Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Paying tribute to Late Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Santoor player who passed away recently, SPIC MACAY (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture among Youth) will organize the 4th edition of its online conference – Anubhav’4. It is being conducted in a hybrid form this year, which means participants can join from selected campuses across India and also online. This event is scheduled from 29th May to 4th June, 2022 to commemorate the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence – 75 years of India’s independence. The event will be inaugurated by Shri Jishmu Dev Varma, Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura, followed by a Hindustani singing concert by Padma Bhushan awardee Begum Parveen Sultana.
SPIC MACAY Anubhav 4.0 will host many renowned artistes of the country, including Begum Parveen Sultana, Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, Guru Ghankant Bora, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Vidwan Sivaraman of Umayalpuram, Vidwan Sikal Gurucharan, Vidushi Kanyakumari, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Rajendra Gangani, P. Nityanand Haldipur, Vidushi Kapila Venu, Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, Vidushi Suguna Vardachari, Vidushi Shruti Sadolikar and Vidushi S. Soumya.
SPIC MACAY’s Anubhav 4
Talking about Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, he passed away at the age of 84 after a cardiac arrest here on May 10. He was one of the best known classical musicians of India who is credited with taking the santoor, a folk instrument from Jammu and Kashmir, to the global stage. Sharma received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986, the Padma Shri in 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.
He also entered the world of Indian cinema as the famous ‘Shiva-Hari’ composer duo as well as flautist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia. He composed music for films like “Silsila”, “Lamhe”, “Chandni” and “Dar”.
After his death, Sharma was cremated at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Vile Parle, after a guard of honor in Juhu, Mumbai, where his body was kept as a tribute to the public. The musician’s family, which included wife Manorama and sons Rahul and Rohit, his friends from the fraternity, longtime collaborator Chaurasia and tabla player Zakir Hussain. Sharma’s last rites were performed by his sons, followed by a gun salute. He was cremated with full state honors in the presence of family and close friends.
This isn’t the first time that Spic Mackey has come forward to celebrate classic music and art. Right from the beginning, the Society has been striving to enrich the quality of formal education among adolescents and youth by raising awareness about various aspects of Indian heritage and motivating young minds to imbibe the values inherent in it.
For the last online conference, Experience 3.0 in 2021, 15000+ students from all over the world participated not only in India but also from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Japan, S Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.