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| Bharat Ratna who came to DD studios at Mumbai |
21st March happens to be the Birth Anniversary of Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan, the Shahnai maestro, who hailed from Banaras. He was the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna (In 2001) the higest civilian honour in India and gained world wide acclaim for playing the Shehnai for more than eight decades
. Upon my invitation he had come to DD (TV station) at Mumbai. Khan Sahab was not keeping well, still he came to participate in the Phone in program HELLO DD. He was thrilled to talk to his friends, fans and well wishers via DD through the LIVE chat.
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| Bharat Ratna Late Ustad Bismllah Khan with Mukesh sharma at DD Mumbai |
The duration of the program was one hour. As soon as the Live chat was over I handed him his professional fee for participating in the TV show. "You have already connected me to my fans through your network, thats enough for me" said Bismillah Khan.
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| Feeling at home |
Since he had come all the way from Banaras to take part in the program , I made sure that his cheque was encashed and the monies were given to him before he leaves the TV station. My concern to ensure that he was comfortable and the Live TV show made him happy like a child.
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| On his death, as an honour, his shehnai was also buried along with him. |
Ustad sahab died after a couple of months .On his death, as an honour, his shehnai was also buried along with him. He was known for his vision of spreading peace and love through music
. I remember
re telecasting the entire recording of Hello DD for the benefit of viewers, his fans and well wishers and paid tributes in my own humble way .
BISMILLAH KHAN JI JAISE SAI FAQEER...DUNIYA KO APNEE MUHHABBAT DE K CHALE GAYE....AUR BADE BAKHUBI....AAP NE UNN KI YAADON KO SAMBHALE RAKKHA...THANXXX BUDDY.....FO SHOWIN HIS PRECIOUS PICS...RABBRAKKHA.......AROON BAKSHI
ReplyDeleteGood effort , Mukesh. Keep it up.For those of us not so fortunate enough to have met these great Maesteros, it adds flavour to their memories. :-)
ReplyDeleteShubhendu.
Vinod Kapoor commented on the link via Face book .
ReplyDeleteVinod wrote: "Indeed DD was repository of culture, literature, creative nuances once. Managers were selected based on their expertise in respective areas. A huge combination of talented people who all created the media behemoth which inspired a whole new generation to arts and performence. It gave us people like Suman & Sheela and many more who really created history in electronic medium...You all must be yearning for those times....?"
(Sheila Chaman commented on the link via Facebook).
ReplyDeleteSheila wrote: "Aap DD producers mahaan hain!!!DD was top of the Line in everytihing..Programmes,Producers, Presenters..."
Mir Mushtaq commented on the link via Face book.
ReplyDeleteMir wrote: "Mukesh jee good to remember such a great artiste,whose ego was smaller than an ant,as long as nobody challenged it.I had the honour of producing his Bharat Ratna award live ceremony& some live concerts from sriforte.I remember how he refused to talk to any channel except DD.He knew that other channels never promoted music.I have perceived him as a very strong and bold person"
Dear Sir,
ReplyDeleteI felt very nice reading the cotents about the Great Bismilla Khan Sahab in your blog-
I know Directors like you only could bring such personalities to Doordarshan TV studios -
Congrats
Best Regards
DSLPrasad
Station Engineer( Rtd)
DOORDARSHAN Mumbai
Alankar Sharma commented on the link via Face book:
ReplyDeleteAlankar wrote: "I think you have remembered this gentleman with grace, bhaiya; he sounded like a dedicated musical artist and to be buried with his instrument is most apt. You certainly have met some fascinating people and as you speak so elequently of your experiences, your anecdotes and memories always lit up our past conversations. I wonder, when will Mr. Mukesh Sharma be releasing his first book of memories in the Indian Media scene?"
A blog is not enough. You should put down your anecdotes in a coffee table book!! You have so many stories and experiences, that the reader is left entertained reading about such a colorful life!
ReplyDelete