The Sound of Music (Part 2)| Class 9 English Chapter 2 The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan NCERT Solutions

Part -II The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan

I. Tick the right answer.

Answer: 

1. The (shehnai, pungi ✓) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’

2. (Bismillah Khan, A barber✓, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.

3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians✓).

4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux✓, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).

5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan✓, U.S.A., Canada).

Answer: 

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about	Positive	Negative	Neutral
1. teaching children music	✓
2. the film world		✓
3. migrating to the U.S.A.		✓
4. playing at temples			✓
5. getting the Bharat Ratna	✓
6. the banks of the Ganga	✓
7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon		✓

 

III. Answer these questions in 30–40 words.

Question 1: Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

Answer: Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because of the shrill unpleasant sound of the instrument.

Question 2: How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

Answer: A shehnai’s stem is hollow, longer and broader than that of a pungi. Shehnai has holes in its body.

Question 3: Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

Answer: Traditionally, shehnai was a part of the naubat or traditional ensemble of nine instruments found at royal courts. It was played in temples and at marriages.

Bismillah Khan took it onto the classical stage.

Question 4: When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?

Answer: Bismillah Khan got his big break with the opening of All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938. He became an often-heard shehnai player on radio.

Question 5: Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?

Answer: Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from the Red Fort on 15^th August 1947. He was the first Indian to greet the nation with his Shehnai. The event was historic because that is the day when India got independence. Bismillah Khan played Raag Kafi to an audience that included Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Question 6: Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?

Answer: Bismillah Khan refused to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A because he did not want to leave his country. He felt an unbreakable bond with his towns- Dumraon and Benaras, and with River Ganga.

Question 7: Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.

Answer: Two instances in the text which tell us that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras are:

• He says that whenever he is in a foreign country, he keeps yearning to see Hindustan.
• He also says that when he is in Mumbai, he thinks of only Benaras and the holy Ganga.

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