Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, noted Indian classical vocalist and 'khalifa' of Delhi Gharana, passes away

Noted Indian classical vocalist and exponent of the Delhi Gharana Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan passed away on Thursday, 17 December 2020. The news of his demise was confirmed by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who tweeted, “The khalifa of Dilli Gharana, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan is no more.” Sisodia noted that Khan was “an unmatched repository of Delhi’s rich musical history and a generous guru”. Khan tirelessly promoted the works of Amir Khusro through his art, and composed music for several serials and plays. Over the half century that he was part of the Indian classical music sphere, he received a slew of honours, including the Sangeet Ratan Award, Gyan Acharya Award and Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Samman to name just a few. Swarganga notes that Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was noted for his versatility and his vocal expression was “solid, substantial, supple and graceful”. Khan hailed from a rich musical lineage; Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Sahib was his maternal grandfather while Ustad Jahan Khan was his paternal grandfather. Earlier this year, Khan was among a group of luminaries to be included in a programme jointly launched by the Delhi government and Ambedkar University to record the oral history of the capital. — With inputs from the Press Trust of India