Evelyn Glennie is a multi-percussionist. She can play about one thousand instruments with perfection. She listens to sound without hearing it! She fought against a physical disability and became a source of inspiration for thousands of disabled persons.
She was profoundly deaf. She was eleven years old when it was discovered that she had the hearing disability. She wanted to purse her career in music but her teachers discouraged her. It was Ron Forbes who recognised her potential and supported her in achieving her goal. He advised her not to listen through her ears but try to sense it in some other way. Soon, she was excited.
She felt the vibrations of the higher drum from the waist up, and the lower drum from the waist down. Later, she realised that she could feel the vibrations in every part of the body. These tingled in her skin, her cheekbones and even in her hair. She had learnt to open her body and mind to the sounds and vibrations. After that, she never looked back.
She joined the prestigious Royal Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy. She worked hard with strong determination. She got right to the top. In 1991, she was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Soloist of the Year Award.
Apart from the regular concerts, Evelyn gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She is a shining inspiration for deaf children. She has accomplished more than most people twice her age have. She has earned name in orchestra. She has inspired those who are handicapped and made them believe that it Evelyn could do that, why not they.
The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan
This chapter throws light on the origin of Shehnai and the life of Shehnai maestro, Bismillah Khan, Bismillah Khan. Bismillah Khan is the greatest player of Shehnai today. He has received ‘Bharat Ratna’, the higest civilian award. We learn from this chapter how Shehnai originated and how it was given a name. We also learn about Bismillah Khan’s childhood, his dedication to music and his love for India in general and for Benaras in parti ular.
A musical instrument called Pungi was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb for its shrill unpleasant sound. It was perfected by a barber who belonged to a family of professional musicians. He played it in the chamber of the king. Its sound was appreciated by the emperor. Since it was born in Shah’s chamber and perfected by a Nai, it was named Shehnai.
In the beginning, it was played in the temples before the images of Gods and Goddesses. It was played on every auspicious domestic occasion too. Gradually, it became popular.
Ustad Bismillah Khan belonged to the Benaras Gharana. He was born in 1916 at Dumraon in Bihar. As a five-year-old boy, he played gilli-danda near a pond. He used to visit Bihariji temple and sing Bhojpuri Chaita there. He would earn a big laddu from a local Maharaja as a prize. At the age of six, he moved to Benaras. His uncle, Ali Bux, introduced him to the nuances of playing Shehnai. He was deeply devoted to music. He used to spend most of his time practising on the bank of the river Ganga. The themes of his music are deeply affected by the flowing water of the Ganga.
He got the best performer at the All India Music Conference in Allahabad in 1930. In 1937, he bagged three medals at a music conference in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was invited by Pandit Nehru to play the Shehnai from the ramparts of Delhi’s Red Fort in 1947. He won many international awards as well.
Bismillah Khan is very fond of Benaras and Dumraon. He declined an offer from one of his students to settle in the United States. He ventured into the celluloid world too. He gave his music in two movies. But the artificial world of cinema could not attract him. For him, music is God. Music is his soul.