New Delhi, Aug 07: For a few hours today, Parliament will be under the magical spell of the grand old man of Indian music as Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan appears in a jugalbandi in the abiding symbol of the world's largest democracy. Eighty seven-year-old Khan, who brought the 'shehnai' out of the confines of wedding functions and raised it to a new high in performing arts, will play 'ras barse' jugalbandi with his adopted daughter and vocalist Soma Chakrabarty Ghosh in front of a distinguished gathering including President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani.

"I want them to relax and take their mind away for a while from the humdrum of daily life," quipped the Bharat Ratna awardee with a twinkle in his eye during an interaction with the media today in Parliament House complex.

The "ras barse" will present to the audience vintage Benarasi jugalbandi with 'raga yaman' and a beautiful 'kajri' with 'dadra tal' in what will be a welcome break from the daily routine of parliamentary proceedings.

Bureau Report