| News Details |
| A life dedicated to music - the ‘King of Strings’ Pandit Bhajan Sopori | | 
Jammu, June 04 (Scoop News)-Pandit Bhajan Sopori, the legendary Santoor Maestro & Music Composer, is a creator of many new ragas like Raga Laleshwari 1993, Raga Patwanti 2000, Raga Nirmalranjani 1996, and recently composed Raga Hem Rast. With around 67 years of performance career, he has introduced the formal system of playing Santoor called the ‘Sopori Baaj’. With a Masters degree in Indian Classical music from Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Sitar and Santoor, Masters degree in English Literature, Kashmir University, graduate study of Philosophy and Psychology, Pandit Bhajan Sopori also studied Western Classical Music at Washington University USA. He combines a profound knowledge of music and musicology and has carried out immense research on Sound Therapy. With his deep knowledge on Shaivism and Sufi music, world music cultures, classical and folk music styles of the country, he is regarded as one of the greatest musicians and music scholars of present time.
He joined Radio Kashmir Srinagar, All India Radio in 1974 as the ‘Producer of Music’ as the youngest Producer in the country and is credited for having revived, recomposed and innovated almost the entire folk music of Kashmir making it popular amongst the masses creating the “Renaissance of Music” in Kashmir. A creator of over 6,000 songs in almost all the languages of the country like Hindi, Sanskrit, Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Gojri, Pahadi, Balti, Ladakhi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Himachali, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Odissi, Sindhi, Telugu, Tamil, etc. and also foreign languages like Persian, Arabic, etc, the Kashmir music reached its pinnacle with his work of over 5,000 songs in Kashmiri and other languages during that time. He introduced this concept of ‘Common Prayer’ as Community Singing Programme ‘Hum Ek Hai’ in the Valley in 1985 at Sher-e-Kashmir Indoor Sports Stadium by Radio Kashmir Srinagar. An album collection was released 2 years later on Independence Day by the then CM of J&K Dr. Farooq Abdullah at Bakshi Stadium for circulation to all educational institutions. With almost a new composition being broadcast every day, his compositions became extremely popular becoming a part of the folk music culture of Kashmir. He introduced systematic musical development, orchestras, ensembles and choral presentations in Kashmir. He groomed the J&K talent taking the cultural scenario to a very prestigious level. He recognized thousands of young immature singers and instrumentalists; groomed and taught them; auditioned them from Radio, broadcast their music and thereby created avenues for their employment through music and created a new environment in the music field. He has composed music for Films, Operas, Orchestras, Ensembles, Choirs, Documentaries, Commercials, TV & Radio Serials, Ballets, etc. Many of the Shaivite, Sufi, Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit phrases have been set to melody and rhythm for the first time ever by him. To bring the youth in the Valley in the mainstream Pandit Sopori composed a collection of prayers and Tarana-e-Watan in Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu and Kashmiri sung by all the singers of Kashmir together with a large public choir comprising over 8,000 school and college students.
Pt. Sopori has performed at various art museums, art exhibitions and prestigious cultural centers in the country and abroad with the sole purpose of creating awareness and a sense of appreciation for all forms of arts amongst the masses as well as reinforce the importance of Sahitya, Shastra and the tradition in the field of music. He has always been in the forefront to mobilize resources during times of need like the Kashmir earthquake (over 1 core), J&K floods (over Rs. 80 Lakhs). Some of his prominent music releases include Naad Yoga albums Fragrances Of Cabella (Raga Nirmalranjini), Naad Yoga on Santoor and Doctor To Patient released by Ozone Pharmaceuticals, Santoor Classical Albums like Sangeet Sartaj 1&2, Raga Reflections, Rageshree, Vishuddha 1&2, Triveni, Sopori Legacy, Fragrances of Cabella (Nirmalkauns), Voice of Strings, Santoor Vadan, Masters Of Music, The Moods On Santoor, Lyrical Santoor, LP Record, Santoor of North India, Kirwani, Divine Santoor, Santoor Sublime, Santoor For You, Ragas on the Santoor, Nordindische Klassische Musik, Jugalbandi, Kashmir, A Rainbow of Melodies & albums by Swarashree, Deutsche Welle.
Pandit Bhajan Sopori has composed the works of most of the legendary Shaivite and Sufi saints & poets of national and international level, classic and contemporary writers like Shamas Faqir, Rahim Saeb Sopore, Samad Mir, Zeba, Faqir Ahmad Rah, Nyam Saeb, Rahman Dar, Waz Mahmood, Ahad Zargar, Mahmood Gami, Soch Kral, Shah Qalandar, Haji Abdullah Dev Nadeem, Amadar Ladori, Hassan Driver, Bhagyani, Miskeen, Maulana Rumi, Amir Khusrau, Hafiz Sherazi, Kabir, Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid, Shah Qalandar, Shah Lateef, Sachal Sarmast, Dasu, Shaad, M Kamal, Khakhi, Habba Khatoon, Arnimal, Dinanath Nadim, Rehman Rahi, Amin Kamil, Rasa Javedani, Gulzar, Sahir Ludhianvi, Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Adbul Ahad Farhaad, Rafiq Raaz, Farooq Nazki, Rashid Nazki, Bashir Arif, Rasul Pompur, Mahjoor, Abdul Ahad Azad, Moti Lal Saqi, Vasudev Reh, K L Kaul, Marghoob Banihali, Prakash Saathi, SL Majboor, Parminder Banga, Nirdhan Kartarpuri, Mohinder Bhinder, Aashi Ispuri, Satpal Bhangu,, Naseem Shafaie, Dev Kohli, Nawab Arzoo, Arjun Dev Majboor, Pandit Jankinath Koul Kamal, Dr. Prema Khullar and others. He composed music for Radio Series for All India Radio) which ran for over 5 years featuring all the classic and contemporary Sufi writers of Kashmir like Socha Kral, Niam Sahib, Wahab Khar, Krishan Joo Razdan, Samad Mir, Asad Mir, Rahim Saeb Sopori, Rahman Dar, etc.
Padmashri awardee Pandit Bhajan Sopori has received hundreds of awards and thousands of felicitations around the globe. Some of this recent awards include the prestigious Sangeet Ratna Srijan Shikhar Samman 2019 Delhi, Upendra Bhanja Samman 2017 Delhi, Swati Tirunal Award 2017 Varanasi, Munnu Guru Sangeet Award (Lifetime Achievement) 2017 Kanpur, Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) by Hindustani Art & Music Society 2017 Kolkata, Kashmir Music Club Shashrang Award 2017 Kashmir, Himalayan Cultural Centre Award 2017 Delhi, Ustad Hafeez Khan & Ustad Basheer Khan Award 2017 Delhi, Dhrupad Shri (Title) 2016 Varanasi, Baramulla District Administration Award of Honour, Govt. of J&K given to Pt. Sopori and Abhay Sopori in Baramulla and Sopore in 2016 March, Maraz Abdi Sangam Award 2016 Kashmir, DAV Distinguished Alumni Award 2015 Delhi, Sangeet Vibhuti Samman (Lifetime Achievement) 2015 Jaipur, Atal Vaibhav Shikhar Samman 2015 Delhi, Global Literary Festival Honour 2015 Delhi, Sargam Mandir Swaran Jayanti Samman 2014 Delhi, Sangeet Shiromani Award 2014 Delhi, Art Karat Award 2014 Delhi, Sangeet Martand Samman (Title), Delhi, Indian Fine Arts Society Award 2013 Bahrain, Naad Chetanya Samman 2010 Bhopal, Srijan Cultural & Social Development Award 2009 Lucknow, Ma Sharika Samman 2009 Faridabad, etc.
... |
| |
|
|
Share this Story |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|