NEW DELHI: Hailed as the cultural bridge of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of the country, the music legend Pandit Bhajan Sopori has made a new classical raga and named it Raga Hem Rast. This new raga is a unique combination of Indian Classical Raga Hemant and Sufiana Mausiqi Muqam Rast-e-Kashmiri. Pt. Sopori explained the new raga saying, “Just as Himgiri (Himalaya) touches Kashmir through its Inner region, similarly Rast-e-Kashmiri in its Purwang combines with Hemant to form Hem Rast. The raga will be released soon for music connoisseurs and is a tribute to my homeland Jammu & Kashmir”.
Pt. Bhajan Sopori and Santoor are synonymous. He played Santoor in the 1st Kashmiri film Mainz Raat, gave the Background Score for Kashmiri version of 2nd Kashmiri film Shayar–e–Kashmir Mahjoor and finally composed the music for the 3rd Kashmiri feature film Bub. In early 1950s, he regularly performed in programmes of Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, the most prestigious music institute of J&K started by Great Music Legend Pandit Shamboo Nath Sopori.
The music school, purely for Indian Classical music and Indian Classical dance, featured the recitals of luminaries like Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Ustad Naseer Aminuddin Khan Dagar, Dr. Parvatikar, Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan Sahib, Ustad Rahimuddin Khan Dagar, Pt. V.G. Jog and many others. Pandit Bhajan Sopori would perform prior to them as a school going kid. In 1959 he performed at Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad in a weeklong music festival featuring eminent artists and at Faculty of Music, Allahabad University.
This was for the first time when people outside Kashmir heard Indian Classical music being played on Santoor, an instrument they were seeing for the first time. Since then he has given thousands of performances in India and across the world. His research and study established Santoor at par with other Solo instruments like Sitar, Sarod, Veenas, Sarangi, etc. with unique and systematic format of Santoor playing. In his 67 years of performance career, Pt. Sopori has performed in almost all the countries of the world reaching out to every section of the society including far flung areas, border areas, Jails inmates, security personnel, special concerts for media in J&K, etc.
His notable works as a composer include Documentary, Short & Telefilms like Mahatma, Timeless India, Little Bird Told Me, Hangul, Sohni Mehwal, Lok Zimbish, Yatra, Ziyarat, Tourist Spots of Kashmir, Zameen, Mahaan, Aag, Serials like Habba Khatoon, Heemal Nagraj, Chauraha, Saahil Aur Saaye, Dil Ki Kalam Se, Khushbu Zafran Ke, Guldasta, Bazm-E-Chiraghan, a special series on Lalded, Shekh-Ul-Alam, Rasul Mir, Iqbal, Mahmood Gami, Habba Khatoon, Mahjoor, Abdul Ahad Azad, Abdul Ahad Zargar, Shamas Phakir and others. He has composed Musical features like Saman Way, Parimahal, Dariyav, Akh Sawal, Rang Ratun Hend, Hangul, Nehru, Gujars, Ladakh, Wullar lake, Socha Kral, Niam Sahib, Wahab Khar, Krishan Joo Razdan, Samad Mir, Asad Mir, Rahim Saeb Sopore, Rahman Dar, etc, entire folk song collection by anonymous writers, Vadya Vrinda compositions like Nagma, Kirwani, Irfan, Symphony, etc. Pt. Sopori won the 1st Prize in State Music Competition (Santoor) by J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages in 1963 and since then he has received hundreds of awards and thousands of felicitations, which include the prestigious Maharajah Travancore Swati Tirunal Puraskar 2019 Kerala, Pandit Ramji Upadhyay Lifetime Achievement Award 2018 Delhi, PHD Art & Culture Samman 2018 (Lifetime Achievement Award) Delhi, Sangam National Award 2018 Delhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee National Award 2018 Delhi, Distinguished Service Award 2018 by Delhi Govt, MTNL, NDMC & Health Care Foundation of India) Talkatora Delhi Stadium, Sathkalarathna Puraskar 2018 Sathkalapeetam Kerala, Shanti Devi Gangani Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) 2018 Delhi, Ustad Bale Khan Memorial Award 2018 Bengaluru, Shudh Dhwani Samman 2018 Delhi, Akashwani Special Honour 2004 All India Radio Delhi, Celebrate India Award 2000 Denver, YMCA Abililty Utsav Award 2000 Delhi, Kala Snehi Samman 1993 Delhi, 1986 Ismailia International Folklore Festival Award 1986 Egypt, a number of Akashwani Annual Awards for compositional work in 1979, 83, 84, 85 and many more. He has a rare honour to have been awarded double Top Grade Awards by All India Radio, Govt. of India both as a Santoor player and Composer. He has also given music for various Tableaux for Indian Republic Day Parades, which include 1st prize for Sangeet Natak Akademi Tableau 2010 and a number of Jammu and Kashmir Tableaux.