Marking an end of a musical era, shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away due to cardiac arrest in his hometown of Varanasi. The maestro is survived by his five sons and three daughters.
The 92-year-old maestro had been admitted to a private Hospital on August 17 with age-related health problems. Khan's condition had marginally improved on sunday and was also given solid food after he expressed a desire to eat home-cooked halwa.
Born on March 21, 1916, Khan was a recipient of numerous awards including India's highest civilian honour 'Bharat Ratna'. He came from a family of professional shehnai players of the erstwhile princely state of Dumrao in Bihar.
Ustad Bismillah Khan was solely responsible to ensure that the art of playing the shehnai was not limited to weddings and other functions but got its rightful place in the Indian classical music.
Despite his fame, Khan's lifestyle retained its old world charm and he continued to use the cycle rickshaw as his chief mode of transport till his death. Khan was also a staunch devotee of Godess Saraswati.
The man who mesmerized generations of Indians with his mellifluous music had one last desire that of playing at the India Gate which remained unfulfilled. In fact a concert at the venue was scheduled for August 9 this year but had to be cancelled due to security reasons.
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