Classical Music Singer Iqbal Bano Passes Away

Veteran ghazal singer of Pakistan, Iqbal Bano, passed away at the age of 74 in Lahore, bringing a glorious chapter in classical music to an end.

Iqbal Bano, one of the most celebrated singers of classical music in the Indo-Pak subcontinent, died on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 in Lahore (Punjab). She was 74 and was regarded as a master of singing ‘ghazals’. Her achievement in the world of classical music was acknowledged in form of the Pride of Performance Award that she won in 1974. Born in 1935, in Delhi (India), Iqbal Bano learnt the art of singing classical music from Ustad Chaand Khan. It was not long that she got married at a young age of 17 but was lucky enough to have found a husband who was liberal enough to allow her pursue her passion for singing. Her first, and most remarkable, success came from her radio performances. By the time when she made her debut in public concerts in 1957 in Lahore, she had already become a sensation in classical music. Her unique style of voicing Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry remained unsurpassed. With the advent of TV in Pakistan in the 60s, Bano’s art expanded its large audience of ghazal/literary poetry. She also gained international popularity, especially in Afghanistan and Iran, for singing Persian ghazals. The popular Afghan annual festival Jashn-e-Kabul featured her many a time as a singer on special invitation. She continued singing as she moved to Garden Town (Lahore) after the death of her husband in 1980. Her popularity remained intact despite the arrival of pop music on media and stage. Bano had to quit singing due to health problems in 2000 and she has left the world for good now, her melodious performances remain with her fans and the admirers of classical music.