The shehnai, an instrument that was once played only at weddings and in temples during festivals, is today an important instrument of classical Hindustani music. Through this article I explain about the person who is responsible for this transformation. His name is Ustad Bismillah Khan. (1916 – 2006), one of India’s most celebrated classical musicians.

Bismillah Khan was born on March 21, 1916 in Dumraon, Bihar as the second son of Mitthan Bibi and her husband Paigambar Baksh. He was originally named Kamaruddin, but his grandfather exclaimed, “Bismillah” (‘In Allah’s name!). Upon seeing the infant for the first time, and the name stuck. Young Bismillah grew up surrounded by music. He belonged to a family of court musicians, and his father was a shehnai player in the court of the Maharaja of Dumroan.

At the age of six, Bismillah was brought to Varanasi where his maternal uncle, Ali Baksh, was the official shehnai player at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple. This proved to be a turning point in his life. The little boy idolized his uncle and followed him about like a shadow. Enraptured by his skill at the shehnai, he would eagerly listen to him as he played the various ragas associated with the times of the day. After completing his duties for the day at the Vishwanath temple, Ali Baksh would go to the Balaji temple on the Balaji ghat, where he would peform riyaaz (music practice) devotedly for several hours. All this was observed by Bismillah and had a deep impact on his young mind. He requested his uncle to teach him the intricacies of playing the shehnai. Seeing his interest and dedication, Ali Baksh agreed and took him as his disciple. From then on, Bismillah’s days were completely devoted to the shehnai. He would practice for hours together with no time for studies or play, sometimes even skipping meals in his zeal to master this fascinating instrument.

Bismillah Khan started his musical career as an accompanist to his uncle and guru. His first public performance was in 1930, at age 14, at the All India Music Conference. Allahabad. Here his talent earned him plaudits from the discerning audience. His subsequent performances, at music conferences in Lucknow and Calcutta, were also much appreciated. From then on there was no looking back, as fame and recognition came his way. He got many opportunites to perform at concerts and radio programmes.

When India attained independence on august 15, 1947, Bismillah Khan had the great honor of greeting the nation on this momentous occasion with his shehnai. He played at the Red fort to an august audience, including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Awards and honors were heaped on Bismillah Khan. He was one of the very few recipients of all the top four civilian awards. On August 21, 2006, the great musician passed away. He was given a state funeral, and his shehnai, which he loved very deeply, was buried with him. 

Article Posted By : aneeshmissu  On June 01, 2013lView All Articles

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http://www.veethi.com/articles/ustad-bismillah-khan-the-sulthan-of-the-shehnai-article-2341.htm

Keywords :
The sultan of shehnai