Word Meaning
| English Word | অসমীয়া অৰ্থ (Assamese Meaning) |
| Accompanied | সংগ দিয়া |
| Ancestors | পূৰ্বপুৰুষসকল |
| Apprenticeship | শিক্ষাৰ্থী কাল |
| Artificiality | কৃত্ৰিমতা |
| Auditorium | সভাঘৰ |
| Auspicious | শুভ |
| Banned | নিষিদ্ধ কৰা |
| Captivated | আপ্লুত কৰা |
| Celluloid | চিনেমা জগত |
| Chartbuster | অভিলেখ ভংগকাৰী জনপ্ৰিয় গান |
| Composed | সুৰ বা সংগীত ৰচনা কৰা |
| Conferred | উপাধি প্ৰদান কৰা |
| Coveted | আকাংক্ষিত |
| Credit | কৃতিত্ব |
| Devout | ধৰ্মপৰায়ণ |
| Ensemble | বাদ্যযন্ত্ৰৰ দল |
| Fascinated | মোহিত হোৱা |
| Generic name | এটা গোটক দিয়া উমৈহতীয়া নাম |
| Glamour | চকমকনি |
| Hollow | ফোঁপোলা |
| Indispensable | অপৰিহাৰ্য |
| Inherited | উত্তৰাধিকাৰী সূত্ৰে পোৱা |
| Melody | সুমধুৰ সুৰ |
| Mourning | শোক প্ৰকাশ |
| Natural talent | জন্মগত প্ৰতিভা |
| On the verge of | একেবাৰে ওচৰত |
| Paternal uncle | মামা |
| Professional musicians | পেছাদাৰী সংগীতজ্ঞসকল। |
| Recited | আবৃত্তি কৰা |
| Reed | ফোঁপোলা ডালেৰে তৈয়াৰী বাঁহীজাতীয় বাদ্য |
| Replicate | হুবহু নকল কৰা |
| Revived | পুনৰুজ্জীৱিত কৰা |
| Shrill | কৰ্কশ উচ্চ স্বৰ |
| Solitude | নিৰ্জনতা |
| Souvenirs | স্মৃতিচিহ্ন |
| State Funeral | ৰাষ্ট্ৰীয় সন্মানেৰে অন্ত্যেষ্টিক্ৰিয়া |
| Thick and fast | অতি ক্ষিপ্ৰতাৰে আৰু বৃহৎ পৰিমাণে |
| Traditional | পুৰণি কালৰ পৰা চলা |
| Unpleasant | অপ্ৰীতিকৰ |
| Yearning | তীব্ৰ হেঁপাহ |
Thinking about the Text
I. Tick the right answer.
- The (shehnai, pungi) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
Ans:- Pungi
- (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Ans:- Ali Bux
- Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).
Ans:-
- Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).
Ans:- Ustad Faiyaaz Khan
- Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).
Ans:- Afghanistan
II. Find the words in the text which show Ustad Bismillah Khan’s feelings about the items listed below. Then mark a tick (P) in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class.
| Bismillah Khan’s feeling about | Positive | Negative | Neutral |
| 1. teaching children Music | |||
| 2. the film world | |||
| 3. migrating to the U.S.A. | |||
| 4. playing at temples | |||
| 5. getting the Bharat Ratna | |||
| 6. the bank of the Ganga | |||
| 7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon |
Ans.
- Positive
- Negative
- Negative
- Neutral
- Positive
- Positive
- Negative
• III. Answer these questions in 30–40 words.
Q. 1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Ans. Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi in the royal residence because it had a shrill unpleasant sound.
Q. 2. How is a Shehnai different from a pungi?
Ans. A Shehnai different from a pungi. A Shehanai is a pipe with a naturally hollow, that is longer and broader than a pungi. A Shehnai has saven holes on the body of the pipe like a flute.
Q. 3. Where was the Shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
Ans. The Shehnai was traditionally played in the Vishnu temple of Varanasi and North Indian weddings. Bismillah Khan’s maternal uncle used to play shehnai. He invented ragas which were earlier considered to be beyond the range of the Shehnai.
Q. 4 When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Ans. In 1938, with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow, Bismillah Khan got his big break. After that Bismillah Khan became an often heard Shehnai player on radio.
Q. 5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the Shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Ans. On 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the Shehnai at Red Fort. Bismillah Khan was the first Indian to greet the nation with his musical instrument. The event was historic because on that day India gained independence.
Q. 6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a Shehnai School in the U.S.A.?
Ans. Bismillah Khan refused to start a Shehnai School in the U.S.A. because there were not suitable atmosphere to play Shehnai in U.S.A.He said that it was not possible to transport holy river Ganga from India to U.S.A.
Q. 7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Ans. Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras from his heart. When he goes abroad, he says he misses the holy river Ganga and India. Also while he is in Mumbai he thinks of only Benaras and the holy Ganga.
Thinking about the language
• I. Complete the following sentences. Beginning with a to-verb. Try to answer the questions in brackets.
Q. 1. The School sports team hopes———- [What does it hope to do?]Ans. The school sports team hopes to win the match.
Q. 2. We all want _______________ (what do we all want to do?)
Ans. We all want to succeed in life.
Q. 3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother _______________ (what did they advise her to do?)
Ans. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother to take her to a specialist.
Q. 4. The authorities permitted us to _______________( what did the authorities permit us to do ?)
Ans. The authorities permitted us to play in the field.
Q. 5. A musician decided to _______________(what did the musician decide to do?)
Ans. A musician decidedto play a new Raaga.
• II. From the text on Bismillah Khan, find the words and phrases that match these definition and write them down. The number of the paragraph where you will find the words /phrases has been given for you in brackets.
Q. 1. The home of royal people (1) —————
Ans. Royal residence
Q. 2. The state of being alone (5) —————
Ans. Solitude
Q. 3. A part which is absolutely necessary (2)—————
Ans. an indispensable component.
Q. 4. to do something not done before (5)—————
Ans. improvise and invent.
Q. 5. without much effort (13)—————
Q. 6. quickly and in large quantities (9)—— and——
Ans. thick and fast.
III. Tick the right answer
Q. 1. When something is revived, it (remains dead/lives again).
Ans. lives again
Q. 2. When a government bans something it want it (stopped/tarted). [
Ans. Stopped.
Q. 3. When something is considered auspicious (welcome it/avoid it)
Ans. welcome it
Q. 4. When we take to something we find it (boring/interesting).
Ans. interesting
Q. 5. When you appreciate something, you (find it good and useful/find it of no use.)
Ans. find it good and useful.
Q. 6. When you replicate something, you do it (for the first time/for the second time.)
Ans. for the second time.
Q. 7. When we come to terms with something, it is (still upsetting/no longer upsetting.)
Ans. no long upsetting.
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