Santoor maestro Pandit Bhajan Sopori passes away

CHANDIGARH: Santoor maestro and famous music director Pandit Bhajan Sopori has passed away here today. He died at a private hospital in Gurugram around 3.30 pm. He had been in hospital for the past three weeks suffering from colon cancer. He was 73 years old.

He was a musician, writer and poet at the same time. The music world has dubbed him the Saint of Santoor and the King of Tantras.

He was awarded the Padma Shri by the country in 2004 for his many contributions to the world of music. He is the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1992), the Jammu and Kashmir Government Lifetime Achievement Award and the Jammu and Kashmir Government Civilian Award. He was also awarded a doctorate in literature by the Utkal University of Odisha.

Born in 1948 in the Sopore Valley of Kashmir, he made his debut at the age of five. He has also performed in foreign countries such as Egypt, England, Germany and the United States.

He learned classical music and Hindustani music from his father and grandfather and learned Western music from the University of Washington. He later became a music teacher there.