongue. Once she told in an interview that she had a collection of 72 beautiful Persian ghazals.

Before 1979 there used to be the celebration of a festival of culture Jashne Kabul every year in Afghanistan. Iqbal Bano received a warm invitation in this annual event regularly. She was known for singing a new Persian ghazal each time in that festival. The king of Afghanistan liked her recital was very much. Once on such occasion, the emperor was so pleased from her ghazals that he presented her with a Golden Vase in appreciation of her music.

Music lovers discovered some notable similarities between Bano and Begum Akhtar, especially some marked resemblance in their styles of singing.

Iqbal Bano does not consider the contemporary ghazals as ghazal at all. Her recitals stick to the old classical style that lays more stress on the raag purity.

Basically a ghazal singer, Iqbal Bano also sang some memorable film songs.

Song list provided by Ummer Siddique

Solos

Song	Film	Year	Music Director(s)
Payal mein geet hain chham chham kai	Gumnaam	1954	Inayat Hussain
Ulfat ki nai manzil ko chala tou bahein daal kai	Qatil	1955	Inayat Hussain
Chorh hamein kis desh sidhare	Inteqam	1955	Inayat Hussain
Donoun diloun pai hua hai ulfat ka sasar	Inteqam	1955	Inayat Hussain
Taroun ka bhi tou maalik, yeh chand bhi tera hai	Sarfarosh	1956	Rashid Attre
O sajan bichwa bajey re, lagie kisi sai najariya	Aankh Ka Nasha	1957	Inayat Hussain
Aik pal bhi nahin aaraam yahaan	Aankh Ka Nasha	1957	Inayat Hussain
Pareshan raat sarie hai, sitaroun tum to so jao	Ishq-e-Laila	1957	Safdar
Aik halki halki aahat hai	Ishq-e-Laila	1957	Safdar
Ambwa ki darioun sai jhulna jhula ja	Nagin	1959	Safdar
Baan nainoun kai seenay pai maroun gie mein	Nagin	1959	Safdar
Shab-e-Mehtaab hai tanhai hai	Ayaz	1960	Khurshid Anwar