Overcoming physical disabilities (Evelyn Glennie) and the life of Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan

Bismillah Khan received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, yet he remained simple, modest and deeply attached to his music and homeland. This creates a pleasing contrast between public greatness and personal humility. His achievement was extraordinary, but he did not behave as though fame made him superior to others. He continued to value practice, tradition, affection for Benaras and the uncomplicated joy of playing the shehnai. His character shows that honour need not destroy simplicity.

Option A is correct because it captures the balance between great recognition and a simple life. The other choices do not express the relevant contrast. The passage is not mainly about a struggle between music and silence, a combination of foreign places and acting, or practice and laziness. Instead, the award highlights his greatness while his behaviour highlights his humility. Together, these qualities make his personality admirable and memorable.

Option A provides the strongest critical basis because it links the central movement in both sections: difficulty is transformed through art into achievement, identity, and social value. Evelyn Glennie’s physical limitation does not end her musical life; disciplined learning helps her create a distinctive identity and inspire others. Bismillah Khan’s artistic work raises the status of the shehnai and carries Indian tradition into public and national spaces. In both cases, art moves beyond private pleasure and becomes contribution. Option B trivialises art, while C contradicts the chapter’s strong connection between music and culture. Option D wrongly treats awards as the end of artistic growth. A sound critical comment should explain transformation and social significance, making A the most inclusive answer.

Public recognition becomes meaningful when it is earned through real ability, sustained effort, and a contribution that benefits or enriches others. In this lesson, Evelyn Glennie and Bismillah Khan are respected because they developed exceptional musical skills and continued their work with discipline. Their achievements show that recognition is strongest when it rests on merit rather than on publicity, family reputation, or luck alone.

Option A is therefore correct. Neither artist became important simply because people advertised them, because of a family name, or through an accidental opportunity. Their long devotion produced work that audiences valued and remembered. Public praise was the result of their contribution, not the cause of it. This distinction helps us understand why genuine achievement creates lasting recognition.

Option A is the most precise central idea because it brings together the different challenges and achievements in both parts of the chapter. Evelyn Glennie faces a personal limitation involving hearing, yet dedicated musical training enables her to become an internationally respected performer. Bismillah Khan works within a traditional musical world and elevates the shehnai from a comparatively limited ceremonial association to a respected classical instrument. In both cases, music transforms an apparent boundary into dignity, recognition, and respect. Option B reduces music to entertainment, ignoring its artistic and cultural power. Option C denies the role of effort, and D misreads tradition because Bismillah Khan shows that tradition can grow through creative mastery. Thus A is comprehensive without being vague.

Option A expresses the most mature combined message because it recognises art as a force that works at personal, social, and cultural levels. Evelyn Glennie gains dignity and independence by mastering music despite a serious hearing challenge; her achievement also expands society’s understanding of ability and inclusion. Bismillah Khan’s devotion gives him personal distinction, while his shehnai playing strengthens public appreciation of Indian musical heritage. Therefore great art is not merely performance or competition: it develops the individual, awakens sensitivity in others, and preserves or enriches culture. Option B is reductive, C ignores the essential roles of practice and teachers, and D mistakes awards for artistic value. A is the only option broad enough to unite both biographies.