Bismillah Khan

Khan was a devout Muslim but performed at both Hindu and Muslim ceremonies, and was considered a symbol of religious harmony. Owing to his fame, he was selected to perform for the ceremony at Delhi's historic Red Fort as the Indian flag unfurled at the hour of India's independence on 15 August 1947. Khan turned down invitations to perform in other countries before 1966, when the Indian government insisted that he play at the Edinburgh International Festival. This gained him a following in the West, and he continued to appear in Europe and North America thereafter. In 2001, Bismillah Khan was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, and the country observed a national day of mourning following his death in 2006. He became the third classical musician of India after M. Subbalakshmi and Ravi Shankar to be awarded the Bharat Ratna.

• Honorific Prefix — Ustad • Name — Bismillah Khan • Honorific Suffix — Bharat Ratna • Birth Name — Qamaruddin Khan • Born — 21 March 1916 • Birthplace — Dumraon, Bihar, British India • Died — 21 August 2006 • Place of death — Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India • Instrument — Shehnai • Genre — Indian classical music • Occupation — Musician • Current Members — Afaq Haider, Savita Anand, Ajitesh Singh • Past Members — Zamin Husain Khan

Bismillah Khan was born into a family of traditional Muslim musicians at the big town of Dumraon, India, as the second son of Paigambar Bux Khan and Mitthanbai. His father was a court musician employed in the court of Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon Raj. His two grandfathers Ustad Salar Hussain Khan and Rasool Bux Khan were also musicians in the Dumraon palace. He was named Qamruddin at birth, to rhyme with his elder brother's name Shamsuddin. Upon seeing the newborn, his grandfather Rasool Baksh Khan, also a shehnai player, is said to have exclaimed "Bismillah", or "In the name of Allah", and thereafter he came to be known by Ustad Bismillah Khan.

• Illustration — Bismillah Khan in Concert • Illustration — Ustad Bismillah Khan receiving India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, from then president K. R. Narayanan, New Delhi, 2001 At the age of 14, Bismillah accompanied his uncle to the Allahabad music conference. He used to practice with his shehnai on the banks of the river Ganga everyday. Bismillah Khan began his career by playing at various stage shows. He got his first major break in 1937, when he played at a concert at All India Music Conference in Kolkata or Calcutta. This performance brought Shehnai into the limelight and was hugely appreciated by music lovers. He then went on to play in many countries.

On 17 March 2006, Bismillah Khan's health deteriorated and he was admitted to the Heritage Hospital, Varanasi for treatment. Khan's last wish – to perform at India Gate, could not be fulfilled. He wanted to pay tributes to the martyrs. He waited in vain till his last rites. He died of cardiac arrest on 21 August 2006, at the age of 90. The Government of India declared a day of national mourning on his death. His body along with a Shehnai was buried at Fatemaan burial ground of old Varanasi under a neem tree with a 21-gun salute from the Indian Army.

Khan had a brief association with films in India. He played the shehnai for Rajkumar's role of Appanna in the Vijay's Kannada-language film Sanaadi Appanna which became a blockbuster. He acted in Jalsaghar by Satyajit Ray and played the shehnai for Vijay Bhatt's Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959). Noted director Goutam Ghose directed Sange Meel Se Mulaqat (1989), an Indian documentary film about the life of Khan. Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar character Ustad Jameel Khan played by Shammi Kapoor was slightly inspired by Khan.

Bismillah Khan had honorary doctorates from: • Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi • Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan Others include • Was invited by then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to play shehnai on the first Independence Day (15 August 1947) in Delhi's Red Fort. • Participated in World Exposition in Montreal • Participated in Cannes Art Festival • Participated in Osaka Trade Fair • India Post issued commemorative postage stamps of ₹5.00 denomination on 21 August 2008 • On the 102nd anniversary of his day of birth, Google honoured Bismillah Khan with a Google doodle.

• Bismillah Khan: the shehnai maestro, by Neeraja Poddar. Rupa & Co., 2018.. • Monograph on Shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan, by Amar Jyoti, Shivnath Jha, Alok Jain, Anjali Sinha. Pub. Neena Jha & Shivnath Jha, 2019.. • Bismillah Khan and Banaras: the seat of shehnai, by Rita Ganguly. Siddhi Books, 1994. • Shahnai Vadak Ustad Bismillah Khan, by Murli Manohar Shrivguguiastava. Prabhat Prakashan, 2009.. • Bismillah Khan: The Maestro from Benaras, by Juhi Sinha. Niyogi Books, 2011.. • Naubatkhane Mein Ibadat, by Yatindra Mishra. Chapter in NCERT's Hindi textbook for 10th Standard. • In the NCERT English Textbook for 9th Grade he is credited largely in the chapter The Sound Of Music.

Bismillah Khan is classed in the genre Hindustani classical music. Recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded as having received Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Bhushan and Bharat Ratna.