Select the first and last 'Bharat Ratna' awardee musician in the following :
i. Ravishankar
ii. Subbulaxmi
iii. Bhimsen Joshi
iv. Bismillah Khan

Question

Select the first and last 'Bharat Ratna' awardee musician in the following :
i. Ravishankar
ii. Subbulaxmi
iii. Bhimsen Joshi
iv. Bismillah Khan

Accepted Answer

Option 2 is the correct answer because it identifies the first and last 'Bharat Ratna' awardee musicians from the given list. Let's break down the reasoning:

1. **Explanation for Option 2 (ii, iii):**
   - **Subbulakshmi (ii):** M. S. Subbulakshmi was the first musician to receive the Bharat Ratna award. She was honored with this prestigious award in 1998. Her contribution to Indian classical music, particularly Carnatic music, was immense, and she was a celebrated figure in the world of music.
   - **Bhimsen Joshi (iii):** Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was the last musician from the given list to receive the Bharat Ratna. He was awarded in 2008. Bhimsen Joshi was a legendary Hindustani classical vocalist known for his powerful and emotive singing style.

2. **Explanation for why other options are incorrect:**

- **Option 1 (iv, ii):** 
     - Bismillah Khan (iv) was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2001, which was after M. S. Subbulakshmi (1998) but before Bhimsen Joshi (2008). Therefore, he was neither the first nor the last musician to receive the award from the given list.
     - Subbulakshmi (ii) is correctly identified as the first, but pairing her with Bismillah Khan does not satisfy the condition of identifying the last awardee.

- **Option 3 (i, iv):**
     - Ravishankar (i) received the Bharat Ratna in 1999, which was after Subbulakshmi (1998) and before Bismillah Khan (2001) and Bhimsen Joshi (2008). Therefore, he was neither the first nor the last.
     - Bismillah Khan (iv) was not the last musician to receive the award, as Bhimsen Joshi received it later in 2008.

- **Option 4 (iii, i):**
     - Bhimsen Joshi (iii) is correctly identified as the last musician to receive the Bharat Ratna from the list.
     - However, Ravishankar (i) was not the first musician to receive the award, as Subbulakshmi received it earlier in 1998.

In conclusion, Option 2 correctly identifies M. S. Subbulakshmi as the first and Bhimsen Joshi as the last 'Bharat Ratna' awardee musicians from the given list, making it the correct choice.