Santoor maestro Bhajan Sopori passes away at 73
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New Delhi: Bhajan Sopori, Santoor maestro passed away on June 2.His son spoke to the Indian Express and said, "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," 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 passed away "in Gurugram hospital" where he was undergoing treatment.
Popularly known as the "Saint of the Santoor" and the "King of Strings", Pandit Bhajan Sopori was a performer, composer, musicologist, teacher, writer and poet. He was regarded as the cultural bridge of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of the country.
In his lifetime he has been honoured with several awards for his contribution to Indian music and culture, including Padmashri, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, J&K Government Lifetime Achievement Award, J&K Government Civilian Award, Doctorate of Literature by Utkal University (Odisha), National Flag Honour of the Arab Republic of Egypt, etc.