The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan



  1. EMPEROR AURANGZEB banned the playing of a musical instrument called the 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 received. A barber of a family of professional musicians, who had access to the royal palace, decided to improve the tonal quality of the Pungi. He chose a pipe with a natural hollow stem that was longer and broader 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 melodious sound were produced. He played the instrument before royalty and everyone was impressed. The instrument 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 chambers and was played by a 'NAI' (The barber), 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, shehnai was part of the naubat or traditional ensemble of nine instrument found at royal courts. Till recently it was used only in temples and wedding. The credit for bringing this instrument onto the classical 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 Bihari ji 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 80 year ago, and the little boy has travelled far to earn the highest civilian award in India — The Bharat Ratna .

  4. Born on March 21,1916, Bismillah belong to a well-known family of musicians from Bihar. His grandfather, RASOOL BUX KHANwas the shehnai-nawaz of the Bhojpuri king's court. His father, PAIGAMBAR BUXand 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 house in BENARAS, Bismillah was fascinated watching his uncles practise the shehnai. Soon Bismillah started accompanying his uncle ALI BUX to the Vishnu Temple of Varanasi where ALI 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 lessons in playing the instrument and would sit practicing throughout the day. For years to come the temple of BALAJI and MANGALA MAIYA and the banks of the Ganga became the young apprentice's favourite haunt where he could practice in solitude. The flowing waters of the Ganga inspired him to improve and invent raagas that were earlier considered to be beyond the range of the Shehnai.

  6. At the age of 14, Bismillah accompanied his uncle to theAllahabad Music Conference.At the end of his recital, USTAD FAIYAZ KHAN patted the young boy's back and said, "Work hard and you small make it." With the opening of the ALL INDIA RADIO IN LONDON in 1938 came Bismillah's big break. He soon became an often-heard shehnai player on radio.

  7. When India gained independence on August 15,1947, Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to great the nation with his shehnai. He poured his heart out into RAAG KAFI from RED FORT to audience which included MAHATMA GANDHI and PANDIT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU, who later gave his famous speed TRYST WITH DESTINY

  8. Bismillah Khan has given many memorable performance 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 Pensian carpets and other souvenirs. The King of Afghanistan is not the ony one to be fascinated with Bismillah's music. Film directorVIJAY BHATT was so impressed after hearing Bismillah play at a festival that he named a film after the instrument called “GONJ UTHI SHEHNAI”. The folm 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 GONJ UTHI SHEHNAI and VIKRAM KANNADA VENTURE“SANADHI APANNA”. “I just can't come to terms with the artificiality and glamour of the film world,” he says emphatically

  9. Awards and recognition came thick and fast. Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Center Hall in theUSA. 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 Teheram was named after him :– TAHAR MOSIQUEE USTAAD BISMILLAH KHAN .

  10. National award 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, that is Hindusthan’s richest tradition; even the West is now coming to learn our music.

  12. In spite of having travelled all over the world – Khansaab as he is foudly called - is exceedingly fond of Benaras and Dumraon and they remain for him the most wonderful towns of the world. A student of his once wanted him to heas a shehnai school in the USA, and the student promised to recreate the atmosphere of Benaras by replicating the templs 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 yearning to see Hindusthan. While in Mumbai, I think of only Varanasi and The holy Ganga. And while in Varanasi. I miss the unique‘Matta’ in Dumraon.”

  13. Ustad Bismillah Khan's life is a perfect example of the rich, culturel heritage of India, one that effortless accept that a devout Muslim like him can very naturally play the Shehnai every morning at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple