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I will always remember Dr. Priya Ranjan not only as the Chairman of JK Monitor, but as a mentor, guide and elder brother whose kindness shaped my life and work. Write a tribute at JAMMU: Internationally acclaimed Santoor Maestro and Music Composer Pandit Abhay Rustum Sopori, the present custodian of India’s ancient Santoor tradition, has been honoured with the prestigious Sangeet Churamani award, the Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Music by Pracheen Kala Kendra. The honour was conferred for his research thesis titled “Redefining Kashmiri Music & Santoor.” The presentation of the Ph.D award took place during the 49th Annual Convocation of Pracheen Kala Kendra at the iconic Rathindra Mancha, Kolkata.
Pracheen Kala Kendra acknowledged Pt. Abhay Sopori’s research as a milestone that redefines the indigenous music and cultural heritage of Kashmir, establishing its ancient roots in Kashmir itself. The research also traces the antiquity of the Santoor, the Shatatantri Veena of Kashmir, highlighting its thousands-year-old legacy in the region with Shaivite cultural origins in Kashmir, rather than a foreign adaptation, and establishing it as a precursor to similar instruments.
The research was acclaimed as a ‘Granth’, which shall serve as an important reference for future students of music and culture. Pt. Abhay Sopori expressed his gratitude to Pracheen Kala Kendra for facilitating his research work and thanked Dr. Shobha Koser and Shri Sajal Koser for their support. He dedicated his research to his father and Guru, the legendary Saint Musician Pandit Bhajan Sopori, to the santoor and the music of Kashmir, and to the people of Kashmir for preserving and safeguarding the rich musical and cultural heritage of Kashmir for thousands of years.
Pt. Abhay Sopori has served as Visiting Faculty at the University of Massachusetts, USA, and as Guest Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, China. Regarded as a cultural icon of Jammu and Kashmir, he has played a pivotal role in the introduction of Cultural Policy, the inclusion of music as an academic subject in colleges of Jammu and Kashmir, and the creation of new academic streams in colleges and universities thereby generating new employment opportunities for the youth. He has also been instrumental in paving the way for the introduction of the Postgraduate Programme in Hindustani Music in Kashmir.
The award ceremony was followed by a Santoor recital by Pt. Abhay Sopori in Raga Kaushik Ranjani, presented in the distinctive Sopori Baaj, a style created by his father and guru, Pandit Bhajan Sopori, and was received with resounding applause from the audience.
