India has a very old and rich culture that has given the world many great artists. These include famous musicians, singers, dancers, and filmmakers. Their work made a deep impact not only in India but also in other countries. Many of them were given big awards like the Bharat Ratna, Padma Awards, Ramon Magsaysay Award, Grammy, and even the Oscar. Well-known people such as Lata Mangeshkar, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Satyajit Ray, Birju Maharaj, Zakir Hussain, and A.R. Rahman helped to keep India’s art forms alive and also shared them with the world. To learn more about these legends, here are some multiple-choice questions about their life, awards, and achievements.
Who among the following was the first Indian musician to win the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1974?
a) Ravi Shankar
b) Zakir Hussain
c) M.S. Subbulakshmi
d) Bhimsen Joshi
Answer: c) M.S. Subbulakshmi
Pandit Ravi Shankar popularized Indian classical music in the West by collaborating with the famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Which award did they jointly win?
a) Academy Award
b) Grammy Award
c) Golden Globe Award
d) BAFTA Award
Answer: b) Grammy Award
The Bharat Ratna was awarded posthumously to which Indian filmmaker in 1992, shortly after he received an honorary Oscar?
a) Mani Ratnam
b) Raj Kapoor
c) Satyajit Ray
d) Bimal Roy
Answer: c) Satyajit Ray
Lata Mangeshkar sang songs in over 30 languages during her career. Which was her mother tongue?
a) Hindi
b) Bengali
c) Marathi
d) Gujarati
Answer: c) Marathi
Who was the first female playback singer in India to receive the Bharat Ratna?
a) Alka Yagnik
b) Lata Mangeshkar
c) Asha Bhosle
d) M.S. Subbulakshmi
Answer: b) Lata Mangeshkar
Which of the following artists received both the Padma Vibhushan (1980) and the Bharat Ratna (2001) for his contribution to Shehnai music?
a) Zakir Hussain
b) Ravi Shankar
c) Bismillah Khan
d) Bhimsen Joshi
Answer: c) Bismillah Khan
Who was the first Oscar-winning Indian composer who brought Indian music to global platforms like the Academy Awards and the Grammys?
a) Zakir Hussain
b) Ilaiyaraaja
c) A.R. Rahman
d) Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Answer: c) A.R. Rahman
Birju Maharaj, the renowned Kathak dancer, also choreographed dance sequences in Bollywood films. Which 2015 film featured his choreography in the song “Mohe Rang Do Laal”?
a) Bajirao Mastani
b) Padmaavat
c) Jodhaa Akbar
d) Devdas
Answer: a) Bajirao Mastani
Which Bharat Ratna recipient was known for his Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute established in Kolkata in his honor?
a) Guru Dutt
b) Raj Kapoor
c) Satyajit Ray
d) Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Answer: c) Satyajit Ray
Who was the first Bharat Ratna recipient from the field of performing arts in India?
a) M.S. Subbulakshmi
b) Lata Mangeshkar
c) Pandit Ravi Shankar
d) Ustad Bismillah Khan
Answer: a) M.S. Subbulakshmi
Ustad Zakir Hussain is associated with which percussion instrument that is considered the heartbeat of Hindustani classical music?
a) Pakhawaj
b) Tabla
c) Mridangam
d) Dholak
Answer: b) Tabla
Lata Mangeshkar was conferred with France’s highest civilian award, the “Officer of the Legion of Honour,” in which year?
a) 1990
b) 2001
c) 2007
d) 2012
Answer: c) 2007
The music director A.R. Rahman converted to Islam in the late 1980s. What was his birth name before conversion?
a) Dileep Kumar
b) Hariharan Iyer
c) Srinivasan Pillai
d) Raghunath Rao
Answer: a) Dileep Kumar
Who among the following was awarded the Bharat Ratna for his unique contribution in elevating the shehnai to a concert instrument?
a) Ustad Bismillah Khan
b) Ustad Zakir Hussain
c) Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
d) Ustad Allauddin Khan
Answer: a) Ustad Bismillah Khan
Which classical dancer, awarded with Padma Bhushan in 1968, was instrumental in bringing Kathak to the global stage through performances and teaching?
a) Kelucharan Mohapatra
b) Birju Maharaj
c) Rukmini Devi Arundale
d) Shovana Narayan
Answer: b) Birju Maharaj
A.R. Rahman won two Grammy Awards in 2010 for the film Slumdog Millionaire. Which of these was not one of the categories?
a) Best Compilation Soundtrack for Motion Picture
b) Best Original Song Written for Motion Picture
c) Best Original Score
d) Best Pop Vocal Album
Answer: d) Best Pop Vocal Album
Satyajit Ray’s debut film, which went on to win several international awards, was based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s novel. Name this film.
a) Aparajito
b) Pather Panchali
c) Charulata
d) Devi
Answer: b) Pather Panchali
Which Bharat Ratna awardee musician was given the title “Queen of Music” by Sarojini Naidu?
a) M.S. Subbulakshmi
b) Lata Mangeshkar
c) Gangubai Hangal
d) Kishori Amonkar
Answer: a) M.S. Subbulakshmi
Which famous Kathak dancer belonged to a family of court musicians and dancers of Lucknow and was a descendant of Maharaj family?
a) Shambhu Maharaj
b) Birju Maharaj
c) Lachhu Maharaj
d) Achhan Maharaj
Answer: b) Birju Maharaj
The great tabla player Zakir Hussain has also acted in films. In which 1983 film did he appear alongside Amjad Ali Khan and Shivkumar Sharma?
a) Tansen
b) Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje
c) The Perfect Murder
d) Heat and Dust
Answer: d) Heat and Dust
Which Indian playback singer’s voice was used in India’s national song “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon,” which deeply moved the nation?
a) M.S. Subbulakshmi
b) Asha Bhosle
c) Lata Mangeshkar
d) Shreya Ghoshal
Answer: c) Lata Mangeshkar
Which Bharat Ratna awardee had also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and Sangita Kalanidhi Award?
a) Ravi Shankar
b) Bismillah Khan
c) M.S. Subbulakshmi
d) Lata Mangeshkar
Answer: c) M.S. Subbulakshmi
In which year did Lata Mangeshkar receive the Bharat Ratna, making her one of only two playback singers ever to be honored with it?
a) 1992
b) 1995
c) 2001
d) 2010
Answer: c) 2001
Pandit Ravi Shankar composed the music score for which Indian film that won the Cannes Film Festival’s “Best Human Document” award in 1956?
a) Pather Panchali
b) Aparajito
c) Jalsaghar
d) Charulata
Answer: a) Pather Panchali
Which tabla maestro, son of Ustad Alla Rakha, has been honored with several international awards and is credited with taking tabla to world music stages?
a) Anindo Chatterjee
b) Zakir Hussain
c) Swapan Chaudhuri
d) Yogesh Samsi
Answer: b) Zakir Hussain