Celebrating the rich legacy of the Santoor Legend PT. Shiv Kumar Sharma

India has a tremendous heritage when it comes to music. From the diversity of its many indigenous instruments to the immense wide-ranging talent of its singers, artists and musicians, one would be hard pressed to find a similarity of experience anywhere else in the world. One such jewel in India’s musical crown is classical musician and Santoor player Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, whose recent demise at age 84 has saddened the entire nation.Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma was an Indian classical musician and Santoor Maestro who is credited with adapting the Santoor for Indian Classical Music. As a music composer he collaborated with Indian Flautist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia under the collaborative name Shiv-Hari. Together, they composed music for many Indian films including Faasle, Chandni, and Lamhe to name but a few. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan soon after. His father Uma Dutt Sharma was a vocalist and Tabla player, well-known in his own right.

To commemorate the wonderful journey of Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and honour his singular practice, ShowCase Events recently organised a virtual tribute which brought together many stalwarts of the music industry who spoke about the maestro. Nanni Singh, CEO of ShowCase Events and its music vertical ShowCase Studio, opened the event, which was simultaneously broadcast on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn on Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00 P.M, and whose recording can be viewed on their pages and channels at any time.

The first guest for the evening who opened with a melodic performance, was Pankaj Sarma from Guwahati, Assam. A disciple of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma since the year 1991, he was bestowed with the blessings of Guruji. Pankaj Sarma helms the SKS Santoor Academy in Guwahati, which is known across the state and has enthusiastic participation from students of all ages. On the occasion, he highlighted, “The Santoor academy is a humble tribute to Guruji to reverberate his immortal musical journey. Rest in peace Guruji.”

Renowned Tabla player Fazal Qureshi, joined next. Born to the Tabla maestro Ustad Allah Rakha Saheb, under the guidance of his father/guru, with the inspiration drawn from his brother, Ustad Zakir Hussain, he also become a Tabla player. He expanded his horizons by incorporating other styles of global music in his practice, especially Jazz and Western classical music and has performed with many well-known Jazz musicians. For the last 16 years he has been associated with Mynta, his world music band based in Sweden. They have performed all over the world and have released six albums. Mynta is an Indo-Swedish fusion jazz band which uses Indian vocal, African and Latin-American rhythms, Arabic sounds,Swedish Folkmusic and Cuban violin with Indian traditional instruments like Tabla, Kanjira, Ghatam and Tampura. He teaches Tabla to students in the Ustad Alla Rakha Institute of Music.

Next, the stage was graced by the inimitable Padma Shri Shubha Mudgal. She has been trained by some of the finest musicians and musicologists in India and is a versatile and popular performer. In addition to being a performer, Shubhaji has also won recognition as a composer. Shubhaji has also received the Gold Plaque Award for Special Achievement in Music, the Yash Bharati Samman and many more awards. Apart from her other achievements, she recently tied up with Aneesh Pradhan to establish an online distribution platform for musicians specializing in diverse forms of Indian music through their website www.underscorerecords.com. Among the many projects they have initiated in their efforts to preserve the rich musical heritage of India is www.sangeetkosh.net, an online encyclopaedia of Indian Music. Shubhaji summed up Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma’s practice thus, “He was a master of raagdari music but he also didn’t look down on film music – that is the true sign of a master’s practice.”

She was followed by accomplished flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, who is the nephew of flute maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Incorporating the tradition of his renowned uncle and infusing it with his own personal style, he has created a practice which maintains the purity of the flute while also capturing the attention of young listeners. He is also an accomplished studio musician having recorded with most of the leading stalwarts of the Indian film industry. Rakesh regularly appears in prominent festivals such as the WOMAD festival in Athens, Womad Earthstation in Europe, the ‘Festivals of India’ in Russia, Japan, USA, and Europe. His most recent venture is his fusion band Rakesh and Friends (RAF) which creates music that appeals to the young without sacrificing the essence of classical music. “All Santoor players should be thankful to Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma because he brought this instrument out of the folk genre into the classical sphere, where it was not accepted earlier.He gave Santoor players a platform,” shares Rakesh.

Renowned Santoor Maestro, Padma Shri Satish Vyas followed him on the virtual stage. His father and first guru Padma Bhushan (Late) Pandit C. R. Vyas was one of the most respected vocalists. His educational background in Science and Management Studies came handy when he was organizing one of the biggest Classical Music Festivals of India called the Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan, Gunijaan Samaroh and also in his role as Artistic Director of Navras Records Ltd. of UK in India. He has been decorated with many awards including the ‘Tansen Samman’, ‘Kumar Gandharva Rashtriya Samman’, ‘Swarsagar Sangeet Puraskar’, ‘Guru Madan Lal Koser, Guru Shobha Koser Award’, ‘Life Time Achievement Award’ and ‘Kala Aradhana’. His tribute to Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma went thus, “Under any circumstances he would keep calm and do the work. He never compromised on his principles. And of course his Santoor was hypnotising.”

Gauri Yadwadkar, Head A&R Times Music, Indian Music, and a trained singer was the next guest for the evening. Having worked with a number of great musicians, curated many albums, lent her voice to more than 1000 jingles, taught subjects like Indian music and aesthetics to Master of Fine arts, and been on the jury for many music awards, she is a strong voice in the music industry. Claiming that personalities like him live on through their music, she narrated incidents of her experience with Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and his son Rahul Sharma.

The final guest for the evening was Sitarist Hidayat Husain Khan, who is a direct descendant and proponent of one of the most treasured lineages of eastern classical music. As the youngest son of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan, he harbours a rare, creative brilliance that effortlessly takes him across all genres and nuances of music. His practice is a charming transition from the classical to the colloquial, whether it is representing the intricate Etawa Gharana or performing with the Rolling Stones. He rounded it up by saying, “Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma made the Santoor a forefront instrument. He was so dedicated to his instrument and his craft.”

The event culminated with all the guests joining together on stage and reliving Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma’s life through colourful anecdotes of his many interests and passions, and their individual relationships with them, followed by a moving performance on the Santoor by Pankaj Sarma. The event aptly represented his legacy as a master, by making it clear that he lives on through others who are equal masters of their own craft.