1hy did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Ans. Aurangzeb banned the playing of
sound.
musical instrument pungi because it had a shrill, unpleasant
2. Hov is a shehnai different from a
pungi?
Ans. Shehnai has a better tonal quality than pungi.
It is a natural hollow stem pipe with holes on its
body and is longer and broader than the pungi.
Shehnai is, in away, an improvement upon
the pungi.
3.Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan
Ans. The shehnai was traditionally played in royal courts, temples and change this?
weddings. Ustaad Bismillah
Khan, an undisputed monarch of shehnai, brought this instrument onto the
classical stage.
4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big
break?
Ans. Bismillah Khan got his big break in 1938. All India Radio opened in Lucknow
and Bismillah
Khan played shehnai on radio. He soon became an often heard player on radio. He
became
the first Indian to greet the nation with his shehnai from the Red Fort on 15 August, 1947.
.Where did Bismillah Khan playthe shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Ans. On 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the Raag Kaafi on his shehnai from the Red Fort.
The event was historic because it was on the occasion of India's Independence from British
Rule.
6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the USA?
Ans. Bismillah Khan refused one of his student's reguest to start a shehnai school in
the USA
because he would not live away from Hindustan, specifically, from Benaras,the River Ganga
and Dumraon.
7ind at least two instances in the text which tell vouthat Bismillah Khan loves India
Ans. and Benaras.
The first instance is when he turned down his student'soffer to start a
shehnaischool in USA.
1ne second instance is when Khansaab was asked by Shekhar Gupta about moving
during the partition, he said that he would never to Pakistan
leave Benaras.
4. How is the Shehnai instrument made?
As. A member of the barber family chose a pipe with a natural
hollow stem. The hollow stem was longer
and broader than the original Pungi. He drilled seven holes in it,
and produced a Shehnai with
an impressive and sonorous tonal sound. He played it in the presence
of the emperor who liked
it. Nowadays, the Shehnai is made from seasoned Burma teak wood.
8,Why did Bismillah Khan stop scoring music for movies?
Ans. Bismillah Khan gave music in two movies, i.e. 'GunjUtthi Shehnai and 'Sanadhi Apanna'. Hewas
not happy with his own work. He stopped scoring music for movies because he could not adjust
with the artificiality and glamour of the celluloid world.
2. Describe in brief the early life of Bismillah Khan, his achievements and the
were conferred
various awards that
on him in later years.
Ans. Born on March 21, 1916, Bismillah Khan belonged to a family of
professional Shehnai players. At
the age of six, he moved to Benaras where his maternal uncle, Ali
Bux, introduced him to the
nuances of playing the simple reed instrument, called the Shehnai.
He got the best performer award at the All India Music Conference in
Allahabad in 1930. In 1937.
he bagged three medals at a music conference in Kolkata. He was
invited by Pandit Nehru to play
the Shehnai from the ramparts of Delhi's RedFort in 1947. He had
also won many international
awards and the highest award which he had received, was the Bharat Ratna'. For him,
music was
his religion, music was his soul.
