Man is a mortal creature. Every born is destined to die. But, there are people who leave behind indelible footprints. History adores them in golden words. Shehnai wizard Bismillah Khan sits high in the galaxy of such exalted personalities. His shehnai has charmed every body around the globe. the uniqueness of Bismillah’s shehnai lies in the fact that this lad from a faceless Bihar village not only scaled Himalayan heights in the world of music but also brought pristine glory to this innocuous musical instrument. He enthroned shehnai on a high pedestal. Without fear of contradiction, Bismillah Khan can be called modern Abhimanyu, but with a difference. Unlike the Mahabharata hero Bismillahhas torn asunder the musical Chakrabyuh. Born in a family of Shehnai players, he took to these instruments in the wee years of life and mastered the art to become Bismillah )God) of Shehnai. His is a life of dedication, sacrifices, devotion, tenacity, etc, all rolled in one. For him shehnai is a medium for reunion with the God. ‘Music, sur and namaz are the same thing’, says the shehnai saint and adds ‘we reach Allah in different way.’ Bismillah Khan has become a living legend; an institution in himself. It is not possible to do full justice to such a personality in one small book. this is just a humble effort to pay tribute to the shehnai emperor, on his turning 90. an educationist Neena Jha and senior investigative journalist Shivnath Jha have penned this monograph on the phenomenon musician. It may be a coincidence or the God’s will that Shivnath’s life too has been a rag to rich story. He began as a newspaper hawker in late 60s and rose to become a senior journalist, passing through all steps of the professional ladder. The couple deserves kudos for compiling and editing this monography. Bismillah Khan is one-man army engaged in propagating and popularizing once innocuous musical instrument, called shehnai. Upcoming or budding musicians, especially shehnai players have many things to learn from this saint instrumentalist. He has gems of advice for theneo-musicians. “You should have the ability to efface an wipe yourself out.†Lord Krishna, in Shrimada Bhagwat Mahapurana, tells Gopis to shed every thing and dissolve yourself for the reunion with god. Pretentions and fa?ade cannot bring success in one’s life. A million-dollar question arises as to why Bismillah Khan has not “groomed†his successor. Is the waiting for a devoted disciple mante? There is no ready answer.
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