1) Why did Aurangzeb ban
pungi? How does pungi represent a class?
= Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of
musical instrument pungi in the royal residence because it had a shrill and
unpleasant sound.
Pungi became the generic name
for reeded noisemakers. Few had thought that it would one day be revived. A
barber of a family of professional musicians, who had access to the royal
palace, decided to improve the tonal quality of the pungi. Therefore, he chose
a pipe with a natural hollow stem that was longer and broader than the pungi
and made seven holes on the body of the pipe. When he played on it, closing and
opening some of these holes, soft and melodious sounds were produced. He played
the instrument before royalty and everyone was impressed.
2) How did the barber
modify the pungi to give birth o a new musical instrument?
= After EMPEROR Aurangzeb
banned the playing of a musical instrument called pungi in the royal residence,
few had thought that it would one day be revived. A barber of a family of
professional musicians, who had access to the royal palace, decided to improve the
tonal quality of the pungi. He chose a pipe with a natural hollow stem that was
longer and broader than the pungi and made seven holes on the body of the pipe.
When he played on it, closing and opening some of these holes, soft and
melodious sounds were produced. He played the instrument before royalty and
everyone was impressed. The instrument so different from the pungi had to be
given a new name. As the story goes, since it was first played in the Shah’s
chambers and was played by a nai (barber), the instrument was named the
‘shehnai’.
3) How did the name
“Shehnai” come into existence?
= Pungi became the generic
name for reeded noisemakers. Few had thought that it would one day be revived.
A barber of a family of professional musicians, who had access to the royal
palace, decided to improve the tonal quality of the pungi. Therefore, he chose
a pipe with a natural hollow stem that was longer and broader than the pungi,
and made seven holes on the body of the pipe. When he played on it, closing and
opening some of these holes, soft and melodious sounds were produced. He played
the instrument before royalty and everyone was impressed. The instrument so
different from the pungi had to be given a new name. As the story goes, since
it was first played in the Shah’s chambers and was played by a nai (barber),
the instrument was named the ‘shehnai’.
4) Initially how Shehnai
was restricted to only auspicious timings? How did Bismillah Khan take the
instrument to the classical level?
= The sound of
the shehnai began to be considered auspicious. And for this reason, it is still
played in temples and is an indispensable component of any North Indian
wedding. In the past, the shehnai was part of the traditional ensemble of nine
instruments found at royal courts. Till recently it was used only in temples
and weddings. The credit for bringing this instrument onto the classical stage
goes to Ustad Bismillah Khan.
As a five-year-old, Bismillah
Khan played Gilli danda near a pond in the ancient estate of Dumraon in Bihar.
The young boy took to music early in life. At the age of three when his mother
took him to his maternal uncle’s house in Benaras (now Varanasi), Bismillah was
fascinated watching his uncles practise the shehnai. Soon Bismillah started
accompanying his uncle, Ali Bux, to the Vishnu temple of Benaras where Bux was
employed to play the shehnai. Ali Bux would play the shehnai and Bismillah
would sit captivated for hours on end. Slowly, he started getting lessons in
playing the instrument and would sit practising throughout the day. For years
to come to the temple of Balaji and Mangala Maiya and the banks of the Ganga
became the young apprentice’s favourite haunts where he could practise in
solitude. The flowing waters of the Ganga inspired him to improvise and invent
raagas that were earlier considered to be beyond the range of the shehnai.
5) How five-year-old
Bismillah Khan had been into music winning laddu?
= As a five-year-old, Bismillah Khan played Gilli danda near a
pond in the ancient estate of Dumraon in Bihar. He would regularly go to the
nearby Bihariji temple to sing the Bhojpuri ‘Chaita’, at the end of which he
would earn a big laddu weighing 1.25 kg, a prize given by the local Maharaja.
This happened 80 years ago, and the little boy has travelled far to earn the
highest civilian award in India — the Bharat Ratna.
6) How were the paternal ancestors of Bismillah
khan famous musicians?
= The credit for bringing Shehnai onto the classical stage
goes to Ustad Bismillah Khan. Born on 21 March 1916, Bismillah belongs to a
well-known family of musicians from Bihar. His grandfather, Rasool Bux Khan,
was the shehnainawaz of the Bhojpur king’s court. His father, Paigambar Bux,
and other paternal ancestors were also great shehnai players.
7) How in maternal
uncle’s house Bismillah Khan got obsessed with Shehnai?
= The magician of music
instruments, Ustad Bismillah Khan, at a very young age, became a music devotee. As a five-year-old, Bismillah Khan played Gilli danda near a
pond in the ancient estate of Dumraon in Bihar. The young boy took to music
early in life. At the age of three when his mother took him to his maternal
uncle’s house in Benaras (now Varanasi), Bismillah was fascinated watching his
uncles practise the shehnai. Soon Bismillah started accompanying his uncle, Ali
Bux, to the Vishnu temple of Benaras where Bux was employed to play the
shehnai. Ali Bux would play the shehnai and Bismillah would sit captivated for
hours on end. Slowly, he started getting lessons in playing the instrument and
would sit practising throughout the day. For years to come to the temple of
Balaji and Mangala Maiya and the banks of the Ganga became the young apprentice’s
favourite haunts where he could practise in solitude. The flowing waters of the
Ganga inspired him to improvise and invent raagas that were earlier considered
to be beyond the range of the shehnai
8) How indifferent places
Banaras and at the bank of The Ganga Bismillah worked hard to practice and
create music and ragas?
= Bismillah Khan has given
many memorable performances both in India and abroad. His first trip abroad was
to Afghanistan where King Zahir Shah was so taken in by the maestro that he
gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs. In spite of having
travelled all over the world — Khansaab as he is fondly called — was
exceedingly fond of Benaras and Dumraon and they remain for him the most
wonderful towns of the world. A student of his once wanted him to head a
shehnai school in the U.S.A., and the student promised to recreate the
atmosphere of Benaras by replicating the temples there. But Khansaab asked him
if he would be able to transport River Ganga as well. But he kept yearning to
Hindustan. Mumbai reminded him of Benaras and the holy Ganga while he missed
the unique mattha of Dumraon in Benaras.
9) When and where did
Bismillah khan get compliments from Ustad Faiyaz Khan? How was the praise?
= At the age of 14, when
Bismillah Khan accompanied his uncle to the Allahabad Music Conference, it was
after his recital, he was acclaimed by Ustad Faiyaz Khan.
The magician of the music
world did his best at the Allahabad Music conference which compelled Ustad
Faiyaz Khan to praise him. He patted the young boy’s back and said, “Work hard
and you shall make it.” With the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in
1938 came Bismillah’s big break. He soon became an often-heard shehnai player
on the radio.
10) How all India Radio created an opportunity for Bismillah
Khan to cater his talent worldwide?
=The music magician Bismillah
Khan accompanies his uncle and went to the Allahabad Music Conference to
deliver his recital. It was after that conference, he embarked on a big break
with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938. He soon became an
often-heard shehnai player on the radio.
11) How was 15th August 1947 an important moment for
Bismillah Khan?
= When India gained
independence on 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to greet
the nation with his shehnai. He poured his heart out into Raag Kafi from the
Red Fort to an audience which included Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru, who later gave his famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech. Hence, this day
was one of the most important moment for Bismillah Khan.
12) How did King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan honour Bismillah Khan
in the movies as a musician?
=
Bismillah Khan has given many memorable performances both in India and
abroad. His first trip abroad was to Afghanistan where King Zahir Shah was so
taken in by the maestro that he gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other
souvenirs. His rewards reflected the talent, sheer determination and hard work
in him.
13) How was Bismillah Khan in the movies as a musician?
= Bismillah khan excelled in
music worldwide. Not just in India, praises showered over him from other
countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan. King Zahir Shah was so taken in by the
maestro that he gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs. The
King of Afghanistan was not the only one to be fascinated with Bismillah’s
music. Film director Vijay Bhatt was so impressed after hearing Bismillah play
at a festival that he named a film after the instrument called Gunj Uthi
Shehnai. The film was a hit, and one of Bismillah Khan’s compositions, “Dil ka
khilona hai toot Gaya …,” turned out to be a nationwide chartbuster.
14) Why didn’t Bismillah Khan go for music in cinemas except for
his two ventures?
= Bismillah Khan was a very
determined man with a practical mindset. Despite this huge success in the
celluloid world, Bismillah Khan’s ventures in film music were limited to two:
Vijay Bhatt’s Gunj Uthi Shehnai and Vikram Srinivas’s Kannada venture, Sanadhi
Apanna. He wasn’t interested in the glamour world of music and couldn’t come to
terms with the artificiality. Therefore, his venture in cinema was limited to
two.
15) How was Bismillah Khan honoured and rewarded from all around
the world?
= Born on 21 March 1916,
Bismillah belongs to a well-known family of musicians from Bihar. He was
praised and rewarded from all around the world for his delicate music taste and
excellence in Shehnai. Awards and recognition came thick and fast. Bismillah
Khan became the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious
Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He also took part in the
World Exposition in Montreal, in the Cannes Art Festival and the Osaka Trade
Fair. So well-known did he become internationally that an auditorium in Teheran
was named after him — Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan. National awards
like the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan were conferred on
him. In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan
was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
16) How did Bismillah connect Banaras and India to be his
comfortable abode as a musician? How do we get to know his love for Banaras and
the Ganga from his words when his USA student approached him to move there?
= Bismillah Khan has given
many memorable performances both in India and abroad. His first trip abroad was
to Afghanistan where King Zahir Shah was so taken in by the maestro that he
gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs. Despite having
travelled all over the world — Khansaab as he is fondly called — was
exceedingly fond of Benaras and Dumraon and they remain for him the most
wonderful towns of the world. Bismillah
Khan refused one of his student’s offer to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.
because of his immense love for Benares, River Ganga and Dumraon. A student of his once wanted him to head a shehnai school in the
U.S.A., and the student promised to recreate the atmosphere of Benaras by
replicating the temples there. But Khansaab asked him if he would be able to
transport River Ganga as well. But he kept yearning to Hindustan. Mumbai
reminded him of Benaras and the holy Ganga while he missed the unique mattha of
Dumraon in Benaras.
17) When he went to Pakistan, what did he say about his journey
as a Muslim?
= He was asked by a lot of
people whether they didn’t think of moving to Pakistan after the partition to
which he replied that it was basically impossible for him to move to Pakistan
leaving Benaras. He went to Pakistan once—he crossed the border just to say he
had been to Pakistan. He was there for about an hour. He said namaskar to the
Pakistanis and salaam alaikum to the Indians! He had a good laugh while saying
the above.
18) How was a devout Muslim like Bismillah Khan is an example of
Communal harmony in India?
= Ustad Bismillah Khan’s life is a perfect example of the
rich, cultural heritage of India, one that effortlessly accepts that a devout
Muslim like him can very naturally play the shehnai every morning at the Kashi
Vishwanath temple.
19) How both Evelyn and Bismillah Khan present their life and
character as an example for the people all over reflecting “Impossible is
nothing”?
=
Evelyn and Bismillah Khan are the characters who reflect “Impossible is
nothing”.
Evelyn lost the
ability to hear at the very age of eleven. She was placed in a “special” school
when discovered deaf. Everything turned dark to her. But she didn’t let her
disability stand on her way to success. She ducked all the difficulties and
discouragement and paced toward the brighter side. With the right people by her
side, cheering and encouraging, she pursued her interest in music. With the
help of Ron Forbes, she realised she could feel the higher drum from the waist
up and the lower one from the waist down. Forbes repeated the exercise, and soon
Evelyn discovered that she could sense certain notes in different parts of her
body. She never looked back from that point onwards. She toured the United
Kingdom with a youth orchestra and by the time she was sixteen, she had decided
to make music her life. She auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music and
scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy. She gradually
moved from orchestral work to solo performances. At the end of her three-year
course, she had captured most of the top awards She got right to the top, the
world’s most sought-after multi-percussionist with a mastery of some thousand
instruments, and hectic international schedule. For music, it poured in through
every part of her body. It tingled in her skin, cheekbones and even in her
hair. She could sense the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips when
she played the xylophone. Evelyn Glennie had already accomplished more than
most people twice her age. She brought percussion to the front of the orchestra
and demonstrated that it can be very moving. She had given inspiration to those
who are handicapped. Ann Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children said,
“She is a shining inspiration for deaf children. They see that there is nowhere
that they cannot go.” She was delighted with the love and respect she received.
No wonder she proved Nothing is impossible If you are determined to reach the
goal.
On the other hand, Ustad
Bismillah Khan is a music magician. His patience and effortless dedication show
us nothing is really impossible if we are determined to do something. As a
five-year-old, Bismillah Khan played Gilli danda near a pond in the ancient
estate of Dumraon in Bihar. The young boy took to music early in life. At the
age of three when his mother took him to his maternal uncle’s house in Benaras
(now Varanasi), Bismillah was fascinated watching his uncles practise the
shehnai. Soon Bismillah started accompanying his uncle, Ali Bux, to the Vishnu
temple of Benaras where Bux was employed to play the shehnai. Ali Bux would
play the shehnai and Bismillah would sit captivated for hours on end. Slowly,
he started getting lessons in playing the instrument and would sit practising
throughout the day. For years to come to the temple of Balaji and Mangala Maiya
and the banks of the Ganga became the young apprentice’s favourite haunts where
he could practise in solitude. The flowing waters of the Ganga inspired him to
improvise and invent raagas that were earlier considered to be beyond the range
of the shehnai. Ustad Bismillah
Khan’s life is a perfect example of the rich, cultural heritage of India, one
that effortlessly accepts that a devout Muslim like him can very naturally play
the shehnai every morning at the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
20) Evaluate Bismillah Khan as a person who is innocent as an
Indian and as a musician?
= = Born on 21 March 1916, Bismillah
belongs to a well-known family of musicians from Bihar. He has achieved a lot
of awards at a very young age. As a five-year-old, Bismillah Khan played Gilli danda
near a pond in the ancient estate of Dumraon in Bihar. He would regularly go to
the nearby Bihariji temple to sing the Bhojpuri ‘Chaita’, at the end of which
he would earn a big laddu weighing 1.25 kg, a prize given by the local
Maharaja. This happened 80 years ago, and the little boy has travelled far to
earn the highest civilian award in India — the Bharat Ratna. accompanies his
uncle and went to the Allahabad Music Conference to deliver his recital. It was
after that conference, he embarked in a big break with the opening of the All
India Radio in Lucknow in 1938. He soon became an often-heard shehnai player on
the radio. He was praised and rewarded from all around the world for his
delicate music taste and excellence in Shehnai. Awards and recognition came
thick and fast. Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to be invited to perform
at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He also
took part in the World Exposition in Montreal, in the Cannes Art Festival and
the Osaka Trade Fair. His innocence as an Indian is unveiled when we find him
talking about Benaras and Ganga river. He was a very practical person and
therefore didn’t get swayed by the artificial and glamorous world of music. He
stuck to his dreams. He was also humble when we find talking about leaving
Pakistan just for the sake of his love for Benaras. He is a true human being
with a tint of the rich and cultural heritage of India.
21) “Music can bind our country overcoming all the narrow
barriers of caste, creed and religion” —– Discuss.
= Music can bind one country
to another overcoming all the narrow barriers of caste, creed and religion.
This statement is well justified in the story “The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan.”
Bismillah khan from a very young age started playing shehnai and a music
devotee. He has played music not only in India but worldwide. He has got
rewards from all over the world and connected souls across the world. He was
praised and rewarded from all around the world for his delicate music taste and
excellence in Shehnai. Awards and recognition came thick and fast. Bismillah
Khan became the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious
Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He also took part in the
World Exposition in Montreal, in the Cannes Art Festival and the Osaka Trade
Fair. His innocence as an Indian is unveiled when we find him talking about
Benaras and Ganga river. He was a very practical person and therefore didn’t
get swayed by the artificial and glamorous world of music. He stuck to his
dreams. He was also humble when we find talking about leaving Pakistan just for
the sake of his love for Benaras. He is a true human being with a tint of the rich
and cultural heritage of India. He has connected Afghanistan, Pakistan, India
in terms of magical music overcoming religion, creed. He believed in equality
and so did his music spoke that. He was
a man of integrity and faith and we could decipher that well from this text.
Similarly, Evelyn, in spite of being deaf, caught music and excelled in it in
different parts of the world. She was acclaimed all over the world for the way
she incorporated music not only through her ears but also in her soul which is
impossible to forget. Thus, we find from these texts that music is the language
of unity in the time of division. Music can easily bind us to each other.
22) How is the life of Evelyn a perfect example for all that
human limitations aren’t the obstacles on the way of your success if you’re
determined to succeed?
= Evelyn has inspired the readers
throughout the text. She is a girl of power, sheer determination, patience and
perseverance. In spite of having such deadly difficulties, she never backed
off. She stuck to her goal and wanted to learn music. She was deaf but her
dreams had ears and life. With the help of Ron Forbes, she realised she could feel the higher
drum from the waist up and the lower one from the waist down. Forbes repeated
the exercise, and soon Evelyn discovered that she could sense certain notes in
different parts of her body. She never looked back from that point onwards. She
toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra and by the time she was
sixteen, she had decided to make music her life. She auditioned for the Royal
Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the
academy. She gradually moved from orchestral work to solo performances. At the
end of her three-year course, she had captured most of the top awards She got
right to the top, the world’s most sought-after multi-percussionist with a
mastery of some thousand instruments, and hectic international schedule. For music, it poured in
through every part of her body. It tingled in her skin, cheekbones and even in
her hair. She could sense the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips when
she played the xylophone. Evelyn Glennie had already accomplished more than
most people twice her age. She brought percussion to the front of the orchestra
and demonstrated that it can be very moving. She had given inspiration to those
who are handicapped. Ann Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children said,
“She is a shining inspiration for deaf children. They see that there is nowhere
that they cannot go.” She was delighted with the love and respect she received.
No wonder she proved Nothing is impossible If you are determined to reach the
goal.