Bismillah Khan Family Tree: The Story Behind India's Shehnai Maestro

Ustad Bismillah Khan (born Qamaruddin Khan), born 21 March 1916 in Dumraon, Bhojpur, Bihar, British India, was the master of the shehnai (an Indian reed instrument) — the first Indian musician to be awarded Bharat Ratna in his lifetime (2001). Padma Shri (1961), Padma Bhushan (1968), Padma Vibhushan (1980). He died 21 August 2006 in Varanasi at age 90.

The Family's Roots: A Bhojpuri Muslim Musical Family

The Khan family is Bhojpuri Muslim — court musicians to the Maharajas of Dumraon and Banaras (Varanasi) for generations.

His Parents

Father: Paigambar Bux Khan (also Bachai Mian) — shehnai player; court musician to the Maharaja of Dumraon.

Mother: Mitthanbai — homemaker.

His Uncles and Teachers

Ali Bux "Vilayatu" Khan — Bismillah's paternal uncle; shehnai player at the Vishwanath Temple of Varanasi; Bismillah's guru; raised him from age 6 in Varanasi.

Sammasuddin Khan — Bismillah's paternal grandfather; court musician.

His Wife: Begum

Begum Khan — Bismillah's wife. The marriage was private (per the customs of the time).

Their Children

Bismillah had nine children — multiple sons and daughters. His sons did not all continue the shehnai tradition, partly because Bismillah forbid his daughters from playing.

Nazim Hussain Khan — son; tabla player.

Nayyar Hussain Khan — son; shehnai player.

Kazim Hussain Khan — son.

His Grandson

Nayyar Hussain Khan (and others) continued the Banaras Gharana tradition of shehnai.

The Khan Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Bhojpuri Muslim court-musician family; Dumraon and Varanasi.

Father: Paigambar Bux Khan — Dumraon court shehnai musician.

Mother: Mitthanbai.

Uncle/Guru: Ali Bux "Vilayatu" Khan — Vishwanath Temple shehnai player.

Wife: Begum Khan.

Children: 9, including sons Nazim Hussain Khan (tabla); Nayyar Hussain Khan (shehnai); Kazim Hussain Khan.

Bismillah Khan:

  • Born 21 March 1916, Dumraon, Bihar
  • Moved to Varanasi at age 6 to live with his uncle Ali Bux Khan
  • Daily practice at the Balaji Temple and Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi
  • All India Music Conference performance: 1937 (Calcutta) — established him at the all-India level
  • Performed at the Red Fort, Delhi, at India's first Independence Day — 15 August 1947 (special government invitation by Jawaharlal Nehru)
  • Performed every Independence Day thereafter
  • Performed Indian classical music in Edinburgh (1966), Montreal Expo (1967), and globally
  • Albums: collaborations with Vilayat Khan, Vasant Rai, others
  • Bharat Ratna: 2001 — only the third musician at the time (after M. S. Subbulakshmi and Pandit Ravi Shankar)
  • Lived in his ancestral home in Varanasi until his death; refused to leave Varanasi despite international success
  • Died 21 August 2006, Varanasi, age 90

What the Khan Family Story Teaches Us

A father who was a court shehnai musician. A homemaker mother. An uncle-guru who raised Bismillah from age 6 — and was himself the Vishwanath Temple shehnai player. A wife. Nine children. A lifetime of refusing to leave Varanasi despite global fame.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Bismillah story carries the same lesson. Some families are tied to a specific place across generations. The Vishwanath Temple shehnai tradition is on the Khan family record alongside the Bharat Ratna. Write down which family roles are tied to which institutions.

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