Bismillah Khan receives Bharat Ratna

New Delhi, May 4. Undeterred by the physical handicap, Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan today received the nation's highest honour Bharat Ratna from President K R Narayanan at a simple ceremony in the high-domed Durbar Hall of Rasthrapati Bhavan.

With a constant smile all through the function, he later quipped, "it would be nice to perform in this place (Rasthrapati Bhavan)". Prior to the start of the brief function, Prime Minister Vajpayee and Home Minister Advani greeted the maestro as did several other Union ministers.

(PTI photo shows President presenting the award to Bismillah Khan.)

"I never thought I would get Bharat Ratna. My message is teach our music to as many children as you can, so that the tradition is passed on to the coming generations," he told reporters after the function.

Accompanied by his grandson Banda Ali and nephew Mumtaz Hussain, he said that even at this age he practised daily for three-and-a- half hours.

- PTI

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