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Born on 21 March 1916, Bismillah belongs to a well-known family of musicians from Bihar.

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At the age of 14, Bismillah accompanied his uncle to the Allahabad Music Conference.

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The flowing waters of the Ganga inspired him to improvise and invent raagas that were earlier considered to be beyond the range of the shehnai.

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With the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938 came Bismillah’s big break. He soon became an often-heard shehnai player on radio.

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When India gained independence on 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to greet the nation with his shehnai.

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His first trip abroad was to Afghanistan where King ZahirShah was so taken in by the maestro that he gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs.

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Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America.

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National awards like the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan were conferred on him.

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In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan was awarded India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.

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Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away on 21 August 2006 at the age of ninety after a prolonged illness. He was given a state funeral and the Government of India declared one day of national mourning.