Ustad Bismillah Khan Sahib (March 21, 1916 – August 21, 2006) was a shehnai maestro from India. The term "Ustad" or "Pandit" in relation to Indian classical music implies Master or Guru. He was the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna (in 2001), the highest civilian honour in India. He also had the distinction of being one of the few people to be awarded all the top four civilian awards. Birth and early life Bismillah Khan was born on March 21, 1916 at Bhirung Raut Ki Gali, in Dumraon as the second son of Paigambar Khan and Mitthan. He was named as Qamaruddin His ancestors were court musicians and used to play in Naqqar khana in the princely states of Bhojpur, now in Bihar state. His father was a shehnai player in the court of Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon Estate, now in Bihar. Religious beliefs He was a pious Shi'a Muslim and also, like many Indian musicians regardless of creed, a devotee of Mother Saraswati. [3] He often played at various temples and on the banks of the river Ganga in Varanasi, besides playing outside the famous Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. [4] Training He received his training under his uncle, the late Ali Baksh 'Vilayatu', a shehnai player attached to Varanasi's Vishwanath Temple.[1] Shehnai and Ustad Khan Khan was perhaps single handedly responsible for making the shehnai a famous classical 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 synomyms. Khan is one of the finest musicians in post-independent Indian Classical music and one of the best examples of hindu-muslim unity in India. His concept of music was very beautiful and his vision, superb. He once said, "Even if the world ends, the music will still survive" and he often said, "Music has no caste". He has played in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Canada, West Africa, U.S., USSR, Japan, Hong Kong and almost every capital city across the world. Shehnai was so close to Ustad that after the demise of his wife, he used to call it begum (wife). After his death, his begum (shehnai) was also buried underneath. Performances at Red Fort Khan had the rare honor of performing at Delhi's Red Fort on the eve of India's Independence in 1947. He also performed Raga Kafi from the Red Fort on the eve of India’s first Republic Day ceremony, on January 26, 1950. His recital had almost become a cultural part of the Independence Day Celebrations telecast on Doordarshan every year on August 15th. After the Prime Minister's speech from Lal Qila (Red Fort) in Old Delhi, Doordarshan would broadcast live performance by the shehnai maestro. And this tradition had been going on since the days of Pandit Nehru. Awards and recognitions * Bharat Ratna (2001) Recognitions Bismillah Khan had honorary doctorates from * Banaras Hindu University Others include[5] * Was invited by the then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to play shehnai on the first Independence Day (August 15, 1947) in Delhi's Red Fort. Students Ustad Bismillah Khan rarely spent time teaching shehnai. He had very few students. In 1985 he met Satguru Jagjit Singh ji (the present master of the Namdhari Sikhs). He saw a young talented boy playing the tarshenai called Baljit Singh Namdhari, whom he adopted. He later adopted two more tarshenai students of the name of Kirpal Singh and Gurbaksh Singh Namdhari in the year 1999. Khan in films Khan had a brief association with movies. He played the shehnai for Dr.Rajkumar's role of Appanna in the movie Sanaadi Appanna. He acted in Jalsaghar, a movie by Satyajit Ray and provided sound of shehnai in Goonj Uthi Shehnai. Noted director Goutam Ghose directed Sange Meel Se Mulaqat, a documentary about the life of Khan.[1] Death On August 17, 2006, Khan was taken ill and admitted to the Heritage Hospital, Varanasi for treatment.[6] He died after four days on August 21, 2006 due to a cardiac arrest. He was ninety years old. He is survived by five sons, three daughters and a large number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.[7] The Government of India declared one day of national mourning on his death. His body was buried at Fatemain burial ground of old Varanasi under a neem tree with 21-gun salute from Indian Army.[8]   
|
|||