Hummingbird News Desk
MUMBAI, 10 MAY: Legendary Santoor player Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, who took the stringed instrument to the global status with his art, died of a heart attack in Mumbai in the early hours of Tuesday. He was 84.

Sharma was battling renal complications and had been on dialysis for the past few months.
A Padma Vibhushan recipient, Pt 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, a folk instrument from Jammu and Kashmir.
He had been active till the end and was due to perform in Bhopal next week. He was also suffering from renal ailments.
“He had a severe heart attack in the morning… He was active and was to perform in Bhopal next week. He was on regular dialysis but was still was active,” a family source told a news agency.
He is survived by his wife Manorama and sons Rahul, also a santoor player, and Rohit.
He was part of the famed ‘Shiv Hari’ music duo which adorned filmmaker Yash Chopra’s films with their compositions.
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“.
The two composed songs for Yash Chopra hits like ‘Silsila’, ‘Chandni’, ‘Lamhe’ and ‘Darr’.

SPIC MACAY founder Kiran Seth described the loss as a huge setback to the world of Indian classical music.
“Pandit Sharma was a great artiste and a greater human being. He was among the original group of artistes who backed the SPIC MACAY movement,” said Seth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death via a tweet.
He wrote: “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.”
Sarod maestro and composer Amjad Ali Khan said Sharma’s death was a personal loss to him and it marked the end of an era.
“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,” Khan wrote in a tweet.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: “Sad to know about the demise of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, eminent Santoor player and internationally celebrated Indian music composer. His departure impoverishes our cultural world. My deepest condolences.”
Tags: #SantoorMaestro #ShivKumarSharma #Santoor #panditshivkumarsharma #RIP #Jammu