He was born in the city of Dumraon, India, on March 21, 1916 and died in Benares, India, on August 21, 2006.
Ustad Bismillah Khan Sahib, was an artist of classical music of India recognized for more than 8 decades for playing the Shehnai, which is a wind instrument, considered a kind of oboe from the west and north of India and Pakistan.
He was awarded in 2001 with the Bharat Ratna prize (which is the highest civil honor award in India), which only 2 classical music artists in India could have won before him.