SAHARSA, April 24 -- Till a few years ago, shehnai -- the classical wind instrument -- would be a regular fixtures at marriages and other functions. Then, like all classical genres of music, it lost out in the melee of modern hip-hop, DJs and orchestras. Its proponents slowly rode into penury. Now, the public administration in Bihar's Saharsa district is attempting to revive the traditional piece and save it from total obscurity.

The district administration has decided to link all the artistes with the Mukhyamantri Kalakar Pension Yojna so that they can get at least Rs.3,000 per month as stipend. "We have started listing the artistes scattered in various blocks such as Sattar Kattaiya, Mahishi, Nauhatta, Sobarsha and others in the distri...