Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, santoor maestro and Chandni composer, passes away at 84

Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, famous santoor player and music composer, died in Mumbai on Tuesday morning. He suffered a heart attack, family sources confirmed to PTI. He was 84.

“He had a severe heart attack at around 9 am… He was active and was to perform in Bhopal next week. He was on regular dialysis but was still was active,” the family source told PTI. “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,” sarod player Amjad Ali Khan tweeted.

Shiv Kumar Sharma was born in Jammu in 1938 and is believed to be the first musician to have played Indian classical music on the santoor. He was also honoured with the Padma Vibhushan.

Him and legendary flautist Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia made up the duo Shiv-Hari and together, they gave the music for an array of films by Yash Chopra such as Silsila, Lamhe and Chandni. 

His son Rahul Sharma is also a famous santoor player. Speaking about his father in an interview to HT in 2016, Rahul had said, “When dad was working on the music of Silsila (1981), they had a sitting at Yashji’s (Chopra; late film-maker) house. We (Rahul and his elder brother, Rohit) were kids, and present there. As a child growing up in the late ’70s and ’80s, Amitabh Bachchan was a [household] favourite. When he walked in, he said, ‘Arey yahaan to poori baccha party yahoo par hai (The kids are having a fun time here).’ We kept looking at him. He had come for a discussion on ‘Rang barse’ (Bachchan sang the song in Silsila). We were enamoured by him, and my dad was explaining the song to him. This is one of the many moments etched in my memory.