Bismillah Khan played the shehnai on August 15, 1947, at the Red Fort in Delhi. This event was historic because it marked India's first Independence Day, celebrating its independence from British rule. His shehnai performance, playing Raag Kaafi, was the first musical greeting to the newly independent nation, and it was witnessed by a large audience including India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who followed with his famous speech "Tryst with Destiny." Bismillah Khan's music at the Red Fort symbolized the cultural and spiritual pride of independent India.