Written by: Dr. Dushka H. Saiyid
Posted on: April 04, 2022 | 
| 中文
Iqbal Bano
The two singers represent two very different genres of music: Iqbal Bano hailing from Delhi and trained in classical and semi-classical singing by an Ustad of the Delhi Gharana, while Musarrat Nazir sang Punjabi folk, and her good looks and vixen charm equipped her well for roles in films. Khawaja sahib’s versatile interests as Director at the Pakistan Television (PTV), made him familiar with both the singers, although his interaction with Iqbal Bano seems to have been over a longer period and closer.
Iqbal Bano was born in Rohtak, near Delhi, in 1935. She became a student of Ustad (teacher) Chand Khan of the Delhi gharana when still a child. She migrated to Pakistan in 1952 and married into a landed family of Multan, establishing herself near Haram Gate.
Iqbal Bano in younger days
Iqbal Bano created a niche for herself in Pakistani films with such enduringly popular ghazals as: “Payal Mein Geet Hai” in the film Gumnaam (1954), whose composer was Master Inayat Hussain; Qateel Shifai wrote the lyrics for the hit songs of the film Qatil (1955) “Ulfat ki Nai Manzil ko Chala”, “Pareshan Raat Sari Hai”, for Ishq-e-Laila (1957), as well as “ Amwa ki Darrion pe Jhoolana Jhoolae Ja”, for the film Nagin (1959). Iqbal Bano’s songs for the films Inteqaam (1955) and Sarfarosh (1956) also became very popular. Most of her songs were picturised for Sabiha Khanum, who was a lead actress at the time. However, despite being in great demand as a playback singer, Iqbal Bano continued to give live classical performances in different ragas, dadras and thumris.
Iqbal Bano had moved to Lahore after the passing of her husband in 1980, and it is in this period that she developed an interest in singing Faiz. Her renditions of “Dasht-e-Tanhai Mein” and “Dono Jahan Teri Mohabat Mein”, became classics. Khawaja sahib became a frequent visitor to her place at this time as she was his neighbor in Garden Town, sometimes returning home at dawn from her musical mehfils. Addressing her as Bano apa, given his familiarity with her, he calls her the Queen of Ghazal (poetic recitation set to music). Ustad Chand described her method of singing as tying a knot in the air (seedha gaeki), a method regarded as difficult and challenging. Ustad Chand Khan had introduced her to the All-India Radio, for which she was singing before moving to Pakistan. Khawaja sahib argues that there was no poet whose ghazal Iqbal Bano did not sing, from Quli Qutub Shah (Piya Baaj Piyala, Piya Baaj Jaay Na), Baqi Siddiqui, ("Daagh e Dil Humko Yaad Anay Lagay"), Daagh, Ghalib, Nasir Kazmi and Faiz. She had superb command of the Urdu language, and when she was asked to come for a performance, would travel to Lahore from Multan by train, sing and go back. Khawaja sahib recalls that the composer, Master Inayat Hussain, was making the film Gumnaam. He composed “Tu Lakh Chalay ri Gori Tham Tham Kai”, but Iqbal Bano argued that this was a classical number and the film would flop, but was over-ruled by the composer and it went on to become a super hit song.
(L to R) Salima Hashmi, Iqbal Bano, Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Khawaja sahib started working with her in 1974 in the series called Sukhanwar. He recalls that she wanted to be made to look like Meena Kumari, because she had been told that she resembled her. Rana was the chief make-up artist, and he used to take two to two and a half hours to do her make-up.
Faiz Ahmed Faiz had written Hum Dekhenge in 1979, two years after General Zia ul Haque’s coup d’etat. Khawaja sahib recalls that Iqbal Bano first sang Hum Dekhenge at a meeting of the Women’s Action Forum held at Kishwar Naheed’s house in Allama Iqbal Town in 1985. She asked for some instrument for some rhythm, but there was none. Professor Israr, who was a great composer, arrived later and composed the music for it. She sang it on the occasion of the Faiz Mela at the Alhambra Arts Council auditorium on 13 February 1986, wrapped in a black sari to a rapturous and a charged crowd, overflowing from the auditorium. Since it was the Zia period, it soon acquired the status of an anthem of resistance in much of South Asia. However, there is some misconception, repeated in many articles, that she had earned the ire of Gen Zia ul Haque. Khawaja sahib dispels all such impressions, saying that not only did Gen Zia help her get her property back from Mr Hameed Nizami, but Khawaja sahib organized her performance at the Presidency in 1985 for some members of the OIC who were visiting. He is also adamant that she was never banned from the Pakistan Television.
Hum Dekhenge by Iqbal Bano
Iqbal Bano also sang in Persian with great facility, and had a following both in Afghanistan and Iran. She was invited to sing at the annual cultural festival of Afghanistan, Jashn-e-Kabul in 1979, and King Zahir Shah was so enthralled that he presented her with a gold vase. It appears that she made at least two trips to India, in September 1989 and October 1992, and both times performed at the Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi.
(L to R) Noor Jehan and Iqbal Bano
In 2003 Khawaja Najamul Hassan asked Iqbal Bano to sing her top ten songs for the Meri Pasand program for the PTV. She sang for full two hours, and that was her last program. Then her health deteriorated. She passed away on April 21, 2009 after a short illness at the age of seventy-four. She had been awarded the Pride of Performance in 1974, as recognition of her outstanding services to music.
Khawaja Najamul Hassan with Musarrat Nazir
Musarrat was not a trained singer, and used to come to the radio station in the early 1951/52 dressed in a burqa, and had an arranged marriage in 1963 and moved to Canada. Musarrat Nazir had starred in a number of films in the 1950s, but retired from film acting soon after marriage.
Khawaja sahib’s relationship with her seems to have developed in the ‘80s. He gives a vivid description of how it was announced that a Dr and Mrs Arshad Majeed had come to see him, and Musarrat Nazir walked into his office with her husband looking glamorous, with her thick shoulder length hair open, and clad in a sari. She was carrying a record of Musarrat Horizon with her picture on the cover. The song on the record “Jogi Uttar Pahoron Aya”, with a chorus of Americans singing Allah Hoo, impressed Khawaja sahib! He did a program called Mehmil in 1986, for which he did a series of Punjabi folk songs by Musarrat Nazir for PTV. The shooting for these was done in Bahtar, the village of the civil servant Javed Akram in Fatehjang. Khawaja Najamul Hassan got the Raduka Award from Moscow in 1989 for this program. He then did the Laung Gwacha with her, arguably her most famous and popular song, which was originally sung by an Indian folk singer.
A Punjabi song's shoot in village Bahtar
In 1993 she came to my home in Islamabad, and said that I would like to do Sufi music. Khalid Hassan, who was Chairman of the Shalimar Recording, encouraged her to return. However, when Dr Arshad expressed his dissatisfaction with the poor financial returns from her musical initiatives, Musarrat Nazir just stared at him, flew back and stopped singing altogether.
Cover of Horizon Record
With Iqbal Bano and Musarrat Nazir, Youlin concludes the series of interviews with the legendary music director, Khawaja Najamul Hassan. He knew some of the greatest Pakistani singers rather closely, and has given some rare insights into their personalities and lives.
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