Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

A great loss

Ustad Bismillah Khan and the shehnai were synonymous. It was the Ustad's riyaaz, devotion and innovation that elevated the shehnai from marriage mandaps to the centre stage of Indian classical music. The most unusual thing about the man who travelled from Dumraon in Bihar to Benaras, and had a career spanning 70 years, was his simplicity. Can anyone forget his famous words "music is my religion, sur my caste?"

Jyoti Swaroop,
Patna

In the death of the shehnai maestro, we have not only lost a musician of repute but a human being worth emulating. His simple living, dedicated sadhana, care for his people, and sense of humour made him a rare phenomenon. The soothing notes of his shehnai will always linger on.

Lt. Col. R.V.S. Mani (retd.),
Madurai, T.N.

In the death of Ustad Bismillah Khan, the shehnai has lost its soul.

Vinod Kumar,
Palayamkottai, T.N.

The Ustad's simplicity, sustained devotion to music, and extraordinary performance on the shehnai will forever remain etched in the memory of music lovers. He will continue to inspire the young.

S. Nagarajan,
Bangalore

Bismillah Khan gave a new meaning to the shehnai, taking it on an eternal journey. The Bharat Ratna recipient was a wonderful human being. He represented one of the most secular faces of his fraternity.

Deepti Pande,
Nainital

The Ustad's demise is a great loss to music lovers around the world. He was a doyen of music who made the shehnai popular on the international scene. Despite the fame he earned, he lived a life of simplicity and compassion and died in his favourite Benaras.

Arvind J. Shyara,
Bhavnagar, Gujarat

The tributes paid by Goutam Ghose and L. Subramaniam to the Ustad (Aug. 22) were moving. They were not formal tributes to a great musician, but ones that struck the emotional chord in the reader. That the maestro was untouched by the crass commercialism prevalent around him places him on a high pedestal. Adjectives lose their meaning when one extols the virtues of a karma yogi like Khan saheb, whose only desire in life was to keep away from worldly desires.

S.A. Murali,
Chennai

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