Here's how Pandit Shivkumar Sharma's innovations popularised the santoor

There are few names as synonymous with a musical instrument as that of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and the santoor In his lifetime the late musician took an ignored accompaniment to an esteemed stature in Indian classical and world musicIn the ancient world the santoor was a background accompaniment Most used in Sufi folk music the instrument was often hung around the neck to play staccato notes to suit verse poetry The instrument was innovated on by Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and popularised to create a sound that suited both mdash the Indian classical and the global stage Yet it remains complex and mysterious for those outside the musical realm Its form and rhythms while mesmerising hide within them a fascinating storyThe legacyNoor Mohammad Bhat aka Sahil Santoor studied the santoor while completing a Bachelors in Music from Kashmir University ldquoThe instrument is very common in Sufi music It is an integral part of Kashmiri culture But it was an accompaniment not the main voicerdquo shares the Srinagarbased musicianNoor Mohammad BhatThis was evidently down to its structure In its original form the santoor consisted of 25 bridges with four strings on each bridge Ninad Daithankar a secondgeneration santoor player from Pune tells us ldquoThe resonance of the instrument was too high When you struck a note it was difficult to play taans phrases in a raagrdquoThis meant that the instrument was restricted to staccato notes Daithankar explains ldquoThe meend or the ability to glide from one note to another was difficult The dream of every instrumentalist is to imitate the human voice after allrdquoDaithankar learnt the instrument from his father Dr Dhananjay Daithankar a student of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Daithankar senior was a student of the tabla to begin with In 1978 while attending a concert in Pune where Ustad Zakir Hussain and Pandit Sharma were performing he ended up falling in love with the santoorThe innovationldquoWe do not often credit Panditji for his innovation and creativity enoughrdquo the senior Daithankar points out The desire to play classical music led to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma altering the form of the santoor ldquoPanditji reduced the number of strings to three while increasing the number of bridgesrdquo he says The now standardised form has 30 to 31 bridges with three strings each ldquoIf you have seen Panditji play you will notice him sliding the kalam striker during the alaap It changes the note smoothly It has now become the signature characteristic of this instrumentrdquoNinad explainsNinad DaithankarConsidering this the modern santoor is relatively young both musicians concede ldquoCompared to the veena or the sitar which boast of a 200 to 300yearold legacy the santoorrsquos popularity has only grown in the last 70 yearsrdquo Ninad Daithankar points outThe accessibilityIn the age of ecommerce accessibility has also contributed to the popularity of the santoor Daithankar senior remembers that he had to buy timber and learn carpentry to create his first instrument ldquoIt was very difficult and expensive to buy one from Kashmir I suppose it was my youth that drove me to make onerdquo The zeal earned him an introduction to Panditji who eventually took him under his wings ldquoThere were very few teachers back then and learning it is difficultrdquo he adds Bhat agrees ldquoA sitar or a veena has six to eight stringsTuning a hundred strings and the many permutations and combinations that come with it is very challengingrdquo the Kashmiri musician admits Things have changed Better accessibility more teachers and a presence in cinema have helped Daithankar junior accepts ldquoMany listeners turn to it as meditation It imitates the sound of water mdash peaceful and rhythmicrdquo Perhaps the late maestro is at peace with this growing popularityWhere to learngtgt Dhaani Music AcademyOn Sunday to FridayAt Vasant Utsav CHS Ground floor Umang society Thakur village Kandivali WestCall 9820718783gtgt ipassiocomLog on to ipassiocomCost Rs 1800 individual classesgtgt Ninad DaithankarAt Kothrud Pune offline online Zoom log on to santoormusiccomCall 9175017987gtgt Divya Music SchoolAt Plot no 1 Vasant Kunj New Delhi offline and online email divyamusicyahoocom for queriesCall 9013121421