Santoor legend Shivkumar Sharma passes away in Mumbai

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, a celebrated South Asian music composer and santoor player, passes away in Mumbai. He was 84. According to The Indian Express, he had been suffering from kidney-related issues for the last six months and was on dialysis. He passed away due to cardiac arrest.

Indian premier Narendra Modi also offered condolences. "Our cultural world is poorer with the demise of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Ji. He popularised the Santoor at a global level," Modi shared on Twitter. "His music will continue to enthrall the coming generations. I fondly remember my interactions with him. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti."

Shabana Azmi, too, expressed grief. "Deeply saddened to hear that maestro Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma has passed away. His mellifluous music will remain in our hearts of course but tinged by the pain of his loss. My deepest condolences to the family," she penned on the micro-blogging website. 

Sharma gave santoor, once a little-known instrument from Jammu and Kashmir, a classical status and exalted it along with other, more traditional and famous instruments such as the sitar and sarod. As one half of Shiv-Hari, he composed music with flute legend Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia for an array of films such as Silsila, Lamhe and Chandni among others.

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