Musical tribute to help cope with loss, fill void

Daughter of Dilli Gharana vocalist Iqbal Ahmed Khan pens track in his remembrance

The demise of the fabled classical vocalist and leader of the Dilli (Delhi) Gharana, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, in 2020 had left a void in the world of Indian classical music.

For Vusat Iqbal Khan, daughter of the late maestro, his passing brought along immense grief, paired with severe depression. Skip to March this year, and Ms. Khan is set to release ‘Ishq-e-haqiqi’ — a song that revolves around her story of coping with the loss and is a tribute to her father. 

Emphasising the journey behind the song, which is set to release on Friday, Ms. Khan said her life revolved around her father, and while the grief that came along with his demise had left her depressed, she eventually decided to channelise her emotions by penning down the track. 

“Apart from writing small poems for my parents, this was the first time that I wrote a song. I simply loved it and decided to give it some composition and get it recorded. It makes me feel it was my father’s presence around me that helped me,” she said. 

Preserving a 1,200-year-old legacy, the Dilli Gharana family is among the oldest in the country that promotes Indian classical music. 

Ms. Khan, who is well-versed with Dastogoi — an Urdu storytelling tradition — said the song composition of ‘Ishq-e-haqiqi’ is based on a Raag, which she said will “attract everyone”.

The track has a simple instrument arrangement featuring a piano and violin, paired with balmy yet subtle vocals.