New Delhi: Shehnai virtuoso Ustad Bismillah Khan turned 91 on Tuesday without the world knowing it.
His fans are now readying to give him belated birthday gifts though. Khan will, however, celebrate his birthday on Saturday at his home in Varanasi where he will cut a 91 kg cake.
Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, who will also be attending the celebrations, has promised to give him Rs 10,000 every month for the rest of his life. Sibal will also present a 3kg silver shehnai to the maestro. The shehnai is 20 inches long and designed by Daryaganj jewellers.
"Charity begins at home," Sibal said. "Bismillah Khan has tuned India perfectly for the past eight decades and now it is our time to serve the maestro," he added.
Neena Jha and Shivnath Jha, a Delhi-based couple who released a monograph on the Ustad in 2004, will also be presenting him a cheque of Rs 1,50,000.
Khan had refused to celebrate his 91st birthday expressing sorrow over the deaths in the March 7 Varanasi blasts. Another reason was that his birthday coincided with the 40th day of Muharam, the Muslim month of mourning.
The Ustad has been conferred top civilian awards by the government, which include Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
In January, the ailing nonagenarian maestro had urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to release all his outstanding financial dues pending since 1961 so that he could take care of his needs in his old age.
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