---
title: "Ustad Bismillah Khan: Shehnai Maestro & Bharat Ratna"
description: "Ustad Bismillah Khan (1916-2006), India's legendary shehnai maestro: Red Fort 1947 recital, Bharat Ratna 2001, Varanasi roots, and key exam facts."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/ustad-bismillah-khan"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed July 7, 2026

TL;DR

- Ustad Bismillah Khan (1916-2006) was the legendary Indian shehnai maestro who elevated the double-reed wind instrument from a ceremonial accompaniment to a full classical concert instrument, and who received the Bhara…
- Which instrument did Ustad Bismillah Khan play?
- When did Bismillah Khan receive the Bharat Ratna?
- Why is Bismillah Khan associated with Indian independence?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated July 7, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 21 March 1916

   Ustad Bismillah Khan ( - 21 August 2006) was the most celebrated exponent of the shehnai in the history of Hindustani classical music.

2. 21 August 2006

   Ustad Bismillah Khan (21 March 1916 - ) was the most celebrated exponent of the shehnai in the history of Hindustani classical music.

3. 15 August 1947

   Bismillah Khan is tied to a defining moment of modern Indian history: he performed the shehnai from the Red Fort on the eve of Independence, , at the invitat…

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Example

A UPSC art-and-culture question may ask which instrument Ustad Bismillah Khan played and which honour he received in 2001: the shehnai, and the Bharat Ratna, making him the third classical musician so honoured after M.S. Subbulakshmi and Ravi Shankar.

## Sources

- [shehnai](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/shehnai)
- [raga](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/raga)

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