The world of music is in mourning as it lost a gem on May 10 as legendary santoor player and music composer Pandit Shivkumar Sharma took his last breath at the age of 84. Pt Sharma was scheduled to perform in Bhopal next week but he suffered from a heart attack Tuesday morning which turned fatal.
The musician was previously suffering from renal ailments and was cremated with full state honors in the presence of his friends and family members on May 11.
Many dignitaries and celebrities paid their last respect to the maestro santoor player. Some expressed their grief via social media, while others visited his Mumbai residence.
Yet it was Indian tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain’s tribute to his long time friend that has touched everyone as he turned pallbearer at the funeral. Hussain was also seen standing next to the pyre of Pandit Sharma. This particular picture shook the internet, and Twitter has called this a “poignant” moment.
Here’s what a Twitter user wrote.
#Ustad #zakirhussain at the funeral of #PanditShivkumarSharma honouring & giving a send off to a friend of many a decade. Together they created magic on stage every single time.
— Prof. Manish Thakur (@ILoveBooks786) May 13, 2022
Never seen such poignant photographs! https://t.co/rCrsVgHqVc pic.twitter.com/VRzZaRuMYo
Likewise another user tweeted the picture, saying, “The music never ends. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma consigned to flames. Ustad Zakir Hussain in grief.” “Karmic duties towards each other for this birth are complete. Ustaad Zakir Hussain at his friend Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma’s funeral. Until next time…,” tweeted a third.
There were a barrage of tweets which showed Ustad Zakir Hussain carrying mortal remains of co-artist Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. They called it a display of Friendship, Co-existence, Harmony, and the bond we share as Indians above everything else. Dr. Abhishek Singhvi, Congress MP, also tweeted the photo, writing, “A photo that epitomises the idea of India.”
A photo that epitomises the idea of India. Ustad Zakir Hussain shouldering the remains of his friend Ustad Shiv Kumar. pic.twitter.com/9k3NSoDotC
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) May 13, 2022
Take a look at more such tweets.
This photograph is grief, pain, love, beauty all rolled into one.
— Nishtha Gautam (@TedhiLakeer) May 13, 2022
Ustad Zakir Hussain shouldering the mortal remains of his friend and creative associate Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma.
💔 pic.twitter.com/Hix9D2BlhI
Zakir Hussain ji giving kandha to Pandit Shiv kumar Sharma ji.
— Shweta Shalini (@shweta_shalini) May 13, 2022
Legends make India.
They Stay. pic.twitter.com/5yYRgwsxhO
A picture can narrate an entire life. This picture does exactly that, the depth of a friendship, the togetherness and the loss. Ustad Zakir Hussain pictured near the funeral pyre of his friend Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, brought me tears! RIP 🙏🙏🙏#RIP #PanditShivkumarSharma pic.twitter.com/snX4U6H7XG
— Simran (@SimranbaggaOffc) May 13, 2022
About Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986, the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award in 1991, and the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award in 2001.
Apart from being a classical Santoor player, he has composed music for an array of films like Silsila, Lamhe, and Chandni among others. His son Rahul Sharma is also a santoor player.
Zakir Hussain and Late Pandit Sharma have collaborated on several occasions across the world.