Who was Ali Baksh ‘Vilayatu’? What role did he play in Bismillah Khan’s life?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation: Answer to the first part of the question
Ali Baksh ‘Vilayatu’ was a famous shehnai performer and the uncle of Ustad Bismaiilah Khan. He was also his mentor and teacher.
Bismillah Khan too practiced the shehnai with great dedication and soon attained perfection in the instrument.
Answer to the second part of the question
Ustad Bismaiilah Khan`s father played shehnai in the court of Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon. He took up the art of playing shehnai at a very early age of 6 years. He grew up watching his father play the shehnai and made up his mind follow his father`s footsteps.
He started his journey of learning the art of playing shehnai at an early age of 6 from Varanasi. He was trained there by Ali Baksh 'Vilayatu', his uncle. Bismillah Khan regarded his uncle as his teacher and mentor. He learnt the nuances of shehnai from his uncle, until he mastered every aspect of it.
Hope this helps.