“If you work hard and know where you’re going, you’ll get there,” says Evelyn Glennie. You have now read about two musicians, Evelyn Glennie and Ustad Bismillah Khan. Do you think that they both worked hard? Where did they want to ‘go’? Answer these questions in two paragraphs, one on each of the two musicians.

According to me, Evelyn Glennie and Ustad Bismillah Khan both put forth a lot of effort to move up the success ladder.

Evelyn developed hearing loss at a young age. But her tenacity enabled her to realise both her musical aspirations as well as her desire to live a typical life. She was inspired by the percussionist Ron Forbes to learn how to physically feel the music’s vibrations. To the Royal Academy of Music she travelled. Evelyn won the majority of the Academy Awards because to her perseverance and hard work. She received the renowned Royal Philharmonic Society Soloist of the Year Award in 1991.

Ustad Bismillah Khan, who was born into a family of musicians, showed an early interest in music. He received instruction from his uncle and found inspiration in the Ganges’ gushing waters. In the comfort of the Balaji and Mangala Maiya temples, he diligently practised. He created and enhanced ragas that had previously been thought to be outside the shehnai’s purview. The shehnai was effectively introduced to the classical stage because to his efforts. Several national honours, including the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour in India, were given to Bismillah Khan. His exploits earned him notoriety on a global scale.