Shehnai by Bismillah khan

Shehnai by Bismillah khan

by Sudeshna Dey

​At the age of 14, Bismillah accompanied his uncle to the Allahabad Music Conference. At the end of his recital, Ustad Faiyaz Khan patted the young boy’s back and said, “Work hard and you shall make it.” With the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938 came Bismillah’s big break. He soon became an often-heard shehnai player on radio. 7. When India gained independence on 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to greet the nation with his shehnai. He poured his heart out into Raag Kafi from the Red Fort to an audience which included Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who later gave his famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech.

Bismillah Khan has given many memorable performances both in India and abroad. His first trip abroad was to Afghanistan where King Zahir Shah was so taken in by the maestro that he gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs. The King of Afghanistan was not the only one to be fascinated with Bismillah’s music. Film director Vijay Bhatt was so impressed after hearing Bismillah play at a festival that he named a film after the instrument called Gunj Uthi Shehnai. The film was a hit, and one of Bismillah Khan’s compositions, “Dil ka khilona hai toot gaya ...,” turned out to be a nationwide chartbuster! Despite this huge success in the celluloid world, Bismillah Khan’s ventures in film music were limited to two: Vijay Bhatt’s Gunj Uthi Shehnai and Vikram Srinivas’s Kannada venture, Sanadhi Apanna. “I just can’t come to terms with the artificiality and glamour of the film world,” he says with emphasis.

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​Awards and recognition came thick and fast. Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He also took part in the World Exposition in Montreal, in the Cannes Art Festival and in the Osaka Trade Fair. So well known did he become internationally that an auditorium in Teheran was named after him — Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan.

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​Task:

a) FIND HARD WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS

​b) Attemt the QUIZ next slide.

Multiple Choice

What was the name of the musical instrument that was banned in the royal residence?

• shehnai

• pungi

• baasuri

• alghoza

Multiple Choice

What was the profession of the person who invented the shehnai?

• Barber

• Blacksmith

• Jeweler

• Priest

Multiple Choice

In which state was Bismillah Khan born?

• Chattisgarh

• Madhya Pradesh

• Uttar Pradesh

• Bihar

Multiple Choice

Where was Ustad Bismillah Khan's maternal uncle's home, which became one of his favorite places on the planet?

• Dehradun

• Benaras (Varanasi)

• Bombay (Mumbai)

• Chennai

Multiple Choice

When was Ustad Bismillah Khan born?

• 21 March, 1917

• 21 March, 1916

• 12 March, 1917

• 12 March, 1916

Multiple Choice

What prize would five year-old Bismillah Khan get for singing the Bhojpuri 'Chaita' at the nearby Biharji temple?

• A 2.5 kg dumbell

• A 2.5 kg vada

• A 2.5 kg laddu

• A 2.5 kg jalebi

Multiple Select

What were the apprentice Bismillah's favourite haunts for practicing in solitude?

• Banks of the Yamuna

• Biharji temple

• Balaji and Mangla Maiya temple

• Banks of the Ganga

Multiple Choice

In which year did Bismillah Khan receive the Bharat Ratna civilian?

• 2006

• 1916

• 2001

• 2021

Multiple Choice

Which emperor banned the playing of a musical instrument called pungi in the royal residence?

• Emperor Ashoka

• Emperor Chandragupta Maurya

• Emperor Aurangzeb

• Emperor Akbar

Multiple Choice

Who gets the credit to bring the shehnai onto the classical stage?

• Ustad Bismillah Khan

• Bhaskar Nath

• Ali Ahmed Hussain Khan

• Anant Lal

Multiple Choice

What reward did the local Maharaja give five year old Bismillah when he sang the Bhojpuri 'Chaita'?

• 1 kg gulab jamun

• 1 kg halawa

• 1.25 kg laddu

• 1 kg mithai

Multiple Choice

Who was Ustad Bismillah Khan's grandfather?

• Raheem Khan

• Rasool Bux Khan

• Akbar Khan

• Zakir Khan

Multiple Choice

Who was Ustad Bismillah Khan's father?

• Paigambar Bux Khan

• Akbar Khan

• Naeem Khan

• Umrao Khan

Multiple Choice

Who patted Bismillah's back and said, "Work hard and you shall make it."?

• Ustad Faiyaz Khan

• Naeem Khan

• Ustad Zakir Khan

• Yaqub Khan