The Sound of Music - 2 - Bismillah Khan - Question and Answers

 

Question and Answers

Tick the right answer.

i. The (shehnai, pungi ) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’

ii. (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.

iii. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).

iv. Bismillah Khan learned to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux,

Ustaad Faiyaaz Khan).

v. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).

 Answers:

1. pungi

2. A barber

3. professional musicians

4. Ali Bux

5. Afghanistan

Find the words in the text which show Ustaad Bismillah Khan in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class. His feelings about the items listed below. Then mark a tick  (ü) in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class.

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about	Positive	Negative	Neutral
1. teaching children music
2. the film world
3. migrating to the U.S.A.
4. playing at temples
5. getting the Bharat Ratna
6. the banks of the Ganga
7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon

Answers:

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about	Positive	Negative	Neutral
1. teaching children music	ü
2. the film world		ü
3. migrating to the U.S.A.		ü
4. playing at temples	ü
5. getting the Bharat Ratna			ü
6. the banks of the Ganga	ü
7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon		ü

Answer these questions in 30-40 words.

1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

Pungi produced a loud, shrill, and unpleasant noise. It was not considered as a musical instrument but as a reeded noisemaker. Aurangzeb disliked the sound produced by the pungi. So, he banned the playing of pungi in his royal court.

2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

Shehnai is also a reeded musical instrument like the pungi. But it is different in shape and size. It produces a soft and melodious sound. Its stem is longer and broader than the pungi and has seven holes on it.

3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

The shehnai was played in the temples and at weddings traditionally. It was also played at the royal court.

Bismillah Khan improvised old ragas and invented new ragas with the shehnai. Thus he took it on the stage among other classical musical instruments.

 4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?

Bismillah Khan got his big break in 1938. In the year All India Radio opened its Radio Station at Lucknow. He played shehnai from the radio station regularly and his music became popular through it.

 5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?

On 15th August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from the Red Fort. The event was historic as it was the day when India got independence. Bismillah’s performance was followed by the historic speech of our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

 6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?

One of Bismillah Khan’s students wanted him to start a school in the USA. But Bismillah Khan was very much attached to the temples of Benaras and the river Ganga. He could not leave them and so, refused to set up a shehnai school in the USA.

 7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.

Bismillah’s love for India and Benaras is shown by the fact that he refused to set up a shehnai school in the USA as he could not leave Benaras and the river Ganga.

Secondly, when he was honored with the Bharat Ratna, he declared that Indian Classical music was India’s richest heritage.