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Santoor virtuoso Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, who took the stringed instrument to the global stage and successfully straddled the worlds of classical and film music, died following a heart attack. He was 84.
Sharma, one of India’s most well known classical musicians, died between 8 and 8.30 am at his Pali Hill residence here, his secretary Dinesh told PTI. Marking an end of an era. He had been active till the end and was due to perform in Bhopal next week. He was also suffering from renal ailments.
“He had a severe heart attack in the morning… He was active and was to perform in Bhopal next week. He was on regular dialysis but was still was active,” a family source said.
He is survived by his wife Manorama and sons Rahul, also a santoor player, and Rohit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who condoled Sharma’s death.
“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 enthral the coming generations. I fondly remember my interactions with him. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” the prime minister wrote in a tweet .
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 enthral the coming generations. I fondly remember my interactions with him. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 10, 2022
Shashi Tharoor, Senior Congress Leader
Sad to learn of the passing of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. I met him once but heard him many times. A musical genius and a thorough gentleman. What a loss for all of us. Om Shanti. https://t.co/DPCoCtjn7z
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 10, 2022
Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Chief Minister
Sad to know about the demise of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, eminent Santoor player and internationally celebrated Indian music composer. His departure impoverishes our cultural world. My deepest condolences.
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 10, 2022
Omar Abdullah, Former J&K Chief Minister, National Conference Vice- president
Very sad to hear about the passing of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. A legend in his lifetime, he popularised the santoor like no one before him. A proud son of the soil, he made his mark globally. My condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 10, 2022
Amjad Ali Khan
The passing away of Pandit Shiv Kumar 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 no end. May his soul rest in peace. His music lives on forever! Om Shanti 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/GcLSF0lSh2
— Amjad Ali Khan (@AAKSarod) May 10, 2022
Sachin Tendulkar, Batting Legend
Saddened by the demise of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma ji. I was fortunate to witness his santoor performance live. Deepest condolences to his family, friends & fans of his art.
May his soul rest in peace.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 10, 2022
A Padma Vibhushan recipient, Sharma was born in Jammu in 1938 and is believed to be the first musician to have played Indian classical music on the santoor, a folk instrument from Jammu and Kashmir.
As one half of musician duo Shiv-Hari, he composed music with flute legend Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia for an array of films such as “Silsila”, “Lamhe”, “Chandni” and “Darr”.
