Summary
The Sound of Music
Bismillah Khan is a legend. He was the undisputed monarch
of Shehnai. He was from the family of professional
musicians. The chapter tells about the development of
Shehnai. Pungi was an instrument which was played in the
Royal Court of emperor Aurangzeb. He banned the playing
of the instrument as it had a loud shrill sound.
A barber worked on the instrument, improvised it and came
out with an instrument with a melodious sound which was
named Shehnai. Ustaad Bismillah Khan made the instrument
popular and gave it the due value and respect. He belonged
to a well-known family of musicians from Bihar. His
grandfather played the shehnai in Bhojpur King's court.
His father too played the shehnai. Bismillah Khan took to
music at an early age. He visited his uncle's house as a kid
and was attracted to shehnai. Soon he started accompanying
his uncle to the Vishnu temple of Benaras where his uncle
played the shehnai. Bismillah Khan would sit captivated by
the sound of shehnai.
At the age of 14, Bismillah Khan accompanied his uncle to
the Allahbad Music Conference. He was appreciated, and
worked very hard to become a well-known shehnai player.
He got an opportunity to play at All India Radio Lucknow in
1938, and there was no looking back.
Bismillah Khan gave many memorable performances in
India as well as abroad. He tried his hand on playing
shehnai for movies too. Also, director Vijay Bhatt on
hearing Khan's shehnai named his movie as 'Gunj Uthi
Shehnai.' Bismillah Khan also gave music for a song in a
movie. But soon he quit the movie as the world of glitter
and glamour he didn't like. In 2001, Bismillah Khan was
awarded the India's highest civilian award, the Bharat
Ratna. He loved his culture and the country.
The chapter is an account of Bismillah Khan's life. It is
well narrated in simple language with perfect
chronological events.
An important aspect of the story is the spirit of
patriotism the legend lived with. The love for his
country is very evident all through the chapter. His
decision to live in India and missing the country and
his roots even when he went abroad show his
attachment with his country.
Also, even after achieving so much and reaching
great heights, Bismillah Khan was a very humble and
grounded person. The Fineness of his character is
displayed when he denied the glamour world of
movie.
The passionate flame for music he had in his heart
made him what he was. His hard work made even
the raagas possible which people thought would be
beyond the reach of shehnai.
The theme of the story is very much about music
and the passion to spread it to the world. Also, an
important aspect of the story is the love for the
country. Bismillah Khan's roots were very much in
Dumraon and Benaras and his source of the
inspiration was the river Ganga. Even when he was
abroad, he could only think of his hometown.
Success didn't plague his head, and he remained
grounded and humble.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Comments
Post a Comment