Chandigarh, February 15 : Pracheen Kala Kendra, the premier organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Indian classical arts since its inception, will honour Santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma with the “8th Guru Madan Lal Koser – Guru Shobha Koser” award for his lifetime contribution in promoting Santoor in particular and classical music in general.
The award carrying Rs. One lakh cash, a memento, a shawl and a citation, would be presented to him on February 18, 2012 at a glittering function to be held at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18 at 6:30 p.m. Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Cabinet Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources, Government of India will be the Chief Guest of the function and confer the award. The award ceremony will be followed by Santoor recital by young Santoor virtuoso Rahul Sharma, son and disciple of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.
Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma’s name is synonymous with Santoor. He is credited with single-handedly making the Santoor a popular classical instrument worldwide.
Born in 1938. Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma took his initial training in music under his father, Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma, an exponent of the Benaras Gharana. Through his performing career spanning over half a century now, he has created millions of new listeners and ardent fans of Indian classical music. He is among those rare musicians who has composed music for famous films like Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr besides playing Santoor in the background music for films like Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Barsat Ki Raat, Hum Dono, Kashmir Ki Kali, Noorie and Trishul. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma is the recipient of many national and international awards including the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of the country.
Like father, like son is rightly said for Rahul Sharma who is catching up the tall stature of his mentor and legendary father Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. Today, Rahul is acclaimed as one of the most versatile Santoor players of the country among the young generation. He is the first young Indian classical musician to give music for a commercial Bollywood feature film all by himself. And, probably the youngest music director for whom Lata Mangeshkar, the queen of Hindi filmdom; agreed to sing in his very first venture.
Rahul Sharma has performed throughout the length and breadth of the country and abroad and his performances are well appreciated both by the audience and music critics alike. Rahul combines the qualities of a traditionalist with the modernist as evidenced in his performances over the years. No wonder, he is the new face of tradition. Rahul has to his credit more than 50 released albums, which range from classical to fusion to bollywood.
Rahul Sharma will be accompanied by another young percussionist of Banaras Gharana, Ram Kumar Mishra on Tabla. Belongs to the family of musicians, he has received taalim in Tabla playing from his maternal grandfather Pandit Anokhelal Mishra.
