Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (1938-2022): The man who introduced India to the santoor

Classical music legend and film composer Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, who died yesterday, aged 84, of a cardiac arrest, was among the towering personalities to emerge in Indian music in the 20th century.

Sharma introduced Indian music and Indian cinema to the 'Shata Tantri Veena' (an instrument with hundred strings), popularly called the santoor. But here’s an interesting fact. When he started learning music and singing at the tender age of five, his inclination was towards the tabla, an instrument over which, too, he attained mastery, since his father, Uma Dutt Sharma, was a tabla player. But his father wanted him to learn the santoor and pay attention to that instrument. What is heart-warming to know is that Panditji believed “music is not a tool for entertainment but a way to connect with God”.

The teenage Shivkumar came to Bombay in 1955 and got his first assignment with filmmaker V Shantaram’s Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1955). This was when the santoor was first introduced to Indian cinema. The young lad composed his own piece and played it for the film.

Sharma had quarrelled with his father and come to India's film capital from Jammu. He once recalled in an interview, “I always thought a nine-to-five job is like slavery. I never wanted to do that, even if I pursued music. Which is why I wanted to come to Mumbai. My father scolded me, but then he realized I was serious. So, I came here with Rs500 and one musical instrument. I didn’t know how I would survive or what I’d do. All I knew was I wanted to do something for the santoor and I would never ask for money from my father once I came here.”

That lad came a long way, going on to be awarded a Padma Shri in 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian honour, in 2001. He also won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, which is given by India's national academy of music, dance and drama, in 1986.

Sharma also played for legendary music director Sachin Dev Burman from 1961 to his last film, either for the background score or the songs. Talking about his association with SD Burman, Sharma had said, “Those days the working system for film composition was, Dada would call me home, sit with me, sing that song and explain the situation that the heroine is doing this, the hero is doing that. That was his working style. Today’s working style has changed. Musicians, I don’t think, would be explained the situation. Dada was a trained classical musician; he knew the raga system and used many ragas in his films.” He added, “A musician of his calibre was so down to earth.”

Sharma's first EP (Extended Play) record was released in 1960 by HMV. It was titled ‘Call Of The Valley’ owing to his roots in Jammu & Kashmir. Sharma never aped the stylings of any other instrument. He wanted to bring in the individuality of the santoor which would be recognized all over the world.

Likewise, when Sharma composed film music, he brought his individuality to bear on it rather than succumbing to trends or popular perceptions. He teamed up with flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the other half of the music director duo Shiv-Hari, to give Indian cinema some of its evergreen numbers.

With the music of films like Silsila (1981), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991) and Darr (1993), Shiv-Hari have given us some of the most soulful songs from the Yash Raj Films stable. Who can deny that most of the tracks from these films are still remembered and loved, and will be for generations to come? And who can forget the iconic 'Rang Barse', which is still arguably the most popular Holi song Hindi cinema has produced. 'Rang Barse' was composed in the Keherwa raga of Hindustani classical music and there has never been anything close to the feel of this number.

The composer duo won a platinum disc for the music of Silsila and for Chandni. Some other evergreen tracks like 'Yeh Lamhe Yeh Pal Hum' from Lamhe, 'Lagi Aaj Sawan' from Chandni and 'Jaadu Teri Nazar' and 'Tu Mere Saamne' from Darr can never be forgotten, for they straightaway touch the listener's heart.

Talking about his association with Yash Chopra, Sharma had recalled in an interview, “The industry was shocked when we were approached for Silsila. Everyone thought Yashji was taking such a big risk by including classical musicians for a film like this with such a huge star cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Jaya Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar. But Yash Chopra is Yash Chopra for a reason. He could identify the talent and skills in a person and knew how to use them.”

Truly, the vistas of Kashmir, romance amidst the bloom of yellow flowers, Rekha in vibrant sarees and Amitabh Bachchan’s inimitable on-screen charm — all this would be incomplete without Shiv-Hari’s unparalleled composition of songs like ‘Dekha Ek Khwab’.

Bachchan was deeply saddened by Sharma's death. On his blog, the former superstar of Hindi cinema wrote, "The passing away of the maestro Shivkumar Sharma, who played the santoor, a special instrument, from the valley of Kashmir, who designed so many film [songs] for me and many others, continued success after success, numbs you."

He added that Shiv-Hari were a ‘dua’ (blessing) for film music. "Shivkumarji, who put his heart and soul into whatever he took up, humble despite his incredible presence and the talent of a genius... he and Hariprasad Chaurasiaji, the renowned flautist, were a dua for film music, they came as strong as they could, played, recorded and left."

Clearly, the passing of the legendary artiste has left a void in Indian classical music, but what we should perhaps thank him for is the santoor and the inimitably rich music he produced that will remain his legacy forever.