What was the main basis of Bismillah Khan's fame?

Correct answer: Playing the shehnai

Bismillah Khan became famous as a remarkable shehnai player. He helped raise the status of the shehnai from an instrument mainly heard in traditional or ceremonial settings to one respected on major concert stages. His careful practice, musical skill, and deep understanding of the instrument made him a celebrated maestro. His fame was therefore based on performance and mastery of the shehnai, not on a general connection with the arts.

The question asks for his main professional identity. Option A names the instrument for which he was nationally and internationally admired. The other choices describe drawing, writing, and dancing, none of which is the central subject of his life in the lesson. His achievements, public performances, and contribution to Indian classical music all relate to shehnai playing. Thus the correct choice follows directly from the chapter’s focus on his musical career.