Delhi couple to fulfill all wishes of the maestro

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) - A Delhi-based journalist couple plan to fulfil the wishes of late shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, including the renovation of his ancestral house, from the sale proceeds of the first-ever autographed monograph on the musical legend.Neena and Shivnath Jha have also taken the responsibility of imparting education to Bismillah Khan's grandchildren.'Ustad Bismillah Khan hailed from Bihar and so do we. When he saw the photograph of his ancestral house compiled in the monograph, he had requested us to renovate his house and also impart education to his grandchildren, especially the girls,' the couple said. Four years ago, when the shehnai virtuoso did not have any resources to meet his needs, the then government arranged for his performance at Parliament Annexe where he had to virtually give a charity show for his own benefit.It was then that the couple, along with photojournalist Alok Jain, thought of bringing out a monograph on the life and art of the Ustad to extend financial support to him.Autographed by the shehnai maestro, the monograph comprises the life of Bismillah Khan, his love and affection for River Ganga, Benaras and music. The monograph, which also has some rare photographs, was released by the Ustad himself on his 91st birthday March 25, 2006.Ustad Bismillah Khan, who will always be remembered as the one who played the shehnai from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Aug 15, 1947, died of cardiac arrest Aug 21.However, Bismillah Khan's last wish - to play at India Gate in the heart of New Delhi - remained unfulfilled.Said Jha: 'Our mission was to make Ustad Bismillah Khan and his family economically viable. The government had given us permission for the India Gate shehnai recital. We did our best to fulfil his lifetime desire but Ustadji is no more. Still, we want to fulfil all his wishes which he had requested of us.'