Ustad Bismillah Khan - RIP

It was sad to hear about the death of the Shehnai Maestro - Ustad Bismillah Khan. One of the foremost exponents of that instrument , he was largely responsible for the popularity of the Shehnai in modern music. Though a devout muslim, he was attached to the Kashi Viswanath temple and believed that Music has no caste.

Though I have never had the pleasure of listening to him live, I have listened to a lot of his Cassettes and CD's . Here a couple of my favorites.Listen to them if you have time :

1. Rendition of the Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram by the Maestro ( What an apt song !)

2. Tere sur aur mere geet - A wonderful musical duet with Lata from the movie Goonj Uthi Shehnai ( One of my favorite songs with awesome singing by Lata and a lilting Shehnai played by Ustad Bismillah Khan)

May his soul rest in peace .