The first book is an affectionate portrait of Shiv Kumar Sharma put together by his devoted friend Ina Puri. The text comprises a long interview by Puri, an appraisal of the maestro by Vijay Kichlu and an account of Sharma’s career in Hindi films by enthusiast Manek Premchand. The bulk of the book is however devoted to beautifully reproduced photographs of the maestro which range from early black and whites selected from the family album to glossy colour photos of the maestro’s public career. Shiv Kumar Sharma is seventy-five and the volume is a tribute to a fine musician well known for his outstanding musicianship as well as humble nature. Someday music historians will critically unravel the phenomenon of the santoor. The soft furry sound of this instrument captured a new sensibility in Indian popular culture. Its ubiquitous use as elevator music and its association with romance and the hills has generated a complex subjectivity. In Hindi film music it replaced the more strident patter of the jaltarang although it suffered from the same handicap: the struck quality of its sound was unable to reproduce the meends and gamaks, a crucial component of Indian music.
October 2014, volume 38, No 10