Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Chennai, IIT 19-10-11

[Nick H]

The pioneer and master of Hindustani classical santoor is playing tonight at IIT Madras.

This concert seems to have gone largely unannounced. Luckily, my wife spotted a mention in the newspaper.

[Nick H]

It was a wonderful concert. We both enjoyed it enormously, and wished it had been much longer.

The organising gentleman in the blue kurta should note that, if he had listened to any of the few words that Shivji said about experiencing the music, he would never have appeared on stage after the concert with a mic in his hand. It was ok though: the audience mostly avoided the unwarranted intrusion on the fine feelings induced by the music by getting up and hurrying out.

Of course, Shivji is Mr Santoor (should probably say Pandit Santoor!) but some others have taken up the instrument. I doubt, though, that anyone has approached his sound, his expression and his musical beauty.

His words, too, although few, were well worth hearing. He spoke about feeling, and the meditative nature of Hindustani music. After the main piece, he mentioned that applause during the alap was not really in accordance with the nature of the music, or the nature of being taken inwards by the melody. He probably used fewer words than I have, but certainly put it better. He did not make it feel like a telling off, at all: he made it feel like an education. He left us both with the feeling of having seen not only a great musician, but a humble and wise one too.

I remember a much younger man, with black hair, playing at London's wonderful and intimate South-Bank Purcell Room, and taking me further into that meditative experience of music than I had ever been before. That might have been as much as thirty years ago.

[rshankar]

Nick - I have to say that what you write about concerts can only be described as rasAnubhava - something so difficult to define, yet easy enough to experience.

[Nick H]

It was one of those concerts that had to be felt ...and to feel something, of course, one had to be there. I think it is hard to convey that sort of experience, even if one can technically describe the music.

I can still recall the mental landscape in my mind created by some of his notes of that concert of decades ago --- but, unfortunately, only in that still-snapshot-memory that one might have of an occasion in one's very early childhood. Unlike some of those, however, I have no doubt that it was real, not a dream, not the memory of someone else's description, and that it was created by nothing but music.

Powerful stuff, eh?

[hamirkalyani123]

NickH, Thanks for the post and I understand what you are saying. I have had the pleasure of listening to Panditji several times, most recent being in 2009 in Duke University, NC with Zakir Hussain.

Curious as to what is the main piece and what other items he played?

[rajeshnat]

Hindu Review
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article2555297.ece

[hamirkalyani123]

Thanks... Oh, Vachaspati. Kind of expected Mishra Pahadi.

[Nick H]

Thanks for the pointer to the review, and answer to the question.

[kavya456]

I really appreciate your answer, its good to learn these kinda news about this great man.