Home ›› 11 May 2022 ›› Show Biz
Legendary musician and santoor player Pandit Shivkumar Sharma died from a cardiac arrest in Indian city of Mumbai on Tuesday. He was 84.
According to ABP News, the legendary musician suffered a heart attack at 9:00am on Tuesday. Even though he was on dialysis, he was scheduled to perform in Bhopal the next week.
Following his demise, the internet flooded with condolence messages and paid their last respects to the santoor maestro. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences on his demise. He wrote on Twitter, “Our cultural world is poorer with the demise of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Ji. He popularised the Santoor at a global level. His music will continue to enthrall the coming generations. I fondly remember my interactions with him. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”
Veteran singer Shankar Mahadevan posted a picture of the maestro on his Facebook handle and wrote, “Shocked and devastated hearing this very sad news of our dearest Pt. Shivkumar Sharma’s demise! Thank you for your contribution to Indian Classical music and you have spread it all over the world with your magical Santoor. Will miss you Panditji”
Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma was born on January 13, 1938, in Jammu. He is credited with giving Santoor an identity in the Hindustani Classical Music. After taking it to different heights, he also composed music for Bollywood, beginning with a background score for Shantaram’s ‘Jhanak Jhanak Baje Payal’.
He was conferred with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1986, and with the Padma Shri in 1991. He was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. He recorded his first solo in 1960 and went on to create great music with flutist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia and guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra.
