Summary of the ch,The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan
Answers
This chapter throws light on the origin of Shehnai and the life of all-time great Shehnai Vadak —Bismillah Than. The winner of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India, his dedication to music and his love for India.
This chapter throws light on the origin of Shehnai and the life of all-time great Shehnai Vadak —Bismillah Than. The winner of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India, his dedication to music and his love for India."Pungi” a musical instrument, was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb, because of its shrill and unpleasant sound. In fact, it was regarded more as a noise maker rather than a musical instrument. It was modified and perfected by a barber who belonged to a family of professional musicians. He played it in the chamber of the king. Its sound was so appreciated by the emperor that it was made a part of Naubat. Since it was played for the first time in Shah's chamber by a Nai, it came to be known as Shehnai.
This chapter throws light on the origin of Shehnai and the life of all-time great Shehnai Vadak —Bismillah Than. The winner of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India, his dedication to music and his love for India."Pungi” a musical instrument, was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb, because of its shrill and unpleasant sound. In fact, it was regarded more as a noise maker rather than a musical instrument. It was modified and perfected by a barber who belonged to a family of professional musicians. He played it in the chamber of the king. Its sound was so appreciated by the emperor that it was made a part of Naubat. Since it was played for the first time in Shah's chamber by a Nai, it came to be known as Shehnai.Traditionally, it was played in the temples and on every auspicious domestic occasions also. Its sound was regarded as auspicious. But it was treated as an incomplete musical instrument, not capable of creating independent pages. But Bismillah broke this myth.
This chapter throws light on the origin of Shehnai and the life of all-time great Shehnai Vadak —Bismillah Than. The winner of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India, his dedication to music and his love for India."Pungi” a musical instrument, was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb, because of its shrill and unpleasant sound. In fact, it was regarded more as a noise maker rather than a musical instrument. It was modified and perfected by a barber who belonged to a family of professional musicians. He played it in the chamber of the king. Its sound was so appreciated by the emperor that it was made a part of Naubat. Since it was played for the first time in Shah's chamber by a Nai, it came to be known as Shehnai.Traditionally, it was played in the temples and on every auspicious domestic occasions also. Its sound was regarded as auspicious. But it was treated as an incomplete musical instrument, not capable of creating independent pages. But Bismillah broke this myth.Bismillah belongs to the Benares Gharana. He was born in 1916 at Dumraon, in Bihar. As a 5 year old, he used to visit the Bihariji Temple and sing Bhojpuri "Chaitya" there. For his melodious singing he used to earn a big Laddu from the local Bhojpuri King. At the age of 6, he moved to Benares. There under the guidance and training of his maternal uncle, Ali Bux, he started picking up the finer nuances of shehnai. He used to spend most of his time practicing on the banks of the River Ganges. The themes of his music were deeply affected by the sounds of flowing water of the Ganga.
Answer:
Answer the following:
1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the Pungi?
Aurangzeb banned the playing of musical instrument Pungi because it had a shrill, unpleasant sound.
2. How is a Shehnai different from a Pungi?
Shehnai has a better tonal quality than Pungi. It is a natural hollow stem pipe with holes on its body and is longer and broader than the Pungi. Shehnai is, in a way, an improvement upon the Pungi.
3. Where was the Shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
The Shehnai was traditionally played in royal courts, temples and weddings. Ustaad Bismillah khan, an undisputed monarch of Shehnai changed this by bringing this instrument onto the classical stage.
4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Bismillah khan got his big break in 1938 when he played shehnai on radio on the occasion of the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow . He soon became an often heard shehnai player on radio.
5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the Shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
On 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the Raag Kaafi on his shehnai from the Red Fort. The event was historical because India was celebrating its freedom the British rule on that day and audience included the greats like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,Dr.Rajendra Prasad etc.
6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a Shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Bismillah Khan refused one of his student's request to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A. because he did not want to stay away from Hindustan, specifically, from Benaras, the River Ganga and Dumraon.
7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benares.
The two instances that tells us about Bismillah Khan’s love for India and Benares are:
1.He refused to one of his student’s offer to head a shehnai school in the U.S.A because of his immense love for Benares,River Ganga and Dumraon.
2.When he was asked by Shekhar Gupta about moving to Pakistan during the partition,he instantly replied that he would never leave Benares,
Explanation: