In remembrance: Pt. Birju Maharaj, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt. Bhajan Sopori

Pt. Birju Maharaj

At times, I feel that things and people you grow up with become immortal for you. They or their memories become a part of your life. Just like your parents, family, your teachers and friends. Associations with them are lifelong and then death comes as a pause when the connect ceases, to shift from the present to the past. 

Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma

In the past few months, the loss of Pt. Birju Maharaj, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pt. Bhajan Sopori felt that way. These legends became synonymous with the art they represented and I grew up watching or listening to them. Whenever I wanted to see or learn Kathak, it would mean watching Maharaj ji. Whenever it would be listening to santoor, it would mean Shiv ji or Bhajan ji. Whenever I thought of the Dal Lake and the shikara, the sounds of the santoor would start echoing in my ears. I bow to these legends, who were so dedicated to their vocations that they became the art itself.

Pt. Bhajan Sopori