where did Shehnai its due place and why
Answers
Solution :-
Shehnai is the refined version of pungi. A barber, who was a regular visitor to the king's palace, used a naturally hollow stem to put pungi's reed into and made shehnai. Shehnai had a pleasant sound unlike pungi. As it was played by a barber (nai in Hindi) before the king (shah in Urdu), so it was given the name shehnai.
Traditionally, the shehnai was played in temples and during wedding ceremonies, and it was considered an auspicious instrument. Ustad Bismillah Khan brought shehnai into mainstream music and changed the way people perceived shehnai.
Answer :
Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the musical instrument called 'pungi' in royal residential areas because of its high-pitched and unpleasant sound. However, a barber from a family of musicians decided to improve the sound quality of the pungi. For this purpose, he chose a pipe with a natural hollow stem that was longer and broader than the pungi and made many holes in the body of the pipe. When he played on this pipe by closing and opening some of the holes, soft and melodious sounds were produced.
The barber played the instrument before the royal court and everyone was impressed with the sound quality of this new instrument. The instrument greatly differed from the pungi and so had to be named. Since it was first played in the Shah's chambers and was played by a nai (barber) this new instrument came to be known as 'shehnai.' Traditionally, the shehnai was played in temples and on auspicious occasions like marriage ceremonies. Ustad Bismillah Khan is credited with bringing the shehnai to the national and international classical stage.