Shehnai Badushah Bismillah Khan is no more

[Nakeeran]

The great Bismillah Khan, after days of illness, finally breathed his last today.



The Government today declared a one-day national mourning in view of the death of shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan saying that his demise was a national loss.

Expressing condolence at Khan's death, who has been credited with taking the shehnai from the marriage mandap to the concert hall, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the legendary musician would be given a state funeral.

Flags would be flown at half mast in all the government buildings as part of the mourning.

"We will observe a national mourning. His death is shocking for us. It is a national loss and we will not be able to replace him soon," Patil told reporters here.

In Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh Government also declared a one-day mourning on the death and ordered closure of all government schools, colleges and offices, officials said here.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also declared a day's mourning in the state on account of Khan's death.

Khan, one of India's most celebrated classical musicians, who had been ailing for quite some time, died of cardiac arrest at the Heritage hospital in Varanasi in the wee hours today.

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly was adjourned for the day after lunch while Andhra Pradesh Assembly observed two minutes silence to pay homage to shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan who died in Varanasi this morning following cardiac arrest.

As soon as the Himachal Pradesh House reassembled after the lunch break, the chief minister Vir Bhadra Singh informed that the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had adjourned after paying tribute to "Bharat Ratna" and suggested the House be adjourned as mark of respect to the departed soul.

The Speaker adjourned the House after the chief minister made his suggestion and said the business listed for today would be taken up tomorrow.

The chief minister also declared three days state mourning.

In Andhra Pradesh Assembly, the condolence resolution was moved by Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy who described Khan as a musical genius with high moral standards.

Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu condoling the death recalled his association with the sehnai maestro who gave a few performances during the TDP rule.

A suggestion was also made to rename one of the musical colleges after Bismillah Khan.

Later, the House adopted a resolution conveying deep sense of sorrow over the death of Khan.


MSV used the services of Bismillah Khan for the famous Karnan movie .

His soulful music will remain forever in our hearts