Her deep-throated, controlled and trained voice commanded respect and awe in equal measure. When she took to the stage, the world came to a halt. Over the years, as classical music died an unsung death in Pakistan, Bano had moved over from the singing of pure ragas to semi-classical khayal, thumri, dadra, geet, ghazal and nazm. If Noorjehan was gifted with Mujh se pehli si mohabbat by Faiz, the poet also gave away his equally haunting Dasht-e-Tanhai nazm to Bano. He would not recite these poems himself, and whenever pressed, would say these were not his anymore. They belonged to Noorjehan and Iqbal Bano; only they could recite them.

Moving to Pakistan from Delhi in 1952, Bano brought with her the graces and sophistication of the high Muslim elite culture exemplified by the Delhi and Lucknow of yore. Her coy but graceful style epitomised the romance inherent in Poorbi geets and thumris, composed to riveting tunes harped by a minimalist orchestra that comprised of no more than a harmonium, with a steady beat of tabla or an occasional flute for accompaniment. Bano, when she crooned, would eat up the music; little was needed for she had a jaltarang of her own going. Diverse classical and custom-written Poorbi numbers like Moray saiyyan utrain ge paar (1953), and Payal mein geet hain chham chham ke (1959) remain classics, as do many Bano ghazals by Faiz, Nasir Kazmi and Faraz among the contemporaries, and Ghalib, Daagh and Hafiz, among the classical Urdu/Persian poets.

... contd.