Delhi Gharana maestro Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan passes away

Delhi Gharana exponent Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan passed away on Thursday morning following a cardiac arrest, a family member said. He was 66. “He collapsed suddenly during the morning prayer today, and we took him to a nearby hospital in Daryaganj. He was declared brought dead. The doctor said he had had a cardiac arrest,” the maestro’s son-in-law Imran Khan told PTI. A custodian of the Delhi gharana, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was best known for his versatile renditions in various genres of Indian classical music, including ’thumri’, ‘dadra’, as well as ‘bhajans’ and ‘ghazals’.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took to Twitter to mourn the vocalist’s death. Posting a photograph of the artiste, he wrote, “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.”

Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan also expressed his condolences. “Very sad to know about the passing away of Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, the well known vocalist of Dilli Gharana. His legacy lives on through his music. May his soul rest in peace,” he tweeted.

Bollywood singer and music composer Vishal Dadlani recalled a brief meeting with Iqbal Ahmad Khan in his post on the micro-blogging site. “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,” Dadlani said.

Iqbal Ahmed Khan had several accolades to his credit, including the Priyadarshini Award (2001), and the Rajiv Rattan Sadbhavna Samman (2003).

“His last rites were held on Thursday evening at the Delhi Gharana’s ancestral graveyard near the Nizamuddin dargah,” Imran said.