FAREWELL, SANTOOR MAESTRO

The sudden death of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma came as a terrible shock to the music world

Composer and santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma died yesterday, aged 84. He had reportedly been suffering from kidney-related issues for six months and was on dialysis. His death was due to cardiac arrest, say reports. He is survived by wife Manorama Sharma and sons Rahul and Rohit

Shivkumar ji was a world-class musician. He was a brilliant artiste and a softspoken, down-to-earth person. I sang Ang Se Ang Lagana in Darr (1993) for him. He was a thorough gentleman. It’s a huge loss to the world of music.

We have lost one of the most iconic musicians of the country. To play so many ragas with the santoor was magical, something only he could do. He literally made the instrument sing. I was really close to him. I used to perform at mehfils at his home. He also played for some of my ghazal albums. I can never repay him

Sharma. The veteran, who gave santoor global recognition, was one half of the composer duo Shiv-Hari and composed music with flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia for films such as Silsila (1981), Lamhe (1991) and Chandni (1989).

He was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986, Padma Shri in 1991 and Padma Vibhushan in 2001. His last rites will be held today (May 11) at 2.30pm at Pawan Hans Crematorium in Mumbai.

End of an era: Industry mourns the loss ALKA YAGNIK HARIHARAN

for what he’s done for me.

ANUP JALOTA

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma ji ka jaana sangeet jagat ke liye bahut badi haani hai. He took the santoor, a folk instrument from Jammu and Kashmir, to a global level. He was an amazing musician and human being. People would see Lord Krishna’s chhavi in him. He’ll be missed.

USTAD AMJAD ALI KHAN

The passing away of Pandit Shivkumar Sharmaji marks the end of an era. He was the pioneer of santoor and his contribution is unparalleled. For me, it’s a personal loss and I will miss him to no end.

1938-2022