Pawan Bali Posted online: Friday, October 22, 2004 at 1339 hours IST
Jammu, October 22: The sounds of the Valley have been captured, and this time, it is the resonance of the santoor which would reflect it. The turmoil in Kashmir, the pain and the hope for peace would soon be expressed through the notes of santoor in the composition of Rahul Kumar, son of santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.
Talking to The Indian Express here about his son’s latest composition, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma says the language of music has expressed each place in Kashmir with precision, be it Dal Lake, Pari Mahal, or Shankaracharya. The unrest in the Valley, and the hope for better days have been spoken about through music in the album Jannat, which would be released next month.
Sharma, who is in the city to receive the first Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Award, says the album on Kashmir comes after over 37 years, after he had composed ‘Call of the Valley’ in 1967-a theme based on traditional ragas.
Sharma, who is responsible for the international fame of santoor, says now there is a general wave of goodwill between India and Pakistan, and the artists can play an important role in promoting peace. “Music, art and culture create an atmosphere where there are no boundaries,” he adds.
Sharma also says that it would be a dream come true to perform with artists from Pakistan in both Kashmir and Jammu. “In collaboration with Pakistani artists like Ghulam Ali, Abida Parveen, tabla player Abdul Sattar, we can hold a programme in the state,” he says, adding that the cultural academy and the state government should come forward for such an event.
About other ways to give impetus to ‘good will’ wave, he says “ There can be a mushairas with artists from both the sides, Indian artists can sing compositions of Pakistani counterparts, and vice-versa.” Sharma, who also performed at the Taj Festival in Agra with Ghulam Ali, says the music, the ragas and the language on both sides is the same, which dissolves all barriers.
About his plans to encourage the artists in the state, Sharma says he is willing to hold workshops in Jammu, Srinagar, Leh for the budding artists, but setting up an academy here would require land and organisational support. “If the state government or the cultural academy is willing to open an academy, I would extend all my support for it,” he adds.
About the change in art and expression over the years, Sharma, who gave his first performance at Haridas Sangeeth Sammelan in Mumbai in 1955, says environmental and socio-economic changes do have an effect on music, but then, the talent is always there across generations.
“During our time there were less distractions of television, computers, and we would only concentrate on music. Also, I was evolving santoor, trying to give it a distinct style. For the present generation, santoor is already evolved, now they can attempt more changes,” he says.
And since we were talking of change, the transformation of Jammu from a quiet city to a place with unruly traffic and rush is something which the this Padmashree awardee does not cherish much.
