Artists mourn santoor maestro Pt Shivkumar Sharma’s demise

“He single-handedly took the santoor to exponential heights and got it a well-deserved status in the world. To call him an idol is still too little to convey what he meant to me,” added Kale.

“He was a father figure and I am what I am today because of him. He encouraged me to be the santoor player I have become and to spread the instrument among the new generation. Today, I have many disciples of my own, who have picked up the instrument he made so prestigious,” said Dhananjay Daithankar, another disciple of Pandit Shivkumar.
Daithankar added that it was a rare privilege that he not only got to learn from the santoor legend but also got to share the stage with his beloved guru. “It was an occasion he had organised where we just did not accompany or share the stage, but moreover, we played with him. It is a memory of my guru I cherish and take as a blessing in my life,” he said.

“Pt. Shivkumar Sharma was an eminent personality in the field of music and his contribution was immense. He established the instrument santoor and helped it gain prestige. Through his penance, he spread this instrument all over the world. My father and Pt. Shivkumar Sharma had a close relationship. In Jammu in the 1950s, he was accompanied by my father on the tabla. He often participated in the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival and blessed us.

He also had a close relationship with me. When we met and talked… It is difficult to fill the void created by their departure,” said Pt. Srinivasa Joshi. son and disciple of late Pt. Bhimsen Joshi.

“His honest sadhana, his respect towards the art and the artists made him stand apart from everyone else. He was an explorer and discovered so many possibilities of how beautiful music can be while remaining honest to the tradition. We have lost a great thinker and doyen of Hindustani classical music,” said Rahul Deshpande, acclaimed classical vocalist and grandson of Late Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande.

“He was a Bhishmacharya in the field of music. Every time we called Panditji for the event, he came for the presentation… He was also a great tabla and violin player. To me, he was a fatherly personality,” said violinist Pt. Atulkumar Upadhye.

“It is indeed very sad; he was one of our oldest clients and family. It was always such an experience to be in his blessed presence. We lost another role model of classical music,” said young sitar player Rishab Rikhiram Sharma. Rishab is the fourth generation of the Rikhi Ram family of musical instrument-making heritage.

“I will dedicate my performance tomorrow in Mumbai as a tribute to him,” added Rishab, who is currently on his India tour.