Ustad Bismillah Khan: The essential Benarasi

For almost four generations of classical music afficionados, Ustad Bismillah Khan is inalienably connected with shehnai. For ages, shehnai has been synonymous with auspicious occasions in areas north of the Vindhyas.

Ustad Bismillah Khan’s took this almost folk instrument with an Iranian connect from the palaces and temples to the realm of classical music. It was thanks to him that shehnai became an accepted instrument for performing ‘ragadari’. His jugalbandis, whether with Prof VG Jog or Girija Devi, are considered the invaluable heritage of Indian classical music. Today we have come to accept that ragas Bageshri, Jayajayvanti, Kamod, Sarang, Bahar, Bihag, Kedar, Bhimpalasi, Yemen, Bhupali, Chhayanat, Malkons and Bhairavi have a natural affinity with shehnai.

Born in music in Benaras, Bismillah Khan trained with his maternal grandfather and started his musical innings at the ancient temple in the city. Till the last year of his life he played for the pre-wedding ‘sehra’ ceremony of Shiva on Shivratri. For 80 years he practiced in the Balaji temple, the Mangalagauri temple and at the banks of the Ganga. He paid tribute to the eternal city and river through the GangaPujjaiya Geet ‘Ganga Duare Badhaiya Baje’.

Khan holds a distinguished and proud record: he played the shehnai at the Red Fort to welcome India’s freedom on the morning of August 15, 1947, and then again to celebrate the golden jubilee in 1997. Since 1957 till date the official media of Government of India (All India Radio and Doordarshan) open their day through the soothing notes of Ustad Bismillah Khan’s shehnai.

A true blue Benarasi, Khan was genial, affable, always there for friends. So when Vasant Desai called him to Mumbai to contribute to ‘Goonj

Uthee Shehnai’, the result was the poignant Bhairavi composition ‘Dil ka khilona hai toot gaya’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar. It proved so popular that he was often asked to play it in his concerts.

Ustad Bismillah Khan was much honoured but few know that Iran built an auditorium ‘Talar Mausiki Ustad Bismillah Khan’, or that the US Government celebrated his 80th birthday with full state honors in 1995. And yet such was his humility that on being conferred with ‘Bharat Ratna’ he said, ‘I am still working towards the true note. May the almighty grant me that.”