Bismillah Khan - Important Facts for UPSC

Bismillah Khan, popularly known as ‘Ustad’ was an Indian musician who played a pivotal role in bringing a reed musical instrument, shehnai, to the classical stage of Indian music. He was one of the greatest exponents of Indian classical music and the third classical musician to receive the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour of the country.

Read about Ustad Bismillah Khan and his contribution to Indian classical music in the following article.

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Early Life of Bismillah Khan

• Bismillah Khan was born on March 21, 1916, in Dumraon, Bihar, as the second son of Paigamar Khan and Mitthan. His ancestors were musicians in the court of the princely state of Bhojpur. His father was a musician in the court of Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon.
• He got introduced to shehnai through his maternal uncle, Ali Baksh ‘Vilayatu’, who was the official shehnai player at the famous VishwanathTemple in Banaras. Noticing Bismillah Khan’s interest in music, Ali Baksh started tutoring him in lessons of shehnai. He accompanied Ali Baksh for his lengthy practice sessions in temple rooms at Balaji Ghat. His genuine enthusiasm got him involved in the world of music. He practised for long hours with his uncle and got familiarised with different forms of music and ragas.
• His long hours of dedicated practice sessions improvised his craft and talent. He played shehnai on the banks of the River Ganga at the Vishwanath Temple. Drawing inspiration from the flowing waters of Ganga, he invented ragas beyond the range of shehnai. He experimented with the music to make it more appealing. He was also a devotee of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of wisdom and arts.
• The first major musical concert that gained popularity was his performance at the All India Muslim Conference in 1937 in Kolkota. With the performance, shehnai, which was primarily used for ceremonies, was elevated to the level of a classical musical instrument.

Career

• Bismillah Khan began his career by playing at various stage shows. He got his first break in 1937 when he played at a concert for the All India Music Conference in Calcutta. This performance brought shehnai into the limelight, and was largely accepted by music lovers.
•  He gave concerts in many countries, including Afghanistan, the USA, Canada, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, West Africa, Japan, Hong Kong, and various parts of Europe.
• During his illustrious career, he played in many prominent events throughout the world. Some of the events where he played shehnai include the World Exposition in Montreal, the Cannes Art Festival, and the Osaka Trade Fair.

Association with Films

• Goonj Uthi Shehnai – The Hindi film ‘Goonj Uthi Shehnai’ had a shehnai recital by Bismillah Khan himself. Also studded with recitals from other famous musicians like Abdul Halim Jaffar Khan and Amir Khan, the movie went on to become a blockbuster. It had its music composed by Vasant Desai.
• Sanaadi Appanna – In 1977, the maestro from Varanasi flew to the Prasad Studios in Chennai to work on a Kannada film titled ‘Sanaadi Appanna’. He spent nine days there, along with his troupe, consisting of ten members. He had decided to work on the film as its lead character, played by Dr. Rajkumar, was a rural shehnai artiste. Bismillah Khan’s brilliance formed the determining part of the movie, where the music was composed by G. K. Venkatesh.
• Sange Meel Se Mulaqat – ‘SangeMeel Se Mulaqat’ is a documentary on Bismillah Khan’s life directed by Goutam Ghose. The film features the maestro himself, and gives a fair idea about his growth from a young shehnai player to one of India’s best.
• Ustad Bismillah Khan believed that music has no caste. He fostered Hindu-Muslim unity and tried to spread the message of brotherhood through his music.
• He received the honour of playing Shehnai on the eve of India’s Independence in 1947.

Disciples

• He trained students with the thought that there was only little that he could share with his students. He believed that his skill is the result of blessings from Lord Shiva. His followers include S.Ballesh, a famous Shehnai player, and Krishna Ballesh. He also taught Shehnai to his sons, Nazim Hussain and Nayyar Hussain.

Later Years

• On 21 August 2006, he died of cardiac arrest at Heritage hospital in Varanasi.

Awards

• He received the highest Civilian Honour of the country, Bharat Ratna in 2001.
• The Government of Kerala presented him the Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram in 1998.
• He was selected as a fellow of Sangeet Nataka Akademi in 1994.
• He received the second-highest civilian honour of the country, Padma Vibhushan in 1980, and the third-highest civilian honour in the country, Padma Bhushan, in 1968. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1961.

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