UNIT - 2 - The Sound of Music Part - 2 - The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan — ENGLISH STD 9 — Question
Gujarat BoardEnglish MediumSTD 9ENGLISHUNIT - 2 - The Sound of Music Part - 2 - The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan7 Marks
Question
My favourite musicians bismillah khan
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Answer
This chapter throws light on the origin of Shehnai and the life of all time great Shehnai Vadak – Bismillah Khan. The winner of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India, his dedication to music and his love for India.‘Pungi’ a musical instrument, was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb, because of its shrill and unpleasant sound. In fact, it was regarded more as a noise maker rather than a musical instrument. It was modified and perfected by a barber who belonged to a family of professional musicians. He played it in the chamber of the king. Its sound was so appreciated by the emperor that it was made a part of Naubat. Since it was played for the first time in Shah’s chamber by a Nai, it came to be known as Shehnai.
Traditionally, it was played in the temples and on every auspicious domestic occasions also. Its sound was regarded as auspicious. But it was treated as an incomplete musical instrument, not capable of creating independent raagas. But Bismillah Khan broke this myth.
Bismillah belongs to the Benaras Gharana. He was born on $21$ March in $1916$ at Dumraon, in Bihar. As a five-year-old, he used to visit the Bihariji Temple and sing Bhojpuri ‘Chaita’ there. For his melodious singing he used to earn a big laddu from the local Bhojpuri King. At the age of $6,$ he moved to Benaras. There under the guidance and training of his maternal uncle, Ali Bux, he started picking up the nuances of shehnai. He used to spend most of his time practising on the banks of the River Ganges.
The themes of his music were deeply affected by the sounds of flowing water of the Ganga. He got the best performer award at All India Music Conference in Allahabad in $1930.$ National awards like the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan were conferred on him.
In $2001,$ he was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. He was invited to play the shehnai from the ramparts of the Red Fort in $1947,$ becoming the first to greet Indian independent India with his shehnai. He won many international awards also. He became the first Indian to perform at the Lincoln Central Hall, in $U.S.A.$ An auditorium in Tehran was named after him, Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan.
Bismillah was very fond of Benaras and Dumraon. He declined an offer from one of his students to settle in the $U.S.A.,$ as he was not willing to stay away for long from Benaras and its holy river Ganga. He ventured into film world also. He gave his music in two movies. His composition ‘Dil ka khilona hai toot gaya’ for the movie ‘Goonj Uthi Shehnai’, was a chartbuster. But he could not associate himself with the artificial glamour of the film world. For him, music was his soul, his life.
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