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Delhi Gharana maestro Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan passes away, Sisodia, Meira Kumar tweet condolences
He was especially known for composing the music of the anthem for the government’s e-governance arm that was penned by famous lyricist Gulzar.
Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, popularly known as the Khalifa of Dilli Gharana, passed away on Thursday. Tributes poured in from various quarters as Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia singer-songwriter Vishal Dadlani, former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar took to Twitter condoling his death.
Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was the recipient of the esteemed Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2014.
Sisodia shared the news on Twitter with his photos and said, “The khalifa of Dilli Gharana, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan is no more. An unmatched repository of Delhi’s rich musical history & a generous guru, he will be missed by all. Condolences to his disciples & family.”
Vishal Dadlani also took to Twitter to pay his condolences. He tweeted, “Shocked & saddened by the demise of #UstadIqbalAhmedKhan Sahab, head of the Delhi Gharana. I had a brief interaction with him during #IndianIdol2020, & he seemed very kind and empathetic about music & all musicians. I’d hoped to go & meet him in person once the pandemic was over.”
“Saddened by the sudden passing away of Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan Sahib, Khalifa of the #DelhiGharana Gayaki. An exceptional human being, he leaves behind a rich legacy in music. My heartfelt condolences to the members of his family and admirers. May his soul rest in peace,” Meira Kumar tweeted.
Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was born in the national capital. Known for numerous recordings and anthems, he had received Senior Fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. He was a noted artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan and had performed at various prestigious music festivals.
He was especially known for composing the music of the anthem for the government’s e-governance arm that was penned by famous lyricist Gulzar.
He had also composed music for television serials like Indra Sabha, Police File Se; documentaries, and telefilms such as Yaad-e-Ghalib, plays like Tamasha or Tamashai, and Jahan-e-Khusro.
The Indian classical vocalist had received a number of accolades like the title of Gaayan Acharya given by Sangeet Sewalaya, Bodhgaya, Bihar (1993); the Mirza Ghalib Award conferred by Alam-i-Urdu Foundation, Hyderabad (2008); the All India Bahadur Shah Zafar Award bestowed by Urdu Academy of Delhi (2012); and the Ameer Khusro Samman given by All India Markazi Majlis-e-Chistia, Hyderabad.
Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan had also been part of various documentaries like Dilli Ki Basti Mein directed by Anwar Jamal, and Ek Safarnama presented by DG Productions, Delhi on his musical life of 50 years.
