He has played in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Canada, West Africa, USA, USSR, Japan, Hong Kong, and almost every capital city across the world. He was credited with having almost monopoly over the instrument as he and the shehnai are almost synomyms. He brought the shehnai to the center stage of Indian music with his concert in the Calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937. Ustad Bismillah Khan was perhaps single handedly responsible for making the shehnai a famous classical instrument. He received his training under his uncle, the late Ali Baksh 'Vilayatu', a shehnai player attached to Varanasi's Vishwanath Temple. His father was a shehnai player in the court of Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon Estate, now in Bihar. His ancestors were court musicians in the princely states of Bhojpur, now in Bihar state. His grandfather, Rasool Baksh Khan uttered 'Bismillah' after looking at the newborn, thus he was named Bismillah Khan. He was named as Qamaruddin to rhyme with Shamsuddin, their first son. Ustad Bismillah Khan was born on 21st March 1916 at Bhirung Raut Ki Gali, in Dumraon, the second son of Paigambar Khan and Mitthan. He also had the distinction of being one of the few people to be awarded all the top four civilian awards. He was the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna (in 2001), the highest civilian honour in India. The term 'Ustad' or 'Pandit' in relation to Indian classical music means Master or Guru. Ustad Bismillah Khan (21st March 1916–21st August 2006) was a shehnai player from India.
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