Pandit A Pandit ( sa, पण्डित, paṇḍit; hi, पंडित; also spelled Pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt.) is a man with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge whether it is shashtra (Holy Books) or shastra (Wea ...

Shivkumar Sharma (13 January 1938 – 10 May 2022) was an Indian classical musician and santoor player who is credited with adapting the santoor for

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

. As a music composer, he collaborated with Indian flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia under the collaborative name Shiv–Hari and composed music for such hit Indian films as '' Faasle'' (1985), '' Chandni'' (1989), and ''

Lamhe ''Lamhe'' (lit. ''Moments'') is a 1991 Indian musical romantic drama film directed by Yash Chopra and written by Honey Irani and Rahi Masoom Raza. The film stars Sridevi and Anil Kapoor in lead roles, along with Waheeda Rehman and Anupam Kher ...

'' (1991). Sharma was awarded the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

in 1986 and the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

and Padma Bhushan (India's fourth and third highest civilian awards) in 1991 and 2001.

Early life

Sharma was born on 13 January 1938, in

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

, which was part of the Jammu and Kashmir princely state then. His father Uma Dutt Sharma was a vocalist and a

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

player. His father started teaching him vocals and

, when he was just five. His father saw an opportunity to introduce him to the santoor, a

hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion- stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more tr ...

, which was a folk instrument that traced its origins to ancient

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, but was played in

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. He saw the styles that integrated Sufi notes with traditional Kashmiri folk music and had his son play the instrument that was then new to

. Sharma started learning santoor at the age of thirteen and gave his first public performance in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

in 1955.

Career

Starting his career playing the santoor with his father, Sharma is credited with introducing the santoor as a popular Indian classical music instrument. He recorded his first solo album in 1960. Sharma took the santoor as an Indian classical musical instrument playing at various music venues. He collaborated with Indian tabla player

Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...

and with flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia on many of his performances as well as on his albums. In 1967, he teamed up with Chaurasia and guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra to produce a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

, '' Call of the Valley'' (1967), which turned out to be one of Indian classical music's greatest hits. Sharma composed the background music for one of the scenes in V. Shantaram's film '' Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje'' (1955) where Gopi Krishna performed a Kathak dance piece. Further, he composed music for many Hindi films in collaboration with Chaurasia, starting with ''

Silsila Silsila ( ar, سِلْسِلَة) is an Arabic word meaning ''chain'', ''link'', ''connection'' often used in various senses of lineage. In particular, it may be translated as "spiritual genealogy" where one Sufi Master transfers his ''khil ...

'' (1981). They came to be known as the Shiv–Hari music duo. Some of the movies they composed music for were musical hits, such as '' Faasle'' (1985), '' Chandni'' (1989), ''

'' (1991), and '' Darr'' (1993). Sharma also played tabla including in the popular song "Mo Se Chhal Kiye Jaaye" sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her con ...

in the 1965 film '' Guide'', on the insistence of music director

S. D. Burman Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music director and singer. A member of the Tripura royal family, he started his career with Bengali films in 1937. He later began composing for Hindi movies and became one ...

. However, Sharma's focus remained on classic music rather than film songs; he said, "Classical music is not for entertainment. It is to take you on a meditative journey, ''ye toh mehsoos karne ki cheez hai'' (This has to be experienced)." Sharma was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akadeemi Award in 1986, the

, India's fourth highest civilian award in 1991, and the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award in 2001.

Personal life

Sharma married Manorama and had one son. His son Rahul, who started learning at the age of 13, is also a santoor player, and they performed together since 1996. In a 1999 interview, Sharma stated that he chose Rahul as his '' shishya'', because he thought he had the "gift of God". Sharma died on 10 May 2022 from a cardiac arrest. He was 84 years old. He had kidney failure for the last few months and went through regular dialysis. He received a state funeral at Pawan Hans Juhu aerodrome, Mumbai, on 11 May 2022.

Discography

Albums

Source:

Contributing artist

''Source

Awards

Sharma is the recipient of national and international awards, including an honorary citizenship of the city of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, USA, in 1985, the

in 1986, the

in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. Some of his other awards included: * Platinum Disc for '' Call of the Valley'' * Platinum Disc for music of film ''

'' * Gold Disc for music of film '' Faasle'' * Platinum Disc for music of film '' Chandni'' * Pandit Chatur Lal Excellence Award – 2015

References

External links

www.santoor.com – Official Site
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Shivkumar 1938 births 2022 deaths Hindustani instrumentalists Indian male classical musicians People from Jammu (city) People from Jammu and Kashmir Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Santoor players Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship