{
  "id": 7376407,
  "title": "Bismillah Khan's Family Faces Financial Hardship Despite Shehnai Maestro's Bharat Ratna Legacy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/bismillah-khans-family-faces-financial-hardship-despite-shehnai",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T18:06:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/uttar-pradesh/bismillah-khans-family-faces-financial-hardship-despite-shehnai-maestros-bharat-ratna-legacy"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Varanasi - The shehnai that once resounded from India's Red Fort on its inaugural Independence Day now appears silent in the family of the revered Ustad Bismillah Khan. The Bharat Ratna recipient, who elevated the shehnai from royal court and ceremonial status to a respected classical instrument and brought it onto international concert platforms, is now remembered by his family grappling with financial hardship and bureaucratic neglect.\n\nBismillah Khan, born in Dumraon, Bihar on March 21, 1916, was originally named Qamaruddin. His grandfather reportedly christened him \"Bismillah\" upon seeing him, a name that remained with him throughout his life. He subsequently relocated to Varanasi and honed his skills under his maternal uncle Ali Bux, a shehnai player at the Balaji Temple. Khan's music became emblematic of India's composite culture, performed at temples, and rendered mournful tunes during Muharram. He remained profoundly attached to Varanasi and the Ganga, even declining the prospect of permanently settling in the United States.\n\nOn August 15, 1947, Khan played Raag Kafi from the Red Fort in honor of India's first Independence Day. He was later invited to perform there once again during the 50th anniversary of Independence in 1997. His illustrious career resulted in the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna, among numerous other accolades. However, the plight of his descendants paints a starkly contrasting picture today.",
  "summary": "Varanasi: The shehnai that once echoed from the Red Fort on India’s first Independence Day now seems to have fallen silent in the family of Ustad Bismillah Khan. The Bharat Ratna awardee, who transformed the shehnai from a royal-court and ceremonial instrument into a respected form of classical music and took it to international concert stages, is being remembered by his family amid financial…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}