The Maestro of Shehnai Bismillah Khan Bismillah Khan Often Referred to by the Honorific Title Ustad, Was an Musician After His Wife Died
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SWAPNIL SANSAR, ENGLISH WEEKLY,LUCKNOW, 21,MARCH, 2019 (05) The maestro Of Shehnai Bismillah Khan Bismillah Khan often referred to by the honorific title Ustad, was an musician after his wife died. On his death, as an honour, his shehnai was buried with him. credited with popularising the shehnai, a subcontinental wind instrument of the He was known for his vision of spreading peace and love through music.“Even oboe class. While the shehnai had long held importance as a folk instrument if the world ends, the music will still survive. ”“Music has no caste .”Khan had played primarily during traditional ceremonies, Khan is credited with elevating the rare honor of performing at Delhi's Red Fort on the eve of India's its status and bringing it to the concert stage He was awarded highest civilian Independence in 1947. He also performed raga Kafi from the Red Fort on the honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001, becoming the Third classical musician after eve of India's first Republic Day ceremony, on 26 January 1950. His recital had M. S. Subbulakshmi and Ravi Shankar to be accorded this distinction.Bismillah Khan was born on 21 March 1913 in Dumraon, Bihar in northern India. He was the second son of Paigambar Khan and Mitthan.His parents had initially named him Qamaruddin to rhyme with their first-born son Shamshuddin. However, his grandfather, Rasool Bux Khan, the shehnai master of the court of Bhojpur, exclaimed "Bismillah!" ("In the name of Allah!") at the sight of him and thereafter he came to be known by this name.From Jan Dhan to Jan Suraksha -A Journey towards Financial Inclusion and Security His ancestors were court musicians and used to play in Naqqar khana in the princely states of Bhojpur, now in Bihar. His father was a shehnai player in the court of Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon Estate, Bihar.At the age of six, he moved to Varanasi. He received his training under his uncle, the late Ali Baksh 'Vilayatu', a shehnai player attached to Varanasi's Vishwanath Temple.Bihar Government has proposed setting up of a museum, a town hall-cum-library and installation of a life-size statue at his birthplce in Dumraon.Though a pious Shi'ite Muslim, he was also, like many Indian musicians, regardless of religion, a devotee of Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of wisdom and arts, and often played at Hindu temples, including the famous Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, on the banks of the river Remembering on his Ganga.He also performed for spiritual master Prem Rawat.Bismillah Khan was perhaps single-handedly responsible for making the shehnai a famous classical Birth Anniversary (21th Mar.) instrument. He brought the shehnai to the center stage of Indian music with his concert in the Calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937. He was credited with having almost monopoly over the instrument as he and the shehnai are almost become a cultural part of India's Independence Day celebrations, telecast on synonyms. Khan is one of the finest musicians in post-independent Indian Doordarshan every year on 15 August. After the prime minister's speech from classical music and one of the best examples of Hindu-Muslim unity in India. He Lal Qila (the Red Fort,) in Old Delhi, Doordarshan would broadcast a live played the shehnai to audiences across the world. He was known to be so performance by the shehnai maestro. This tradition dated from the days of devoted to his art form that he referred to shehnai as his begum (wife in Urdu) Pandit Nehru.Khan had a brief association with movies. He played the shehnai for Rajkumar's role of Appanna in the Kannada movie Sanaadi Appanna. He acted in Jalsaghar, a movie by Satyajit Ray and provided sound of shehnai in Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959). Noted director Goutam Ghose directed Sange Meel Se Mulaqat, a documentary about the life of Khan. In the 1967 film The Graduate, there is a poster advertising "Bismillah Khan and the seven musicians" on a busy street of Berkeley, Çè¥æ§Áü è ÚUÁð´ ܹ٪¤ ~yzyy®wvw, °â°âÂè ~yzyy®®w~®, §×ÚUÁ‹ð âè Âçé Üâ v®®, w{w~~~~, ÈæØÚU v®v, California.Khan with his son Nazim Hussain on the tabla.Khan seldom accepted students. He °ÕÜé ‹ð â v®}, ×çãÜæ ãËð ÂÜæ§Ùü v®~®, ¿æ§ËÇ ãËð ÂÜæ§Ùü v®~}, ȤæØÚU âçßâü ¥æÜ×Õæ» wyzzzzz, ¿õ·¤ thought that if he would be able to share his wwzxv}}, ãÁÚUÌ»Á´ w{wwwww, °âÁèÂèÁè¥æ§ ü w{{}vvv, »æÁèÂÚé U wxy}v®®, Õè·¤Ô ÅUè ®zwvy-w~}www, Âçé Üâ SÅUàð æÙ knowledge it wouldn't be useful as it would only ·¤‹Åôþ Ü M¤× www~~~~, ¥æÜ×Õæ» wyzvw®z, ¥Üè»Á´ wxwy~x®, ¥×èÙæÕæÎ wwwy{xz, ·¤ñ ‡ÅU wyz{xww, ç¿ÙãÅU give his students a little knowledge. Some of his followers include S. 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He is survived by five daughters, three sons and a ~yzyy®x}yx, ·ñ¤‡ÅU ~yzyy®x}yz, »õÌ×ÂËÜè ~yzyy®yw®{, ãÁÚUÌ»´Á ~yzyy®x}zx, ãéâñÙ»´Á large number of grandchildren and great-grand - ~yzyy®x}zy, ·¤ë c‡ææÙ»ÚU ~yzyy®x}y{, ×çãÜæ ÍæÙæ ~yzyy®x}{®, ×æÙ·¤ Ù»ÚU ~yzyy®x}{x, âÚUôÁÙè children, and his adopted daughter Dr Soma Ù»ÚU ~yzyy®x}{~, Åþæ‹â »ô×Ìè âç·¤üÜ ¥Üè»´Á ~yzyy®x}x~, ç¿ÙãÅU ~yzyy®x}y{x, ãâÙ»´Á Ghosh (famous Hindustani shastriya sangeet exponent).The Government of India declared a ~yzyy®x}zw, »æÁèÂÚé U ~yzyy®x}y}, »ô×Ìè Ù»ÚU ~yzyy®x}y~, »Çé ¸ Õæ ~yzyy®x}zv, §ç‹ÎÚUæÙ»ÚU day of national mourning on his death. His body ~yzyy®x}}x, ÁæÙ·¤èÂÚé U× ~yzyy®x}|}, ×çÇظ æß´ ~yzyy®x}{y, ×ãæÙ»ÚU ~yzyy®x}z~, çßÖçê ̹‡Ç¸ along with a Shehnai was buried at Fatemain bur - ial ground of old Varanasi under a neem tree with ~yzyy®x}}®, Âçp× âç·¤Üü ¥×èÙæÕæÎ ~yzyy®x}y®, ¿õ·¤ ~yzyy®x}y|, ·¤ñ âÚUÕæ» ~yzyy®x}y{, ¹æÜæ 21-gun salute from Indian Army. Famous culture ÕæÁæÚU ~yzyy®x}yy, Ùæ·¤æ ~yzyy®x}{|, â¥æÎÌ»Á´ ~yzyy®x}|®, ÌæÜ·¤ÅUôÚUæ ~yzyy®x}|v, Ææ·¤Úé U»Á´ critic Veejay Sai wrote a moving personal ~yzyy®x}|w, ßÁèÚU»Á´ ~yzyy®x}|y, ÂæÚUæ ~yzyy®x}|z, Îãð æÌ âç·¤Üü Õè·¤Ô ÅUè ~yzyy®x}yw, »ôâ槻ü Á´ obituary in The Hindu Sunday Review magazine http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ tp-fea - ~yzyy®x}zz, ·¤æ·¤ôÚUè ~yzyy®x}z{, §ÅUõ´Áæ ~yzyy®x}z{, ×ôãÙÜæÜ»´Á ~yzyy®x}{z, ×æÜ tures/tp-sunday magazine/memories-of-the- ~yzyy®x}{v, ×çÜãæÕæÎ ~yzyy®x}{w, Ù»ÚUæ× ~yzyy®x}{{, çÙ»ôãæ ~yzyy®x}{}, ÂèÁè¥æ§ü maestro / article3232520.ece .Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, instituted the 'Ustad ~yzyy®x}|{, °°âÂè R¤æ§× ~yzyy®v®}~, Âêßèü ~yzyy®v®}|, »ýæ×è‡æ ~yzyy®v®}x, Åþæ´â »ô×Ìè Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar' in 2007, in his ~yzyy®v®}{, Âçp× ~yzyy®v®}}, ÅUçþñ Ȥ·¤ ~yzyy®v®}z, ÚUÜð ß ð ~yzyy®®xy®, °Ü¥ô ~yzyy®x}|~, çßÏæÙ honour. It is given to young artists in the field of âÖæ ~yzyy®vz®x, ÿæð˜ææçÏ·¤æÚUè ¥æÜ×Õæ» ~yzyy®vy}~, ¥Üè»´Á ~yzyy®vy~y, Õàæè ·¤æ ÌæÜæÕ music, theatre and dance.Bharat Ratna (2001) Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi (1994).Talar ~yzyy®vz®®, ¿õ·¤ ~yzyy®vy~v, »ô×Ìè Ù»ÚU ~yzyy®vy~~, ãÁÚUÌ»Á´ ~yzyy®vy~z, ¹æÜæ ÕæÁæÚU Mausiquee from Republic of Iran (1992).Padma ~yzyy®vy~{, ×çÜãæÕæÎ ~yzyy®vy~w, ×ôãÙÜæÜ»Á´ ~yzyy®vy~x, ×ãæÙ»ÚU ~yzyy®vy~}, âÚUôÁÙèÙ»ÚU Vibhushan (1980).Padma Bhushan (1968) Padma Shri (1961)Sangeet Natak Akademi ~yzyy®vy~®, ÅUçþñ Ȥ·¤ ~yzyy®vz®v, ·¤ñ âÚUÕæ» ~yzyy®vy~|, »æÁèÂÚé U ~yzyy®x}|~, Áè¥æÚUÂè ~yzyy®v{~{, Award (1956)Tansen Award by Govt. of Madhya ÚUôÇßÁð ¥æ×ÜÕæ» wyz}®~{, ¿æÚUÕæ» wyz®~}}, ·¤ñ âÚUÕæ» wwwwz®x, °ØÚUÜæ§‹â §ç´ ÇØÙ °ØÚUÜæ§â´ www{{wx, Pradesh.Three medals in All India Music çÚUÁßàüð æÙ ÂÀê ÌæÀ wyx{vxw, °ØÚU §ç‡ÇØæ w{x}{®®, ÁÅð U °ØÚUßÁð wwx~{vy, °ØÚUÂôÅU ü wyxy®®~, ÚUÜð ß ð ÂÀê ÌæÀ Conference, Calcutta (1937)" Best Performer" in All India Music Conference, Allahabad (1930). vxxv,vxxw, ÂÀê ÌæÀ vxw,vxz, çÚUÁßàüð æÙ w{xz}yv, ÕæÎàææãÙ»ÚU wxz}v}w, çàæ·¤æØÌ wwv||~v, UÜÕ ¥ßÏ Bismillah Khan had honorary doctorates from çÁ×¹æÙæ wwvzyx{, ܹ٪¤ UÜÕ ww|x~xw, »ôËÈ UÜÕ www®{xv, °×Õè UÜÕ wy}®®yz, Ââðý UÜÕ www®{®v, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan Was invited by the then °ÕÜé ‹ðð â ÕÜÚUæ×ÂÚé U ¥SÂÌæÜ wwwy®y®, çâçßÜ ¥SÂÌæÜ ww®®{z, çâçßÜ ¥SÂÌæÜ ×ãæÙ»ÚU wxwv|}y, ·¤ñ ‡ÅU Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ¥SÂÌæÜ wy}®}vx, ×çð Ç·¤Ü ·¤æÜÁð wwz|yz®, °âÁèÂèÁè¥æ§ ü w{{}|®®, §ç‡ÇØÙ ÚUÇð ·¤ý æâò wwwzvz~, ¥SÂÌæÜ to play shehnai on the first Independence Day(15 ÕÜÚUæ×ÂÚé U ¥SÂÌæÜ wwwy®y®, çâçßÜ ¥SÂÌæÜ wx~®®|, çâçßÜ ¥SÂÌæÜ ×ãæÙ»ÚU wxwv|}y, ȤæçÌ×æ ¥SÂÌæÜ August 1947) in Delhi's Red Fort.Participated in World Exposition in Montreal Participated in wxwxv~z, °âÁèÂèÁè¥æ§ ü wyy®®®z-{-|, âßð æ ¥SÂÌæÜ wx{xvzv, ÙèÚUæ ãæçSÂÅUÜ wxww®®x, wxxxx|z, ©ç×Üü æ Cannes Art Festival.Participated in Osaka Trade ãæçSÂÅUÜ w|z|}w~w|z, wxwyywz}, çßß·ð ¤æÙ‹Î ÂæÜò è UÜèçÙ·¤, çÜÕ â‹ð ÅUÚU www®{z~, ¥ßÏ ãæçSÂÅUÜ wyzy~ww, Fair His 80th birthday was celebrated by World Music Institute in New York.