Santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma dies

Renowned santoor player Pt Shivkumar Sharma, who took the stringed instrument to the global stage and successfully straddled the worlds of classical and film music, died in Mumbai following a heart attack on Tuesday. He was 84. Pt Shivkumar Sharma, one of India's most well known classical musicians, died at his Pali Hill residence in Mumbai. 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.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 10, 2022

A Padma Vibhushan recipient, Pt Shivkumar 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".Pt Shivkumar Sharma received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986, followed by the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.

Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan said Pt Shivkumar Sharma's death was a personal loss for him. Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas and veteran actor Shabana Azmi also condoled Shivkumar Sharma's death. Music composer and singer Salim Merchant remembered Shivkumar Sharma as one of the "greatest musicians of our times".