Page 13 - LN3

Maiya, by the banks of the holy river Ganga. The flowing waters of the river inspired him to
improvise and Bismillah Khan invented ragas which were considered to be beyond the range of
the shehnai.

At the age of fourteen, he performed at the Allahabad Music Conference and his talent was
appreciated by Ustaad Faiyaz Khan. In 1938, he started performing from the Lucknow station of
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the All India Radio. The day India gained independence, on 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan
performed from the Red Fort and greeted the country through his shehnai. He recited raag kafi
which was followed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech.

Bismillah Khan performed all around the world. His first foreign performance was in Afghanistan
where the king was so impressed that he gifted him many souvenirs. Bismillah Khan composed
music for two films – Hindi film titled – ‘Goonj Uthi Shehnai’ directed by Vijay Bhatt and Kannada
film titled – ‘Sanadhi Apanna’ by Vikram Srinivas.

He was the first Indian to perform at the Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He
also performed at Montreal, Cannes and Tokyo. In Teheran, an auditorium was named after him
– Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan.

Ustaad Bismillah Khan said that music was India’s richest heritage and had to be taught to the
children. Although he had travelled all over the world, he was attached to Dumraon and Benaras.
Once a student asked him to set up a shehnai school in the USA and promised to recreate the
temples of Benaras there. Bismillah Khan asked him whether he would transport the river Ganga
also, as he was attached to it as well.

Bismillah Khan is a true example of a secular Indian as being a Muslim, he played the shehnai
at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. For him music was above religious barriers.

Assignment ( to be done in Note book)

1. Where did the young boy practice the musical instrument?
2. How was Pungi came to be named ‘shehnai’?
3. How is Shehnai different from pungi?
4. When and how did Bismillah get his big break?
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5. Where did Bismillah play the shehnai on 15 August? What was the historical moment?
6. Why did Bismillah refuse to start a shehnai school in the USA?
7. Find two instances in text which tells that Bismillah Khan loves Benaras and India?