Google Doodle celebrates Nowruz 2024
Google's lively Doodle marks Nowruz 2024, honoring the Persian New Year with artistry. Celebrating renewal and unity, the Doodle encapsulates the spirit of this cherished festival.
It’s the 102nd birth anniversary of reverred shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan today (March 21), and Google has a doodle in his honour. The Google doodle has been designed by illustrator Vijay Krish.
Google says the doodle by the Chennai-based illustrator celebrates the shehnai maestro against the backdrop of a geometric style pattern with his instrument aloft, “sending a festive tune out into the world”.
Born on March 21, 1916, in Bihar’s Bhirung Raut Ki Gali in a family of court musicians, Bismillah Khan started playing in public at the age of 14.
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In 1947, when India declared its Independence from the ramparts of the Red Fort, it was Bismillah Khan’s shehnai that followed the announcement. Three years later, the creation of the Indian republic in 1950 was too heralded by the Ustad’s shehnai. The tradition of broadcasting the Republic Day celebrations to the opening notes of his music continues till date.
Ustadji became a global name after he performed at the Edinburgh Music Festival in the 60s and shehnai became synonymous with his name worldwide.
“Music lets me forget bad experiences. You cannot keep ragas and regrets in your mind together,” Bismillah Khan, known for his devotion to music, had once said. He is said to have often referred to his shehnai as his begum (wife).
Besides being a recipient of all the Padma awards, Ustadji was also one of the few musicians to receive India’s highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna (2001).
The renowned artiste remained a simple man all his live, living in Varanasi. The legend passed away on August 21, 2006, after a cardiac arrest, and was buried along with his shehnai in Varanasi.
“Even if the world ends, the music will still survive…,” he had famously said.
Ustadji Bismillah Khan’s shehnai also graced a couple of Hindi films, Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) and Swades (2004) being the most memorable ones.
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