'Saint of Santoor' Pandit Bhajan Sopori passes away

Santoor maestro Pandit Bhajan Sopori passed away on June 2, It is being told that he died at 3:30 pm, he was admitted in the hospital for the last three weeks and was suffering from colon cancer, He was 73 years old and was about to celebrate his 74th birthday on 22nd June.

Fortis Memorial Research Institute said "he had 4th stage cancer of the colon, the disease had spread to the liver and bones. He was undergoing treatment at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI), Gurugram since February 2022 and had undergone chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy in the last few months. He was admitted to FMRI on 18 May 2022 after his condition deteriorated. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, he succumbed to multi-organ failure on June 2, 2022.

His son Abhay Sopori said, “We have lost a truly great musician, a great human being and a great father. It is really difficult for me to believe this and imagine my life without him."

Pandit Bhajan Sopori was an artist, musician, teacher, writer and poet. He is revered as "Saint of Santoor" and "King of Strings". For his contribution to Indian music and culture, he received the Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, J&K Government Lifetime Achievement Award, J&K Government Civilian Award, Doctorate of Literature by Utkal University (Odisha), National Flag of the Arab Republic of Egypt Awarded with honors etc.