Tributes to the Ustad poured in. Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, quoted in The Times of India, termed Bismillah Khan's demise as a "personal loss" but said his music "will always be around us". Likewise, India's nightingale Lata Mangeshkar went down memory lane to give an account of the days when she worked in tandem with the Ustad for the film Goonj uthi shehnai. In her words, "He was like a father figure to me and his demise is a great loss to the world of Indian music."

To Khan goes the credit for making the shehnai a famous classical instrument. Khan was born in a small Bihar village on March 21, 1916. His ancestors were court musicians in the princely state of Dumraon in Bihar. He received training from his uncle, the late Ali Baksh 'Vilayatu', a shehnai player attached to Varanasi's Vishwanath Temple. He brought shehnai to the centre stage of Indian music with his concert in the Calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937.

Khan was a holder of honorary doctorates from the Benares Hindu University and Shantiniketan. Among the laurels that came his way were the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, the Tansen Award of the Madhya Pradesh government and also the prestigious Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna. His talent took him to performances in Afghanistan, Europe, Canada, West Africa and almost every capital city around the globe.

Critics remember him for his stellar music for Kannada film Sanadhi Appanna, in which Raj Kumar played the role of an outstanding shehnai player.

For those in search of his works, there are several titles available: Maestro's Choice-1, Basant Bahar (with Kishori Amonkar) and Megh Malhar Volume 4 (with Kishori Amonkar), among others.

Musicians around the world will feel the loss of one of the leading lights of the music firmament.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent