Born: March 21, 1916
Died: August 21, 2006
Achievement: Brought shehnai to the center stage of Indian classical music;
Became the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's
highest civilian honour.
The legendary shehnai player, Ustad Bismillah Khan was one of India's most
celebrated classical musicians. Bismillah Khan has been credited with taking
the shehnai from the marriage mandap to the concert hall.
Bismillah Khan was born on March 21, 1916 at Dumraon, Bihar. His ancestors
were court musicians in the princely state of Dumraon in Bihar. Ustad
Bismillah Khan was trained under his uncle, the late Ali Bux `Vilayatu', a
shehnai player attached to Varanasi's Vishwanath Temple.
Ustad Bismillah Khan brought Shehnai to the center stage of Indian classical
music with his concert in the Calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937. He
had the honor of performing at Delhi's Red Fort on the occasion of India's
Independence on August 15, 1947. Bismillah Khan mesmerized everyone with
his heart-touching rendering of Raga Kafi from the Red Fort on the eve of
India's first Republic Day ceremony, on January 26, 1950.
Ustad Bismillah Khan was an icon of the composite culture of India. He was a
worshipper of both Allah and Saraswati. Ustad Bismillah was greatly attached
to the city of Varanasi and the river Ganga. Once, a rich American university
invited Bismillah to be their musician-in-residence, and asked him to state his
terms. Bismillah Khan replied, he would only come if he could bring his
beloved Ganga with him. Ustad Bismillah Khan performed in various parts of
the world. He performed in Afghanistan, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Canada, West
Africa, USA, USSR, Japan, Hong Kong and almost every capital city across the
world.
Ustad Bismillah Khan was a recipient of many honors and awards. These
include: Padma Vibhushan (1980), Padma Bhushan (1968), Padma Shri (1961),
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1956), and Tansen Award by Govt. of Madhya
Pradesh. In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan became the third classical musician to
be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.
Ustad Bismillah Khan died on August 21, 2006 due to cardiac arrest.
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