Sopori baaj resonates on US Independence Day

[Guest guest]

"Sopori baaj resonates on US Independence Day"

IndiaGlitz [Monday, July 10, 2006]

 

"Steeped deeply in the Sufi Parampara and Kashmiri Shaivite thought,

by way of his Gharana, and also his own spiritual leanings, he

started performing for Sufi Pirs and saints in Kashmir at a tender

age."

 

Close on the heels of captivating crowds in the valley, renowned

music composer and legendary santoor maestro Pandit Bhajan Sopori

enthralled audiences at Chicago City (USA) to celebrate the US

Independence day in the Indian Style. The programme organized by

overseas association had specially invited Pandit Bhajan Sopori for

a santoor recital. From now on panditji shall be performing at

various States of USA.

 

Panditji has been playing the instrument for more than 50 years

since he sowed the seeds for the greatness of the instrument and

what is today known as the Sopori Baaj (style), the only style that

formally incorporates the essential stylistic nuances of Indian

classical music required for the rendition of raagas in their purest

form as per the shastras (grammar).

 

Pandit Bhajan Sopori began his concert with a detailed alaap, jod,

vilambit teenttaal, madhyalaya ektaal and drutlaya teentaal in raag

Kaunsi Kanadha and followed this up with his own composition in the

same raaga. The sounds of the santoor were suave and soothing, and

his treatment resplendent of being a class apart from other

exponents. He even made the audience sing with him the bandishes

(compositions).

 

Elusive and reticent, Pandit Bhajan Sopori, has given the Santoor

the honour and prestige of a complete instrument, bringing it at par

with Sitar and Sarod. So much so that he has gone ahead and rendered

the esoteric and erudite ' Dhrupad Ang' on the Santoor with the

accompaniment of the Pakhawaj. This has been enabled by a host of

notable innovations like attaching of the 'Tumba' (gourd) and

the 'Tarab' (sympathetic strings) , introducing Meend and glides,

Gamak, balancing of the 'Kalam' (strikers) with 'boles', etc. He has

thereby expanded the scope of the Santoor as a classical instrument

and formally established the Sopori Baaj in the realm of Indian

Classical Music for which he has been crowned as the "King of

Strings".

 

A highly learned person, Pandit Bhajan Sopori, combines a profound

knowledge of music and musicology that has helped him emerge as a

versatile musician and a composer par excellence. To his credit he

is the only classical musician in the country to have composed music

for more than 4000 songs in almost all the languages of the country

and even foreign languages like Persian, Arabic, etc. He has also

been the youngest ever composer of the National Orchestra (Vadya

Vrinda).

 

Steeped deeply in the Sufi Parampara and Kashmiri Shaivite thought,

by way of his Gharana, and also his own spiritual leanings, he

started performing for Sufi Pirs and saints in Kashmir at a tender

age. He has since composed the works of most of the Sufi saints like

Lalded, Sheikh-ul-Aalam, Amir Khusrau, Kabir, Hafiz Sherazi, Ghani

Kashmiri, Bulle Shah, Baba Farid, etc. along with Guru Baani,

Shabads, Naats, and also Vedic chants and Sanskrit mantras such as

Mahamrityunjaya and Surya Upasna. Many of these Persian, Arabic and

Sanskrit phrases have been set to music for the first time. A true

son of the soil, he is the very embodiment of all that is Kashmir,

and a living example of the true spirit of Kashmiriyat and is hailed

as the "Saint of the Santoor".

 

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/23609.html