Bismillah Khan

For other uses, see Bismillah Khan (disambiguation).

Ustad
Bismillah Khan
Bharat Ratna
Khan at a music concert (1964)
Khan at a music concert (1964)
Background information
Birth nameQamaruddin Khan
Born(1916-03-21)21 March 1916
Dumraon, Bihar and Orissa Province, British India
Died21 August 2006(2006-08-21) (aged 90)
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
GenresIndian classical music
OccupationMusician
InstrumentShehnai
MembersAfaq Haider, Savita Anand, Ajitesh Singh
Past membersZamin Husain Khan

Ustad Bismillah Khan (born Qamaruddin Khan, 21 March 1916 – 21 August 2006), often referred to by the title Ustad, was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, a reeded woodwind instrument. He played it with such expressive virtuosity that he became a leading Hindustani classical music artist. His name was indelibly linked with the woodwind instrument. While the shehnai had importance as a folk instrument played primarily by musicians schooled in traditional ceremonies, Khan is credited with elevating its status and bringing it to the concert stage.[1][2]

Khan was a devout Muslim but performed at both Hindu and Muslim ceremonies and was considered a symbol of religious harmony. His fame was such that 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. His music was played (in Raag Kafi) on television every Independence Day. He 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.[3]

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. S. Subbalakshmi and Ravi Shankar to be awarded the Bharat Ratna.[4][5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Independent was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Indian music's soulful maestro". BBC News. 21 August 2006. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Bismillah-Khan". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Remembering Ustad Bismillah Khan". Newsd. 20 March 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ITC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).