Iqbal Bano is no more

Published April 22, 2009

LAHORE, April 21 Iqbal Bano, one of the country`s widely acclaimed classical, semi-classical and ghazal singers, died here on Tuesday. She was 74.

According to her family, she was taken to Ittefaq Hospital in Model Town at five in the morning when she developed some complications. She suffered from cardiac disease, blood pressure and diabetes. She passed away at 3pm and was buried in the Garden Town, Ahmed Block, graveyard.

Iqbal Bano was born in 1935 in Delhi and was brought up there. She was a disciple of Ustad Chand Khan of Dehli gharana who trained her in pure classical and light classical music.

She started her singing career at the Delhi station of All India Radio. She later sang for Radio Pakistan and PTV and also lent her voice to a number of films and won nationwide admiration. Her first concert was held in 1957 at the Lahore Arts Council.

In 1952, she got married to a landlord in Pakistan who died in the 80s. She is survived by two sons and a daughter.

She developed her own style of ghazal singing and her masterly rendering of a number of nazms and ghazals by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, particularly `Yad`, `Tanhai` and `Hum Dekhenge` were admired by both the connoisseur and general public.