Santoor maestro Pandit Bhajan Sopori passes away

Santoor maestro Pandit Bhajan Sopori passed away on June 2.
“We lost a really great musician, a great human being and a great father. It’s really hard for me to believe this and imagine my life without him,” his son Abhay Sopori told . He added that his father passed away at 3:30 pm and was “ailing in the hospital for the last three weeks”.

“He was suffering from colon cancer. He was 73, and would have celebrated his 74th birthday on June 22.”
According to PTI, the santoor maestro died “in Gurugram hospital”.Best of Express PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
“He was diagnosed with colon cancer stage IV. The disease had spread to the liver and bones. He was under treatment at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI), Gurugram, since February 2022 and had received chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy over the last couple of months. He was admitted to FMRI on May 18, 2022, after his condition had deteriorated. In spite of the best efforts of the doctors, however, he succumbed to multi-organ failure on June 2, 2022,” Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon said.
Pandit Bhajan Sopori was a performer, composer, musicolog, teacher, writer and poet. Regarded as the cultural bridge of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of the country, Pandit Bhajan Sopori is hailed as the “Saint of the Santoor” and the “King of Strings”.

For his contribution to Indian music and culture, he has been honoured with several prestigious awards such as Padmashri, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, J&K Government Lifetime Achievement Award, J&K Government Civilian Award, Doctorate of Literature Utkal University (Odisha), National Flag Honour of the Arab Republic of Egypt, etc.
📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!