Q1. Why did Aurangzeb forbid the pungi’s use?
Ans. Emperor Aurangzeb prohibited the playing of the pungi because he thought its
harsh, shrill, and disagreeable sound made it a reeded noisemaker. He forbade its
use at the court of the king.
Q2. Why did “pungi” come to be known as “reeded noisemakers”?
Ans. Loud, unpleasant, and disturbing music was produced by the pungi. Aurangzeb
forbade the strident music in the royal residence because of it. It acquired the term
“reeded noisemakers” because it was made of reeds and created loud noises.
Q3. How is a ‘shehnai’ different from a pungi?
Ans. A shehnai is a reeded instrument similar to a pungi, but it is wider and has a
different sound. Instead of the loud, startling sound that a pungi makes, it makes
soothing, lyrical noises because its stem is longer and wider than that of a pungi.
Q4. What form did the pungi take after being revived?
Ans. A barber who came from a family of talented musicians reintroduced the pungi
after Aurangzeb forbade its use in the royal residence by drilling seven holes in a
broader, longer hollow stem. The enhanced pungi created gentle, pleasing tones.
Q5. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan
change it?
OR
How did Bismillah Khan bring the ‘shehnai’ onto the classical stage?
Ans. Shehnai is one of the nine instruments that make up the group known as
naubat, and it was formerly played in the royal court. It was given a place among
other classical instrumental music pieces by Bismillah Khan, who also made it an
autonomous instrument.
Q6. Where did Bismillah Khan typically perform when he was five years
old? Who gave him his award, and how?
Ans. When he was five years old, Bismillah Khan frequently sung the Bhojpuri
‘chaita’ in the Bihariji shrine in his home village of Dumraon, Bihar. He was awarded
a large laddu, weighing 1.25 kg, by the local Maharaja as a prize at the conclusion of
the song.
Q7. What does the feature “The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan” tell us about
the paternal ancestors of Bismillah Khan?
OR
What kind of family did Bismillah Khan hail from?
Ans. From a musical family in Bihar came Bismillah Khan. Rasool Bux Khan, his
grandpa, was a shehnai player in the Bhojpur king’s court. Numerous maternal and
paternal uncles, as well as his father Paigambar Bux, were also “shehnai vaadaks”
(players).
Q8. Who was Ali Bux? Where was he employed and what was his influence
on Bismillah Khan?
Ans. Ali Bux, Bismillah Khan’s maternal uncle, might be viewed as his teacher and
mentor. He was hired to play the shehnai in the Benaras Vishnu temple since he was
a skilled shehnai player. Bismillah Khan began performing with him at a very young
age and learned how to play the shehnai from him. The small youngster would sit
and watch his uncle for hours before practising all day.
Q9. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on August 15, 1947? Why
was the event historic?
Ans. On August 15, 1947, Bismillah Khan performed the shehnai at the Red Fort in
New Delhi before Pandit Nehru’s speech. It was a historic occasion because on this
day, India gained independence from the British. The first Indian to greet the country
was Bismillah Khan, who did so while playing the melodic Raag Kafi on his shehnai
and spoke from the heart.
Q10. In which country did Bismillah Khan travel for the first time? How did
they honour him there?
Ans. During Bismillah Khan’s first voyage abroad, he visited Afghanistan, where King
Zahir Shah was so moved by the maestro’s shehnai performance that he presented
him with gifts of rare Persian carpets and other mementos.
Q11. Which films did Bismillah Khan provide music for? Why did he
discontinue playing the shehnai for films?
Ans. With “Gunj Uthi Shehnai” by Vijay Bhatt, Bismillah Khan made his film debut.
After that, he appeared in the Kannada movie “Samadhi Apanna”. Despite his great
success, he left the film industry since his preferences did not mesh well with the
glitz and artificiality of the industry.
Q12. How was the music of Bismillah Khan received and accepted
internationally?
Ans. Bismillah Khan was the first Indian to be invited to sing at the prestigious
Lincoln Central Hall in the United States because his music was so well-liked on a
global scale. He took part in the Osaka Trade Fair, the Cannes Art Festival, and the
Montreal World Exposition. A theatre in Teheran- Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah
Khan, bears his name.
Q13. How did India pay tribute to and honour Bismillah Khan, a legendary
musician?
Ans. The three highest national honours bestowed to Bismillah Khan by India were
the Padmashri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan. In 2001, he received the
Bharat Rama, India’s highest civilian honour.
Q14. Why did Bismillah Khan desire to teach music to youngsters in India?
Ans. Bismillah Khan held Hindustani music in the highest respect as being the most
representative of Indian music’s vast history. He wished for parents to keep their
children connected to this grand tradition, which even Westerners found intriguing.
Q15. What proposition was made to him by one of Bismillah Khan’s
students in the US? Why?
Ans. The famous maestro was sought after to lead a shehnai school in the US by a
Bismillah Khan student who was also based there. By building temples akin to those
in Benaras, India, he pledged to recreate the atmosphere of that country.
