Chirag Paswan pays tribute to Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan
Synopsis
Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan paid tribute on X to Bharat Ratna shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan on his death anniversary, honouring the musician who elevated the shehnai to global classical concert status.
Key Takeaways
Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan posted a tribute on 21 August 2026 marking the death anniversary of Ustad Bismillah Khan .
Bismillah Khan was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2001 , India's highest civilian honour.
He is credited with elevating the shehnai from a ceremonial folk instrument to a recognised Indian classical concert instrument.
Khan performed at India's independence celebrations in 1947 from the Red Fort , making the shehnai synonymous with the nation's birth.
Tributes to Bharat Ratna recipients on their death anniversaries are an established practice among Indian political leaders across party lines.
The haunting cry of the shehnai once stopped a nation in its tracks — and on his death anniversary, Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan paused to remember the man behind that sound. On 21 August 2026, Paswan posted a heartfelt tribute on X to Ustad Bismillah Khan, the Bharat Ratna-winning shehnai maestro who carried an ancient instrument from the ghats of Varanasi to concert halls across the world.
Posting in Hindi, Paswan wrote: 'Shahnai ki madhur dhun ko vishwabhar mein nayi pahchaan dilaane waale, Bharat Ratna se sammanit mahan shahnai vadak Ustad Bismillah Khan ji ki punyatithi par koti-koti naman' — 'Crores of salutations on the death anniversary of the great shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, honoured with the Bharat Ratna, who gave the sweet melody of the shehnai a new identity across the world.'
A shehnai that crossed every border
Ustad Bismillah Khan spent a lifetime doing what no musician had done before him: he took the shehnai — long considered a ceremonial folk instrument played at temples and weddings — and placed it at the centre of India's classical concert tradition. Born in Bihar and rooted in Varanasi, he performed at the Edinburgh International Festival, at the inauguration of All India Radio, and, most memorably, from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the eve of India's independence in 1947. The instrument became inseparable from the idea of a newly free nation. In 2001, the Government of India awarded him the Bharat Ratna — the country's highest civilian honour — in recognition of a career that redefined what Indian classical music could sound like and where it could travel.Why leaders mark the punyatithi
Tributes on death anniversaries of Bharat Ratna recipients have become a quiet but consistent thread in Indian political culture. For leaders across party lines, acknowledging figures like Ustad Bismillah Khan signals respect for the intangible heritage — music, craft, language — that sits alongside India's more visible development story. Paswan's post fits that established pattern, connecting his party's public identity to a figure who belongs to no political camp but to the country's shared memory. The shehnai's mournful, soaring note — impossible to place in any single religion or region — made Ustad Bismillah Khan a rare symbol of composite culture. That resonance has only deepened with time.Point of View
Inseparable from Hindu temple music and the secular imagery of independence — makes him a figure whose invocation carries soft cultural messaging. For the LJP (Ram Vilas), a party that has historically positioned itself as a bridge between communities, honouring such a figure reinforces that brand. The broader pattern of leaders marking punyatithis of Bharat Ratna recipients reflects an unspoken competition to claim custodianship of India's composite cultural memory — a contest fought not in Parliament but in timelines.
NationPress
21 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ustad Bismillah Khan?
Ustad Bismillah Khan was India's most celebrated shehnai player, credited with elevating the instrument to classical concert status and performing internationally. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2001.
When did Ustad Bismillah Khan die?
Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away on 21 August 2006 in Varanasi. His death anniversary, known as his punyatithi, is observed annually on that date.
Why did Bismillah Khan receive the Bharat Ratna?
He received the Bharat Ratna in 2001 in recognition of his lifelong contribution to Indian classical music, particularly for transforming the shehnai from a folk instrument into a globally recognised concert instrument.
What did Chirag Paswan say about Bismillah Khan?
Paswan wrote in Hindi that he offers crores of salutations to Ustad Bismillah Khan on his death anniversary, describing him as the great maestro who gave the shehnai a new identity across the world.
What is the connection between Bismillah Khan and Indian independence?
Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the eve of India's independence in 1947, making his music one of the most iconic sounds associated with the birth of the nation.
