Iqbal Bano, the great Ghazal singer, was remembered on her 4th death anniversary on Sunday. Iqbal Bano was born in Delhi in 1927. She moved to Pakistan in 1952. Her first songs were recorded at All India Radio in Delhi. She was a star by the 1950s, with several hit film songs that have since become classics in their own right. But her natural talent was towards semi-classical music, such as thumris, dadras and the classical rendition of Ghazals, a genre of Urdu poetry. She sang soundtrack songs for famous Urdu films like Gumnaam, Qatil, Inteqaam, Sarfarosh and Nagin. She was considered a specialist in singing the Ghazals of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Qateel Shafai and Mirza Ghalib and thus earned the famous title of `Queen of Ghazal’. A few singers of classical music matched the brilliance of her voice and her command of musical notes. She was given the Pride of Performance award by the government in 1974. She also sang Persian poetry, which became popular in Iran and Afghanistan. In 1985, Bano became a cult icon when she stirred a huge crowd in Lahore, singing Faiz’s ‘Hum Dekhenge’ even though his works had been banned by General Zia’s military regime. The lyrics of the song, its strong sentiment, Bano’s magical voice and the political climate at the time made it a historic act of defiance that should always be remembered in our history. At the age of 74, Iqbal Bano died in Lahore on April 21, 2009, after a brief illness. Her works continue to mesmerise music, ghazal and thumri lovers around the world and her renditions of Faiz are still alive in the memory of those who were fortunate enough to witness her perform them live.
