The Sound of Music

 

Key Facts – The Sound of Music Part - 1

• Author: Deborah Cowley

·        Genre: Biographical sketch (Inspirational life story) - Jeevani aadharit sketch (Prerak jeevan kahani)
Main Character: Evelyn Glennie, a world-famous percussionist from Scotland - Evelyn Glennie, Scotland ki ek world-famous percussionist (taalavaadak).
Theme: Overcoming disability, determination, power of will, passion for music – Viklangta/apaahij

 par vijay, dridhta, ichchashakti ki taakat, sangeet ke prati junoon.
Evelyn became profoundly deaf by age 11 due to gradual nerve damage - Evelyn 11 saal ki umar tak dheere-dheere nerve damage ki wajah se puri tarah behri ho gayi.
Despite her disability, she pursued music and learned to “feel” vibrations instead of hearing sounds. - Apni disability ke bawajood, usne sangeet ko apnaya aur awaazon ke bajay vibrations ko “feel” karna seekha.

• Famous Quote (by Evelyn):

“If you work hard and know where you are going, you’ll get there.” - “Agar tum mehnat karte ho aur jante ho ki kahan jaa rahe ho, to tum zaroor wahan pahuncho ge.”

Main Text

RUSH hour crowds jostle for position
→ Rush hour ki bheed jagah ke liye dhakka-mukki karti hai

on the underground train platform.
→ Underground train ke platform par.

A slight girl, looking younger than her seventeen years,
→ Ek patli si ladki, jo apni 17 saal ki umar se bhi chhoti lag rahi thi,

was nervous yet excited
→ ghabraayi hui thi lekin saath hi utsahit bhi thi

as she felt the vibrations of the approaching train.
→ jab usne aati hui train ki kampan mehsoos ki.

It was her first day
→ Yeh uska pehla din tha

at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London
→ London ke mashhoor Royal Academy of Music mein

and daunting enough for any teenager
→ aur yeh kaafi dara dene wala tha kisi bhi kishor ke liye

fresh from a Scottish farm.
→ jo seedha Scottish farm se aayi thi.

But this aspiring musician faced a bigger challenge than most:
→ Lekin is ubharti hui sangeetkar ke samne sabse bada chunauti tha:

she was profoundly deaf.
→ woh gehri taur par behri thi.

Evelyn Glennie’s loss of hearing had been gradual.
→ Evelyn Glennie ki sunne ki kshamta dheere-dheere khatm hui thi.

Her mother remembers noticing something was wrong
→ Uski maa ko yaad hai ki unhone kuch galat mehsoos kiya tha

when the eight-year-old Evelyn was waiting to play the piano.
→ jab aath saal ki Evelyn piano bajane ke liye intazaar kar rahi thi.

“They called her name and she didn’t move.
→ “Unhone uska naam bulaya aur woh hilli tak nahi.

I suddenly realised she hadn’t heard,”
→ Mujhe achanak samajh aaya ki usne suna hi nahi tha,”

says Isabel Glennie.
→ kehti hain Isabel Glennie.

For quite a while Evelyn managed
→ Kaafi samay tak Evelyn ne sambhal liya

to conceal her growing deafness
→ apni badhti hui behrapan ko chhupane mein

from friends and teachers.
→ doston aur teachers se.

But by the time she was eleven
→ Lekin jab tak woh 11 saal ki hui

her marks had deteriorated
→ uske marks gir gaye the

and her headmistress urged her parents
→ aur uski headmistress ne uske maa-baap ko samjhaya

to take her to a specialist.
→ ki usse ek specialist ke paas le jayein.

It was then discovered
→ Tab pata chala

that her hearing was severely impaired
→ ki uski sunne ki shakti bahut kamzor ho gayi hai

as a result of gradual nerve damage.
→ jo dheere-dheere nerve damage ke wajah se hua tha.

They were advised
→ Unhe salaah di gayi

that she should be fitted with hearing aids
→ ki use hearing aid lagaya jaye

and sent to a school for the deaf.
→ aur use ek school for the deaf bhej diya jaye.

“Everything suddenly looked black,” says Evelyn.
→ “Sab kuchh achanak andhera lagne laga,” kehti hai Evelyn.

But Evelyn was not going to give up.
→ Lekin Evelyn haar maanane wali nahi thi.

She was determined
→ Usne thaan liya tha

to lead a normal life
→ ki woh ek normal zindagi jeeyegi

and pursue her interest in music.
→ aur apne sangeet ke shauk ko aage badhayegi.

One day she noticed a girl playing a xylophone
→ Ek din usne ek ladki ko xylophone bajate dekha

and decided that she wanted to play it too.
→ aur socha ki woh bhi ise bajana chahti hai.

Most of the teachers discouraged her
→ Zyadaatar teachers ne use roka

but percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential.
→ lekin percussionist Ron Forbes ne uski kshamta pehchani.

He began by tuning two large drums to different notes.
→ Usne shuru kiya do bade drums ko alag-alag notes par tune karke.

“Don’t listen through your ears,” he would say,
→ “Apne kaano se mat suno,” woh kehte,

“try to sense it some other way.”
→ “ise kisi aur tareeke se mehsoos karne ki koshish karo.”

Says Evelyn,
→ Evelyn kehti hai,

“Suddenly I realised
→ “Achanak mujhe samajh aaya

I could feel the higher drum from the waist up
→ ki main upar wale drum ko kamar se upar mehsoos karti hoon

and the lower one from the waist down.”
→ aur neeche wale drum ko kamar se neeche.

Forbes repeated the exercise,
→ Forbes ne ye exercise baar-baar karayi,

and soon Evelyn discovered
→ aur jald hi Evelyn ne khoj liya

that she could sense certain notes
→ ki woh kuchh notes ko mehsoos kar sakti hai

in different parts of her body.
→ apne sharir ke alag-alag hisson mein.

“I had learnt to open my mind and body
→ “Maine seekh liya tha apne dimaag aur sharir ko kholna

to sounds and vibrations.”
→ dhwani aur kampan ke liye.”

The rest was sheer determination and hard work.
→ Baaki sab uski majboot ichchha shakti aur mehnat thi.

She never looked back from that point onwards.
→ Us pal ke baad usne kabhi peeche nahi dekha.

She toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra
→ Usne ek youth orchestra ke saath poore United Kingdom ka tour kiya

and by the time she was sixteen,
→ aur jab tak woh 16 ki hui,

she had decided to make music her life.
→ usne faisla kar liya tha ki sangeet hi uski zindagi hoga.

She auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music
→ Usne Royal Academy of Music ke liye audition diya

and scored one of the highest marks
→ aur sabse upar wale marks mein apna naam banaya

in the history of the academy.
→ academy ke itihaas mein.

She gradually moved
→ Dheere-dheere woh aage badhi

from orchestral work to solo performances.
→ orchestra ke kaam se solo performances ki taraf.

At the end of her three-year course,
→ Apne teen saal ke course ke ant mein,

she had captured most of the top awards.
→ usne zyadatar sabhi bade awards jeet liye the.

And for all this,
→ Aur itni badi uplabdhiyon ke bawajood,

Evelyn won’t accept any hint of heroic achievement.
→ Evelyn apne kaam ko koi mahaan uplabdhi nahi maanti.

“If you work hard and know where you are going,
→ “Agar tum mehnat karte ho aur jaante ho tumhe kahan jaana hai,

you’ll get there.”
→ toh tum wahan pahunch jaoge.”

And she got right to the top,
→ Aur woh sach mein sabse upar pahunch gayi,

the world’s most sought-after multipercussionist
→ duniya ki sabse chahi hui multipercussionist

with a mastery of some thousand instruments,
→ jise hazaaron instruments par maharta hai,

and hectic international schedule.
→ aur jiska schedule bahut hi vyast international hai.

It is intriguing to watch Evelyn function
→ Evelyn ko dekhna dilchasp hai

so effortlessly without hearing.
→ itni aasani se bina sunne ke.

In our two-hour discussion she never missed a word.
→ Hamari do ghante ki baat-cheet mein usne ek shabd bhi nahi chhoda.

“Men with bushy beards give me trouble,” she laughed.
→ “Ghani daadhi wale aadmi mujhe pareshaan kar dete hain,” woh hansi.

“It is not just watching the lips,
→ “Yeh sirf honto ko dekhna nahi hota,

it’s the whole face, especially the eyes.”
→ poore chehre ko dekhna padta hai, khaaskar aankhon ko.”

She speaks flawlessly with a Scottish lilt.
→ Woh ekdam sahi bolti hai Scottish lehje ke saath.

“My speech is clear
→ “Meri baat-cheet saaf hai

because I could hear till I was eleven,” she says.
→ kyunki main 11 saal tak sun sakti thi,” woh kehti hai.

But that doesn’t explain
→ Lekin yeh nahi batata

how she managed to learn French
→ ki usne French kaise seekhi

and master basic Japanese.
→ aur basic Japanese par kaise pakad banayi.

As for music, she explains,
→ Music ke baare mein, woh samjhati hai,

“It pours in through every part of my body.
→ “Yeh mere sharir ke har hisson mein ghus jaata hai.

It tingles in the skin, my cheekbones and even in my hair.”
→ Yeh meri twacha, meri gaal ki haddi aur baalon tak ko gudgudata hai.”

When she plays the xylophone,
→ Jab woh xylophone bajati hai,

she can sense the sound
→ woh dhwani mehsoos karti hai

passing up the stick into her fingertips.
→ jo stick se uski ungliyon tak pahunchti hai.

By leaning against the drums,
→ Drums ke saath jhuk kar,

she can feel the resonances
→ woh gunj ko mehsoos karti hai

flowing into her body.
→ jo uske sharir mein beh jaati hai.

On a wooden platform she removes her shoes
→ Ek wooden platform par woh apne jootey utar deti hai

so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet
→ taki kampan uske nange pairon se hokar

and up her legs.
→ uski taango tak pahunch jaye.

Not surprisingly, Evelyn delights her audiences.
→ Hairani ki baat nahi, Evelyn apne darshakon ko prasan kar deti hai.

In 1991 she was presented
→ 1991 mein use sammanit kiya gaya

with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s
→ Royal Philharmonic Society ke

prestigious Soloist of the Year Award.
→ mashhoor Soloist of the Year Award se.

Says master percussionist James Blades,
→ Master percussionist James Blades kehte hain,

“God may have taken her hearing
→ “Bhagwan ne shayad uski sunne ki kshamta chheen li ho

but he has given her back something extraordinary.
→ lekin use badle mein kuchh asadharan diya hai.

What we hear, she feels —
→ Jo hum sunte hain, woh mehsoos karti hai —

far more deeply than any of us.
→ hum sabse bhi zyada gehraayi se.

That is why she expresses music so beautifully.”
→ Isi wajah se woh sangeet ko itna sundar tareeke se vyakt karti hai.”

Evelyn confesses
→ Evelyn sweekar karti hai

that she is something of a workaholic.
→ ki woh thodi workaholic hai.

“I’ve just got to work ...
→ “Mujhe bas kaam karna hota hai...

often harder than classical musicians.
→ aksar classical musicians se bhi zyada mehnat.”

But the rewards are enormous.”
→ “Lekin inaam bahut bade hote hain.”

Apart from the regular concerts,
→ Regular concerts ke alawa,

Evelyn also gives free concerts
→ Evelyn free concerts bhi deti hai

in prisons and hospitals.
→ jails aur hospitals mein.

She also gives high priority
→ Woh zyada ahmiyat deti hai

to classes for young musicians.
→ naye musicians ke classes ko.

Ann Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children says,
→ Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children ki Ann Richlin kehti hai,

“She is a shining inspiration for deaf children.
→ “Woh behre bacchon ke liye ek roshan prerna hai.

They see that there is nowhere
→ Woh dekhte hain ki aisa koi jagah nahi hai

that they cannot go.”
→ jahan woh nahi pahunch sakte.”

Evelyn Glennie has already accomplished
→ Evelyn Glennie pehle hi hasil kar chuki hai

more than most people twice her age.
→ uske umar se do guna logon se bhi zyada.

She has brought percussion
→ Usne percussion ko le aayi hai

to the front of the orchestra,
→ orchestra ke samne,

and demonstrated
→ aur dikhaya hai

that it can be very moving.
→ ki yeh bahut prabhavshali ho sakta hai.

She has given inspiration
→ Usne prerna di hai

to those who are handicapped,
→ un sab ko jo viklang hain,

people who look to her and say,
→ jo use dekhte hain aur kehte hain,

‘If she can do it, I can.’
→ ‘Agar woh kar sakti hai, toh main bhi kar sakta hoon.’

And, not the least,
→ Aur, sabse kam nahi,

she has given enormous pleasure
→ usne anekon ko behad khushi di hai

to millions.
→ laakhon logon ko.

The Sound of Music, Part 2

EMPEROR Aurangzeb banned
→ Badshah Aurangzeb ne mana kar diya

the playing
→ bajana

of a musical instrument
→ ek sangeet vaadya ka

called pungi
→ jiska naam tha pungi

in the royal residence
→ shahi mahal mein

for it had
→ kyunki isme thi

a shrill unpleasant sound.
→ ek tez aur kharaab aawaz.

Pungi became
→ Pungi ban gaya

the generic name
→ ek aam naam

for reeded noisemakers.
→ reeded shor machane wale vaadya ke liye.

Few had thought
→ Kuchh logon ne socha tha

that it would
→ ki yeh

one day be revived.
→ ek din dobara jeevit hoga.

A barber
→ Ek nai

of a family of professional musicians,
→ jo ek sangeetkaar parivaar se tha,

who had access
→ jiska aana-jana tha

to the royal palace,
→ shahi mahal mein,

decided
→ usne thaan liya

to improve
→ sudharne ka

the tonal quality of the pungi.
→ pungi ki surili aawaz ko.

He chose a pipe
→ Usne ek nali chuni

with a natural hollow stem
→ jisme prakritik khokhla tana tha

that was longer
→ jo lambi thi

and broader
→ aur moti thi

than the pungi,
→ pungi se,

and made seven holes
→ aur usne saat chhed banaye

on the body of the pipe.
→ pipe ke sharir par.

When he played on it,
→ Jab usne ise bajaya,

closing and opening
→ bandh aur khol kar

some of these holes,
→ inme se kuchh chhed,

soft and melodious sounds
→ naram aur madhur sur

were produced.
→ nikle.

He played the instrument
→ Usne yeh vaadya bajaya

before royalty
→ shahi logon ke saamne

and everyone
→ aur sabhi

was impressed.
→ prabhavit ho gaye.

The instrument
→ Yeh vaadya

so different from the pungi
→ jo pungi se alag tha

had to be given
→ ise dena pada

a new name.
→ ek naya naam.

As the story goes,
→ Kahani ke mutabiq,

since it was first played
→ kyunki ise pehli baar bajaya gaya tha

in the Shah’s chambers
→ Shah ke kamron mein

and was played by a nai (barber),
→ aur ise ek nai ne bajaya tha,

the instrument was named
→ is vaadya ka naam rakha gaya

the ‘shehnai’.
→ ‘shehnai’.

The sound of the shehnai
→ Shehnai ki aawaz

began to be considered
→ maani jaane lagi

auspicious.
→ shubh.

And for this reason
→ Aur isi wajah se

it is still played
→ yeh abhi bhi bajayi jaati hai

in temples
→ mandiron mein

and is an indispensable component
→ aur ek zaroori hissa hai

of any North Indian wedding.
→ kisi bhi Uttar Bharatiya shaadi ka.

In the past,
→ Pehle,

the shehnai was part
→ shehnai ek hissa thi

of the naubat
→ naubat ka

or traditional ensemble of nine instruments
→ yaani paramparik nau vaadyaon ke samuh ka

found at royal courts.
→ jo shahi darbaaron mein hote the.

Till recently
→ Ab tak

it was used only
→ yeh sirf istemaal hoti thi

in temples and weddings.
→ mandiron aur shaadiyon mein.

The credit
→ Shrey

for bringing this instrument
→ is vaadya ko laane ka

onto the classical stage
→ shastriya sangeet ke manch par

goes to Ustad Bismillah Khan.
→ Ustad Bismillah Khan ko jaata hai.

As a five-year old,
→ Jab woh paanch saal ka tha,

Bismillah Khan played gilli-danda
→ Bismillah Khan gilli-danda khelta tha

near a pond
→ ek talab ke paas

in the ancient estate of Dumraon in Bihar.
→ Bihar ke purane Dumraon estate mein.

He would regularly go
→ Woh roz jaata tha

to the nearby Bihariji temple
→ paas ke Bihariji mandir mein

to sing the Bhojpuri ‘Chaita’,
→ Bhojpuri ‘Chaita’ gaane ke liye,

at the end of which
→ jiske baad

he would earn a big laddu
→ use ek bada laddu milta tha

weighing 1.25 kg,
→ jiska wazan 1.25 kilo tha,

a prize given by the local Maharaja.
→ jo sthaniya Maharaja ke taraf se inaam tha.

This happened 80 years ago,
→ Yeh 80 saal pehle hua,

and the little boy
→ aur woh chhota ladka

has travelled far
→ bahut aage badh gaya hai

to earn the highest civilian award in India — the Bharat Ratna.
→ Bharat ka sabse bada nagrik samman — Bharat Ratna paane ke liye.

Born on 21 March 1916,
→ 21 March 1916 ko paida hue,

Bismillah belongs
→ Bismillah taluq rakhte hain

to a well-known family of musicians
→ ek mashhoor sangeetkaar parivaar se

from Bihar.
→ jo Bihar ka hai.

His grandfather, Rasool Bux Khan,
→ Unke dada, Rasool Bux Khan,

was the shehnainawaz
→ shehnai bajane wale the

of the Bhojpur king’s court.
→ Bhojpur ke raja ke darbaar ke.

His father, Paigambar Bux,
→ Unke pita, Paigambar Bux,

and other paternal ancestors
→ aur unke dusre baap ke taraf ke purvaj

were also great shehnai players.
→ bhi bade shehnai bajane wale the.

The young boy
→ Woh chhota ladka

took to music
→ sangeet ki taraf aa gaya

early in life.
→ zindagi ke shuruaat mein hi.

At the age of three
→ Jab woh teen saal ka tha

when his mother took him
→ jab uski maa use le gayi

to his maternal uncle’s house
→ apne mama ke ghar

in Benaras (now Varanasi),
→ Banaras (jo ab Varanasi hai),

Bismillah was fascinated
→ Bismillah mohit ho gaya

watching his uncles
→ apne mamo ko dekh kar

practise the shehnai.
→ shehnai ki practice karte hue.

Soon Bismillah started
→ Jaldi hi Bismillah ne shuru kiya

accompanying his uncle, Ali Bux,
→ apne mama Ali Bux ke saath jana

to the Vishnu temple of Benaras
→ Banaras ke Vishnu mandir mein

where Bux was employed
→ jahan Bux kaam karte the

to play the shehnai.
→ shehnai bajane ke liye.

Ali Bux would play the shehnai
→ Ali Bux shehnai bajate the

and Bismillah would sit
→ aur Bismillah baith jata tha

captivated for hours on end.
→ ghanto tak mohit hokar.

Slowly, he started getting lessons
→ Dheere dheere, use sikhaya jaane laga

in playing the instrument
→ is vaadya ko bajana

and would sit practising
→ aur woh baith kar practice karta tha

throughout the day.
→ din bhar.

For years to come
→ Aane wale kai saalon tak

the temple of Balaji and Mangala Maiya
→ Balaji aur Mangala Maiya ke mandir

and the banks of the Ganga
→ aur Ganga ke kinaare

became the young apprentice’s favourite haunts
→ us chhote shishya ke pasandida jagah ban gaye

where he could practise in solitude.
→ jahan woh akela baith kar abhyas kar sakta tha.

The flowing waters of the Ganga
→ Ganga ka behata paani

inspired him to improvise
→ use prerith karta tha naye tarike nikalne ke liye

and invent raagas
→ aur naye raag banane ke liye

that were earlier considered
→ jo pehle maane jaate the

to be beyond the range of the shehnai.
→ shehnai ke daayre se bahar.

At the age of 14,
→ Jab woh 14 saal ka tha,

Bismillah accompanied his uncle
→ Bismillah apne mama ke saath gaya

to the Allahabad Music Conference.
→ Allahabad Music Conference mein.

At the end of his recital,
→ Uske pradarshan ke baad,

Ustad Faiyaz Khan
→ Ustad Faiyaz Khan

patted the young boy’s back
→ us chhote ladke ke peeth par haath rakha

and said,
→ aur kaha,

“Work hard and you shall make it.”
→ "Mehnat karo aur tum safal hoge."

With the opening of the All India Radio
→ All India Radio ke shuruaat ke saath

in Lucknow in 1938
→ Lucknow mein 1938 mein

came Bismillah’s big break.
→ Bismillah ko bada moka mila.

He soon became
→ Jaldi hi woh ban gaya

an often-heard shehnai player
→ ek aksar suna jaane wala shehnai bajane wala

on radio.
→ radio par.

When India gained independence
→ Jab Bharat ne azaadi paayi

on 15 August 1947,
→ 15 August 1947 ko,

Bismillah Khan became the first Indian
→ Bismillah Khan pehle Bharatiya bane

to greet the nation
→ jo rashtra ko abhinandan dene wale the

with his shehnai.
→ apni shehnai ke saath.

He poured his heart out
→ Usne apna poora dil daal diya

into Raag Kafi
→ Raag Kafi mein

from the Red Fort
→ Lal Qile se

to an audience
→ ek shrota mandali ke liye

which included Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,
→ jisme Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru bhi the,

who later gave his famous
→ jinhone baad mein apna mashhoor

‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech.
→ ‘Tryst with Destiny’ bhashan diya.

Bismillah Khan has given many
→ Bismillah Khan ne diye hain kai

memorable performances
→ yaadgar pradarshan

both in India and abroad.
→ Bharat mein bhi aur videsh mein bhi.

His first trip abroad
→ Uska pehla videsh yatra

was to Afghanistan
→ Afghanistan tha

where King Zahir Shah
→ jahan Badshah Zahir Shah

was so taken in by the maestro
→ ustad se itna prabhavit hue

that he gifted him
→ ki unhone use uphaar diya

priceless Persian carpets
→ anmol Persian carpets

and other souvenirs.
→ aur anya yaadgaar cheezein.

The King of Afghanistan
→ Afghanistan ke Badshah

was not the only one
→ akelay nahi the

to be fascinated
→ jo mohit hue

with Bismillah’s music.
→ Bismillah ke sangeet se.

Film director Vijay Bhatt
→ Film nirdeshak Vijay Bhatt

was so impressed
→ itne prabhavit hue

after hearing Bismillah play
→ Bismillah ka bajana sun kar

at a festival
→ ek utsav mein

that he named a film
→ ki unhone ek film ka naam rakha

after the instrument
→ is vaadya ke naam par

called Gunj Uthi Shehnai.
→ jo thi Gunj Uthi Shehnai.

The film was a hit,
→ Film ek hit ban gayi,

and one of Bismillah Khan’s compositions,
→ aur Bismillah Khan ki ek rachna,

“Dil ka khilona hai toot gaya ...,”
→ “Dil ka khilona hai toot gaya ...,”

turned out to be
→ ban gayi

a nationwide chartbuster!
→ ek rashtriya star ki superhit gaana!

Despite this huge success
→ Is bade safalta ke bawajood

in the celluloid world,
→ filmon ki duniya mein,

Bismillah Khan’s ventures
→ Bismillah Khan ke prayas

in film music
→ film sangeet mein

were limited to two:
→ sirf do tak seemit rahe:

Vijay Bhatt’s Gunj Uthi Shehnai
→ Vijay Bhatt ki Gunj Uthi Shehnai

and Vikram Srinivas’s Kannada venture, Sanadhi Apanna.
→ aur Vikram Srinivas ki Kannada film Sanadhi Apanna.

“I just can’t come to terms
→ “Main bas kabhi samajh nahi paata

with the artificiality
→ us banavati pan ko

and glamour of the film world,”
→ aur film duniya ke shaan-o-shaukat ko,”

he says with emphasis.
→ woh zor dekar kehte hain.

Awards and recognition
→ Puraskar aur samman

came thick and fast.
→ tez gati se aate gaye.

Bismillah Khan became the first Indian
→ Bismillah Khan pehle Bharatiya bane

to be invited to perform
→ jise bulaya gaya pradarshan dene ke liye

at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall
→ prasiddh Lincoln Centre Hall mein

in the United States of America.
→ America mein.

He also took part
→ Unhone bhaag liya

in the World Exposition in Montreal,
→ Montreal ke World Exposition mein,

in the Cannes Art Festival
→ Cannes Art Festival mein

and in the Osaka Trade Fair.
→ aur Osaka Trade Fair mein.

So well known did he become internationally
→ Itne mashhoor ho gaye vishv bhar mein

that an auditorium in Teheran
→ ki Teheran mein ek auditorium

was named after him
→ unke naam par rakha gaya

— Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan.
→ “Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan.”

National awards like
→ Rashtriya puraskar jaise

the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan
→ Padmashri, Padma Bhushan

and the Padma Vibhushan
→ aur Padma Vibhushan

were conferred on him.
→ unhe diye gaye.

In 2001,
→ Saal 2001 mein,

Ustad Bismillah Khan was awarded
→ Ustad Bismillah Khan ko diya gaya

India’s highest civilian award,
→ Bharat ka sabse bada nagrik puraskar,

the Bharat Ratna.
→ Bharat Ratna.

With the coveted award resting on his chest
→ Jab yeh anmol puraskar unke seene par tha

and his eyes glinting with rare happiness
→ aur unki aankhen khushi se chamak rahi thi

he said,
→ tab unhone kaha,

“All I would like to say is:
→ “Main bas itna kehna chahta hoon:

Teach your children music,
→ Apne bachchon ko sangeet sikhaiye,

this is Hindustan’s richest tradition;
→ yeh Hindustan ki sabse ameer parampara hai;

even the West is now coming
→ ab to Paschim bhi aa raha hai

to learn our music.”
→ hamara sangeet seekhne.

In spite of having travelled
→ Duniya bhar ghoomne ke bawajood

all over the world
→ poori duniya mein

— Khansaab as he is fondly called —
→ — Khansaab, jaisa pyaar se unhe kaha jata hai —

is exceedingly fond of Benaras and Dumraon
→ Bahut zyada mohabbat karte hain Benaras aur Dumraon se

and they remain for him
→ aur ye unke liye bane hue hain

the most wonderful towns of the world.
→ duniya ke sabse sundar sheher.

A student of his once wanted him
→ Ek baar unka ek shishya chahta tha

to head a shehnai school in the U.S.A.,
→ ki woh U.S.A. mein ek shehnai school sambhalen,

and the student promised
→ aur shishya ne vaada kiya

to recreate the atmosphere of Benaras
→ Banaras ka mahaul banane ka

by replicating the temples there.
→ wahan mandir banakar.

But Khansaab asked him
→ Par Khansaab ne usse poocha

if he would be able
→ kya woh kar paayega

to transport River Ganga as well.
→ Ganga nadi ko bhi le jaana.

Later he is remembered to have said,
→ Baad mein unke shabd yaad kiye jaate hain,

“That is why whenever I am in a foreign country,
→ “Isiliye jab bhi main videsh mein hota hoon,

I keep yearning to see Hindustan.
→ mera man Hindustan dekhne ko tadapta hai.

While in Mumbai, I think of only Benaras and the holy Ganga.
→ Mumbai mein hote hue, main sirf Banaras aur pavitra Ganga ke baare mein sochta hoon.

And while in Benaras,
→ Aur Banaras mein hote hue,

I miss the unique mattha of Dumraon.”
→ mujhe Dumraon ka vishesh mattha yaad aata hai.”

Ustad Bismillah Khan’s life
→ Ustad Bismillah Khan ki zindagi

is a perfect example
→ ek behtareen misaal hai

of the rich, cultural heritage of India,
→ Bharat ki samriddh sanskritik virasat ki,

one that effortlessly accepts
→ jo aasani se sweekar karti hai

that a devout Muslim like him
→ ki un jaise ek sachhe Musalman

can very naturally play the shehnai
→ bade hi swabhavik roop se shehnai baja sakte hain

every morning
→ har subah

at the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
→ Kashi Vishwanath mandir mein.