Yesterday morning the gandharva music channel on worldspace kept playing the Shenai. My wife suddenly realized that it must be Bismillah Khan's birth or death anniversary.
Indeed Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away two years ago on 21st August, 2006.
He was a genius who did not allow his achievement and fame take him away from his roots. This is what made him so special in this era of hype and rootless cosmopolitanism.
Almost by definition, genius do not replicate in a routine manner. It is unlikely that we will have another like him in our life time, but who knows? In the mean while, we can listen to his shenai, and feel blessed.
