Mumbai Legendary music composer and santoor player Pandit Shivkumar Sharma has passed away at the age of 84 due to a heart attack. The sad news came out on Tuesday, May 10, which left music lovers in mourning.
In the last two years, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma must have barely stepped out of his residence. However, he was occasionally spotted at events. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was battling kidney related ailments for the last six months. His dialysis was also going on, but today he said goodbye to the world. His last rites will be performed this evening.
Born in Jammu in the year 1938, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma started learning Santoor at the age of thirteen. His first public performance was in the year 1955 in Mumbai. Shivakumar is credited with making Santoor popular on the world stage. Apart from this, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma also composed the background music for a scene from the 1956 film ‘Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje’. Four years later, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma recorded his first solo album Song.
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma collaborated with fluteist Hariprasad Chaurasia and guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra in 1967 and together, they produced the famous album ‘Call of the Valley’. Along with Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma composed music for several Hindi films including ‘Silsila’, ‘Chandni’ and ‘Dar’ which are still listened to with great fervor today.
Shivakumar’s death is a great loss to the world of music and art, it can be gauged from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also expressed grief over his passing. Taking to Twitter, the PM consoled Shivakumar’s family and fans, while also recalling his contribution to the popularity of the santoor instrument.
first published:May 10, 2022, 2:01 pm