Covering Bollywood and the Hindi Cinema

We have some sad news for you. Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away this morning at the age of 90. The "shehnai" maestro was admitted to a hospital last week and the doctors had declared his condition stable. However things took a turn for the worst and he died of heart failure. National mourning has been declared for a day. For those who are not    aware, the Ustad played the shenai in 1947, at Red Fort to mark the     country's independence from . Schools and offices were shut in   Uttar Pradesh, where the maestro use to reside and flags flew at half-mast at government buildings.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid a fitting tribute to the maestro:

"A true symbol of our composite culture, Khan Sahib, through his mellifluous rendering of the shehnai, showed us that while God may manifest himself in many forms, piety finds its true expression through music. Ustad Bismillah Khan Sahib was a great son of ."

Reuters