Before You Read
• Think of the shehnai and the first thing you'll probably imagine is a wedding or a similar occasion or function. The next would probably be ustad Bismillah Khan, the shehnai maestro, playing this instrument.
1. Emperor Aurangzeb banned the the playing of a musical instrument called pungi in the Royal residence for It had a shrill unpleasant sound. Pungi became the generic name for reeded noisemakers. Few had thought that it would one day be revive. A barbar of a family of professional musicians, who had access to the Royal place, decided to improve tha tonal quality of the pungi. He chose a pipe with a natural hollow stem that was longer and border than the pungi, and made seven holes on the body of the pipe. When he played on it ,closing and opening some of these holes, soft and melodies sound were produced. He played the instrument before Royalty and everyone was impressed. The instruments so different from the pungi had to be given a new name. As the story goes, since it was first played in the shah's chamber and was played by a Barbar the instrument was named the ' shehnai'.
2. The sound of the shehnai began to be considered auspicious. And for this reason It is still played in temples and is an indispensable component of any North Indian wedding. In the past, the shehnai was part of the Naubat or traditional ensemble of nine instruments found the Royal courts. Till recently it was used only in temples and wedding the credit for bringing this instrument onto the classic stage goes to ustad Bismillah Khan
3. As a five-year old, bismillah khan played gilli danda near a pond in the ancient estate of Dumraon in Bihar, he would regularly go to the nearby Bihariji temple to sing the Bhojpuri 'chaita' at the end of which he would earn a big laddu weighing 1.25 kg, a prize given by the local maharaja, this happened 80years ago and the little boy has traveled far to earn the highest civilian award in India- the Bharat Ratna .
4. Born on 21 March 1916. Bismillah belongs to a well - known family of the musician from Bihar. His grandfather, Rasul Bux Khan, was the shehnai - Nawaz of the Bhojpur king's court Bihar. Paigambar bux, and other paternal ancestors were also great shehnai players.
5. The young boy took to music early in life. At the age of three when his mother took him to his maternal uncle's house in Banaras ( now Varanasi ). Bismillah was fascinated watching his uncles practice the shehnai. Soon Bismillah started accompanying his uncle, Ali Bux to the vishnu temple of banaras where Bux was employed to play the shehnai . Ali Bux would play the shehnai and Bismillah would sit captivated for hours on end. Slowly, he started getting lesson in playing the instrument and would sit practicing throughout the day. For years to come the temple of Balaji and Mangla Maiya and the banks of the Ganga became the young apprentice's favorite haunts where he could practice in solitude. The flowing water of the Ganga inspired him to improvise and invent raagas that were earlier considered to be beyond the range of the shehnai.
6. At 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 indias gained Independence on 15th August 1947, Bismillah khan became the first Indian to great the nation with his shehnai. He poured his heart out into Raag Kafi from. The Red fort to an audience which included mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who later gave his famous 'Tryst with Destiny' speech.
8. 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 carpet 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 composition, " Dil Ka Khilona hai toot gaya..., " turned out to be a nationwide chartbuster ! Despite this huge success in the celluloid world, Bismillah khan's venture in film music were limited to two: Vijay Bhatt's GUNJ UTHI SHEHNAI and Vikarm 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.
Music with Bismillah's shehnai
9. Awards and recognition came thick ans fast. Bismillah khan became the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious Lincoln center 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 know did he become internationally that an auditorium in Tehran was named after him- Tahar Mosiquee Bismillah Khan.
10. National awards like the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan were Conferred on him.
11. In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan was awarded India's highest civilian award, The Bharat Ratna. With the coveted award resting on his chest and his eyes glinting with rare happiness he said, " All I would like to say is : Teach your children music, this is Hindustan's richest tradition; even the west is now coming to learn our music. "
Highest Civilian awards goes to ustad
Bismillah khan shahab
12. In spite of having traveled all over the world - khansaab as he is fondly called- is exceedingly fond of Banaras and Dumraon and they remain for him the most wonderful towna of the world. A student of his once wanted him to head a shehnai school in the U.S.A, and the student promised to recreate the atmosphere of Banaras by replicating the temples there. But khansaab asked him if he would be able to transport river Ganga as well. Later he is remembered to have said, ' That is why whenever I am in a foreign country, I keep yearing to see Hindustan. While In Mumbai, I think of only Banaras and the holy Ganga. And while in Banaras, I miss the unique Mattha of Dumraon."
13. Ustad Bismillah Khan's life is a perfect example of the rich, culture heritage of India, one that effortlessly accept that a devout Muslim like him can very naturally play the shehnai every morning at the Kashi vishwanath temple.
14. Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away on 21 August 2006 at the age of ninety after a prolonged illness. He was given a state funeral and the Government of India declared one day of national mourning! ........
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you have any doubts. Any point to put up me please ...