Iqbal Bano (; born 1928 in Delhi – died 21 April 2009 in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

) was a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

singer who specialized in

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

. She is popularly known by her honorific title ''Malika-e-Ghazal'' ''(The Queen of

Ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

)'' in both

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. She was known for her semi-classical

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

songs and classical thumris, but also sang easy-listening numbers in the 1950s films. In 1974, she became the recipient of the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

award.

Early life

Iqbal Bano was born in 1928 in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. From a young age, she developed a love for

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

. It was a crucial moment of her life when her friend's father told Bano's father, "My daughters do sing reasonably well, but Iqbal Bano is especially blessed in singing. She will become a big name if you begin her training." Her father allowed her to study music. She spent her childhood years in

Rohtak Rohtak () is a city and the administrative headquarters of the Rohtak district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies north-west of New Delhi and south of the state capital Chandigarh on NH 9 (old NH 10). Rohtak forms a part of the Nationa ...

near Delhi. In Delhi, she studied under

Ustad Ustad, ustadh, ustaz or ustadz (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language, Persian ''ustād'') is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages, incl ...

Sabri Khan and Ustad Chaand Khan of the

Delhi gharana The Delhi or Dilli Gharana, is a tabla traditional playing style, "regarded by many as the fountainhead of all the tabla gharanas" and known for being the first and oldest gharana playing style of tabla. It also is one of the six most common sty ...

, an expert in all kinds of pure classical and light classical forms of

vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but ...

.Iqbal Bano ghazal personified
Dawn (newspaper), Published 22 April 2009, Retrieved 3 July 2020 He instructed her in pure classical music and light classical music within the framework of classical forms of

thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dram ...

and

dadra Dadra is associated with the Hindustani classical music of the Indian subcontinent. Dadra tala This is a Hindustani classical '' tala'' (rhythmic cycle), consisting of six beats in two equal divisions of three. The most commonly accepted theka ...

. She was duly initiated ''Ganda-bandh shagird'' (formally initiated disciple; Ganda-bandh is a traditional knot-tying-ceremony which cements the relationship between guru and student) of her Ustad (teacher).

Career

Ustad Chaand Khan referred her to

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

, where she sang on the radio and recorded her first songs. In 1948, aged 21, she migrated to Pakistan and also married into a land-owning family in

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

. She moved to

with her husband who promised her that he would never try to stop her from singing, but would rather encourage and promote her. In her earlier career Iqbal Bano collaborated with well known

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

s such as the poets Saifuddin Saif and

Qateel Shifai Muhammad Aurangzeb or Qateel Shifai (; 24 December 1919 – 11 July 2001) was a Pakistani Urdu poet and lyricist. Early life and career Qateel Shifai was born in Haripur District as Muhammad Aurangzeb in 1919 in British India (now Pakistan).< ...

and composers such as

Master Inayat Hussain Master Inayat Hussain (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ; 1916 – 26 March 1993) was a Pakistani film music composer. Early life and career Inayat Hussain was born in the Bhati Gate area of Lahore in 1916. He also lived in the Lohari Gate, Laho ...

and Rasheed Attre. She had become a 'singing star' by the 1950s, singing soundtrack songs for famous

Urdu films like ''Payal Mein Geet Hai Cham Cham Ke'' (Film ''

Gumnaam ''Gumnaam'' (translation: ''Anonymous'') is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language mystery film directed by Raja Nawathe and produced by N. N. Sippy. The film was released in India on 24 December 1965 and stars an ensemble cast of Manoj Kumar, Nanda ...

'', 1954), ''Ulfat ki Nai Manzil ko Chala'' (''Qatil'', 1955), ''Chhor Hamen Kis Des Sudharay Sayyan Hamaray'' and ''Dono Dillon Peh Hua Ulfat Ka Asar'' (''Inteqaam'', 1955), ''Taaron Ka Bhi Tu Maalik'' (''Sarfarosh'', 1956), ''Pareshan Raat Sari Hai'' ('' Ishq-e-Laila'', 1957), and ''Ambva ki Darrion pe Jhoolana Jhoolae Ja'' (''Nagin'', 1959). Iqbal Bano was later invited by

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

for classical performances on the radio. Her debut public concert took place in 1957, at the Lahore Arts Council. Throughout her musical career she also appeared on

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcasting, broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information & Broadc ...

programs in addition to conducting concerts. By 1970s, Iqbal Bano had achieved fame as a popular artist and her stature had grown in the Pakistani cultural community as an accomplished

singer for which she was critically acclaimed by her artist peers. An example of this was seen in a memorable concert in a television program called 'Nikhar' in the early 1970s; in the recordings of this program numerous literary and musical artists of Pakistan such as Hafeez Jalandhari, Ahmed Faraz,

Amjad Islam Amjad Amjad Islam Amjad, Pride of Performance, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Imtiaz (; 4 August 1944 – 10 February 2023) was a Pakistani Professor, Urdu poet, screenwriter, playwright and lyricist.Ally Adnan (September 2016), The author of more than ...

, Kishwar Naheed,

Ashfaq Ahmed Ashfaq Ahmed (; 22 August 1925 – 7 September 2004) was a Pakistani writer, playwright and broadcaster. His works in Urdu included novels, short stories and plays for Pakistan Television Corporation, Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan. H ...

and Nayyara Noor could be seen in the audience. Her husband died in 1980, after which she moved to

from

. It was observed by many music critics that her temperament was particularly suited to vocal genres like

, and

. According to

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

News website, "Few singers of classical music matched the brilliance of her voice and her command over musical notes".

Ghazal Specialist - The Queen of Ghazal

Iqbal Bano is regarded as an accomplished

singer around the world who took the sub-continental ghazal singing to new heights and has been called the "Queen of Ghazal". Her repertoire include

s of numerous poets including the great

Mirza Ghalib Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 179715 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, he also produced a significant body of work in Persian. Ghali ...

(''Muddat Hoi Hai Yaar Ko''), Quli Qutub Shah (''Piya Baaj Piyala, Piya Baaj Jaay Na''), Baqi Siddiqui (''Daagh e Dil Humko Yaad Anay Lagay''),

Daagh Dehlvi Nawab Mirza Khan (, 25 May 1831 – 17 March 1905), popularly known by his '' takhallus'' Dagh Dehlvi was an Indian poet known for his Urdu ''ghazals''. He belonged to the old Delhi school of Urdu poetry.Tere Wade Ko - Daag
'), Nasir Kazmi (''Kuchh To Ehsas-e-Ziyan Tha Pahle'') and Ahmed Faraz ('' Ranjish Hi Sahi''). However, in her later career she was recognized particularly for singing

s of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, a

Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...

-winning poet, such as ''Aaiye Haath Uthaen'', ''Mere Dil Mere Musafir'', ''Yeh Mausam-e-Gul'', ''Rang Pairahan Ka'', ''Na Ganwao Nawak-e-Neem Kash'' amongst others; her rendition of

Faiz Ahmad Faiz Chaudhry Faiz Ahmad Faiz (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984) was a Pakistani poet and author of Punjabi language, Punjabi and Urdu literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated, popular, and influential Urdu writers of his time, and his ...

's Dasht-e-Tanhai Mein has become a timeless classic. In addition to

, she also sang in Saraiki, Punjabi and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, the latter introducing her to audiences outside the sub-continent in Iran and Afghanistan. In pre-1979 Afghanistan, she was often invited to the annual cultural fair, the ''Jashn-e-

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

''. In light classical, her presentation of Thumris in Raag Khamaj (''Kaahe Sataye Mohey''), Raag Tilak Kamod (''Sautan Ghar Na Ja''), Raag Des (''Nahin Pare Mohe Chain''), Raag Pilu (''Gori Tore Naina Kajar Bin Kaare'') and other such renderings which have become ever-green classics. Iqbal Bano was well known for her versatility as a singer and vocalist; she was not only at ease with classical, light-classical, film and popular music but also rendered her classical training t
folk songs
Music lovers noted some similarities between Iqbal Bano and Begum Akhtar, especially some marked resemblances in their styles of singing. Bano's recitals stuck to a

classical style Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De architectura'' (c. 10 AD) by the Roman architect Vitruvius. Va ...

that lays more stress on the '' raag'' purity.

Defiance and Activism

Although Iqbal Bano was not directly involved in politics or political campaigning, she made an effective protest that has gone down in history as an iconic symbol of resistance and as legend. From 1977 to 1988

was under the military dictatorship headed by General

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until Death of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also se ...

. By 1986 Zia’s regime was in full swing with severe curtailment and

abuses Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to Distributive justice, unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rap ...

of basic human rights, so much so that various restriction were placed on what clothing could be worn by public figures, particularly women. One such curtailment of basic human rights was the banning of the

sari A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...

, a common attire for women of all religions in many countries in the sub-continent, as un-Islamic. Iqbal Bano had worn sari for decades and appeared in concerts, radio and television programs and was famous for rendering the poetry of

. Not long after Zia's regime issued the edict that sari was to be banned from the public sphere, Iqbal Bano donned a black

and appeared at the Al-Hamra hall in

on 13 February 1986 in front of a large audience. This was an event to commemorate anniversary of the renowned poet

who was himself out of favour with and surveilled by Zia's regime due to his progressive views and anti-fascist writings. At the event in 1985, Iqbal Bano resplendent in a black sari, a universal color of protest and a garment banned by Zia's regime, and went on to sing

's famous poem of resistance

Hum Dekhenge Hum Dekhenge ( - In english ''We shall see'') is a popular Urdu nazm, written by the Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Originally written as ''Va Yabqá Vajhu Rabbika (And the countenance of your Lord will outlast all)'', it was included in t ...

(We shall see), in an act of defiance against General

's diktat and rule. This simple act of defiance led to a crackdown by the Zia regime, persecution of the organizers of the event and a ban on Iqbal Bano appearing on national stage as a singer.

Personal life

Iqbal Bano married a landlord in 1948 and had three children including two sons named Humayun and Afzal, also a daughter named Maleeha.

Illness and death

After a short illness, at the age of 80, Iqbal Bano died in

on 21 April 2009.

Awards and recognition

References

External links

*
BBC report of Iqbal Bano's death

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bano, Iqbal 1935 births 2009 deaths Singers from Lahore Pakistani ghazal singers Singers from Delhi Urdu-language singers Pakistani playback singers Women musicians from Delhi 20th-century Pakistani women singers 20th-century Pakistani singers 21st-century Pakistani women singers 21st-century Pakistani singers Recipients of the Pride of Performance 20th-century Indian women singers 20th-century Indian singers