He is a ghazal singer with a difference. His style is different, renditions are different; different he is even in the way he tackles such a tender genre like ghazal. He is to be ‘seen' to be believed that ghazal is more than a mere discourse with the beloved. He is Khalid Iqbal. If Mehdi Hasan and Ghulam Ali rendered ghazal with a classical touch of khayaal and thumri, and if Jagjeet Singh and Pankaj Udhas took it to the comprehension of the commoners with their popular style, Khalid Iqbal gave it a different flavor by interspersing his singing with couplets uttered in an expressive voice and through gestures that unfold layers of meanings. That indeed is a unique way of intonation and expression. He touched chords with the audience in Saudi Arabia with this style so much so that he stayed for over a month here performing in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in various gatherings. One such ghazal nite was organized by the Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association, Riyadh chapter, in the capital Thursday evening. Addressing the audience chief guest Shams Ahsan, the Managing Editor of Saudi Gazette, said that such cultural events are very important. In fact expatriates get better opportunities to discover their culture here. He praised the role of embassy for its patronage of different Indian community organizations in the Kingdom. Hifzur Rehman, Secretary Culture and Information, Indian Embassy, who is also an alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia, presented a memento to Ahsan. He said that JMIAA has been very active since its inception last year. Rehman commented that it is of significance that a leading journalist has been invited to the event since one of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia, Mulana Mohmmed Ali Johar, was a fearless journalist and a foremost freedom fighter. He appreciated the efforts of Jamia Alumni Association, Riyadh, in organizing a number of cultural events. He cited the welcome program in the honor of Ghazal singers Husain brothers on May 6, another function on June 10 in honor of Prof. Gopi Chand Narang and 17 Urdu poets from India. Founder member of JMIAA Shafaatullah Khan welcomed the chief guest and Mohammed Shahabuddin anchored the event. President Mohammaed Muneeb informed that JMIAA is planning a series of workshops in management skills for its members. Khalid Iqbal, who started with Hamd (ode in praise of Allah) “Jo Chahe So kar Deta Hai” by Hazrath-e-Ghouse Khamaqah, kept the audience captivated for more than two hours. The audience went into frenzy when he started reciting Khumar Barabankvi's: ek pal meN ek sadii kaa mazaa ham se puuchhiye do din kii zindagii kaa mazaa ham se puuchhiye bhuule haiN raftaa raftaa unheN mudattoN meN ham qistoN meN Khud-kushii kaa mazaa ham se puuchhiye aaGhaaz-e-aashiqii kaa mazaa aap jaaniye anjaam-e-aashiqii kaa mazaa ham se puuchhiye. It was a nice innovation to see the accompaniment of violin in ghazal singing. Yaseen Khan on violin, Sardar Khan on tabla and Saqib Kamal Fareedi on harmonium gave a support to Khalid Iqbal. Members of organizations like AMUOBA, Bazm-e-Urdu, Hum Hindustani, APUS, Biswas etc. graced the occasion by their presence.
